Wrestling shoes

[MPhillips]

1 minute ago, ionel said:

I added the red laces

These...

[ionel]

1 minute ago, MPhillips said:

These...

 

[MPhillips]

2 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

I would have given a kidney for these back in the day

First pair of non Asics I had. But was coaching by then...

[NM1965]

12 hours ago, ionel said:

Ok sure ... but do you have a pair of these?

Looks like Evan Wick wrestling Gilman! 

[D3 for LU]

15 hours ago, NM1965 said:

They are pretty cool looking. I'd have never worn them though, I got turned on to high top wrestling shoes. Seems like those shoes could easily come off in a match.  

I'm probably dating myself, but my first pair of wrestling shoes were this type. 

Hmmm... perhaps, you meant THESE guys instead:

My oldest brother wore these when he was wrestling back in HS in NJ in '64-'67!

They were even around when I was wrestling in the early to mid '70's!

D3

[NM1965]

9 minutes ago, D3 for LU said:

Hmmm... perhaps, you meant THESE guys instead:

My oldest brother wore these when he was wrestling back in HS in NJ in '64-'67!

They were even around when I was wrestling in the early to mid '70's!

D3

Those look like the older brothers to MY old wrestling shoes!

[TNwrestling]

13 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

From 2013-2017 my time on FLICKR these were routinely going fro 5-700 dollars based on condition

I was on flickr from like 2009-2015ish. Those were the good ole days. 

 

We made a "Funky Flickr Boyz" dual team for Ohio ToC in like 2010 maybe? I still have an original funky flickr boyz singlet somewhere. I'll never forget sitting in the coaches corner talking to a teenager Zeke Moisey about his favorite shoes, while a match was going on. I think some of the names of big name guys who traded shoes back in the day would surprise some people. That feels like a lifetime ago now...

[Offthemat]

16 hours ago, NM1965 said:

They are pretty cool looking. I'd have never worn them though, I got turned on to high top wrestling shoes. Seems like those shoes could easily come off in a match.  

I'm probably dating myself, but my first pair of wrestling shoes were this type. 

Those shoes weren’t allowed on our mats, due to the metal eyelets. 

[H82Lose]

My kid has had every show known to man. He had the red/black and white Jordans, but I have never seen these before. I will tell you the coolest show he had were some baby blue converse. Those were cool-looking shoe. 

[Gene Mills Fan]

I had these but after sophomore year. My first wrestling year. The middle stripe on one side became unstitched. So I removed the 4 middle black stripes. I think they lasted 3 years like that. warm ups I wore a T-shirt with the Road Runner on it. I thought he was cunning and quick.

[D3 for LU]

1 hour ago, Offthemat said:

Those shoes weren’t allowed on our mats, due to the metal eyelets. 

... the eyelets were located on the inside of the shoe, if I recalled.

(Though, when the canvas worn thru, exposing the internal eyelet, it was time to get another pair. They were cheap, back in the day.)

D3

[Offthemat]

5 minutes ago, D3 for LU said:

... the eyelets were located on the inside of the shoe, if I recalled.

(Though, when the canvas worn thru, exposing the internal eyelet, it was time to get another pair. They were cheap, back in the day.)

D3

The shoes in the picture have the metal eyelets, and vent holes, plainly visible on the outside.  They’re not wrestling shoes, just run of the mill tennis shoes. 

[D3 for LU]

But during my younger (& "blonder" days)... these were the wrestling shoes that I wore.

(I'm sure a lot of you remember these! Before they became ASICS!)

You have your choice of either WHITE...

OR

BLACK.

If you could "afford" them... you got the all-leather TIGERS:

Usually reserved for the ace wrestlers on the team. (Unless you were the little rich kid that the parents bought them for you... the ribbing would NOT let up on'em, though!)

I wish I got those leather TIGERS... but our local sport store didn't have them in stock.

(Oh, well... )

D3

[Gene Mills Fan]

D3 you Rock!

Now I'm thinking I had the Tigers and removed both middle small stripes after one got wrecked!   Sucks to get old!

Edited December 16, 2025 by Gene Mills Fan

[D3 for LU]

10 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

The shoes in the picture have the metal eyelets, and vent holes, plainly visible on the outside.  They’re not wrestling shoes, just run of the mill tennis shoes. 

 

(I didn't open up that picture... my bad! )

D3

[D3 for LU]

10 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

D3 you Rock!

Now I'm thinking I had the Tigers and removed both middle small stripes after one got wrecked!   Sucks to get old!

fify!

D3

Edited December 16, 2025 by D3 for LU

[Offthemat]

8 minutes ago, D3 for LU said:

 

(I didn't open up that picture... my bad! )

D3

Haha 

[MPhillips]

I know some of you, "older" folks had the Pony shoes and Spot Bilt coaching shorts...

[Gene Mills Fan]

3 minutes ago, MPhillips said:

I know some of you, "older" folks had the Pony shoes and Spot Bilt coaching shorts...

i had the Riddells black laces

[MPhillips]

43 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

i had the Riddells black laces

You go coach!!!

[Gene Mills Fan]

22 minutes ago, MPhillips said:

You go coach!!!

you got that wrong. I mostly wore them to punk rock venues.

[MPhillips]

14 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

you got that wrong. I mostly wore them to punk rock venues.

American Dr. Martens before you could get them...

[Gene Mills Fan]

4 minutes ago, MPhillips said:

American Dr. Martens before you could get them...

 

[Truzzcat]

5 hours ago, TNwrestling said:

I was on flickr from like 2009-2015ish. Those were the good ole days. 

 

We made a "Funky Flickr Boyz" dual team for Ohio ToC in like 2010 maybe? I still have an original funky flickr boyz singlet somewhere. I'll never forget sitting in the coaches corner talking to a teenager Zeke Moisey about his favorite shoes, while a match was going on. I think some of the names of big name guys who traded shoes back in the day would surprise some people. That feels like a lifetime ago now...

Zavatsky was a bit older than me, but he was super active with trading. I remember at a kutztown camp and a chertow camp everyone just staying in between session and bartering. I traded a kid a pair of orange rulons for some footsweeps before a match with his team and I got magic sticked twice in the same match it was a tough scene.

[Gus]

Combat Speed III's are the most underrated shoes of all time. Super comfortable and I picked up a pair at the local Scheels for $29 back in the day and they last for a decade and a half.