Please retro 1989's AIR FORCE STS / AIR DELTA FORCE / QUANTUM FORCE

poscogrubb

poscogrubb

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Oct 9, 2014
Dear NIKE,

Please retro the 1989 Air Force STS !!! We've seen plenty of Air Force 2, a few of Air Force III, and even Air Revolution. It's time to dig up the '89 Nike basketball collection!

I think it was 1989 when Nike Basketball divided into two distinct lines, Force for stability and Flight for quickness.

The fourth generation of Air Force was called Air Force IV and Air Force STS. Correct me if I'm wrong, STS is an allusion to the USA space shuttle, which NASA formally named Space Transport System.

Here are some pics to get us started: Air Force STS, Air Delta Force, and Quantum Force. None of these pics are mine except for the black Quantum Forces at the end.
The Air Force STS was the first non-Jordan Nike basketball shoe to have elephant print. It was produced in many white / X colorways.
The "takedown" model was the Air Delta Force. It did not have elephant print, and the midsole and outsole was slightly plainer in design.
The Quantum Force  took on the same silhouette and pattern as the above two models, but presumably had no Air-Sole technology and only came in white/gray and black/white. The black ones were a mean-looking shoe! Neither Air Force STS or Air Delta Force had a predominantly black colorway.

OLD SCHOOL HEADS, please add more info.
 
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classic-photo-90-91.jpg


class of 1990: (left to right): Steve Smith, Mike Iuzzolino, Larry Johnson, Billy Owens, Don MacLean, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaq, Kenny Anderson, Stacey Augmon, Alonzo Mourning, Todd Day
 
Look at that era right there :lol:
Man I miss 80's/90's college basketball when we had real grown men playing 3-4 years

Imagine this season's 2016 first-team All Americas vs:

Shaq
Alonzo
Larry Johnson
Steve Smith
Kenny Anderson
 
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I have a pristine in the box pair of the Delta Force Hi-top, and a second for wearing. Probably my favorite model of Nike.
 
In the realm of music...

I couldn't help but chuckle at their fashion gimmick, but it certainly worked. Bad boys being bad boys. :wink:

kriss_kross02.jpg
 
poscogrubb said:
The Quantum Force  took on the same silhouette and pattern as the above two models, but presumably had no Air-Sole technology and only came in white/gray and black/white. The black ones were a mean-looking shoe! Neither Air Force STS or Air Delta Force had a predominantly black colorway.
Click to expand...
I'm gonna have to throw in my pair here, turns out there was also a white/red colorway. Absolutely love 'em! No air unit = no PU midsole = no crumbling = wearable forever! Or at least as long as you take care of them, which I do.
 
NotaSneak said:
 
poscogrubb said:
The Quantum Force  took on the same silhouette and pattern as the above two models, but presumably had no Air-Sole technology and only came in white/gray and black/white. The black ones were a mean-looking shoe! Neither Air Force STS or Air Delta Force had a predominantly black colorway.
Click to expand...
I'm gonna have to throw in my pair here, turns out there was also a white/red colorway. Absolutely love 'em! No air unit = no PU midsole = no crumbling = wearable forever! Or at least as long as you take care of them, which I do.
Click to expand...
AWESOME! Thanks for the great pics!
 
I had the one called "Omega Force", that was pretty similar to those Quantum Force in Black//White back then. But to this day, I could never prove whether that model was actually existing tho. Does anyone remember such one?
 
In all my research I've never come across an Omega Force. I've seen Strike force, Delta force, Driving force, lots of force shoes. Maybe you're confusing it with another one? If not, the name Omega is in line with the naming convention of these other force shoes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it did exist, and I'd be super curious to see a pair.
 
poscogrubb said:
classic-photo-90-91.jpg

class of 1990: (left to right): Steve Smith, Mike Iuzzolino, Larry Johnson, Billy Owens, Don MacLean, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaq, Kenny Anderson, Stacey Augmon, Alonzo Mourning, Todd Day
Click to expand...

I still cant believe shaq never made the OG dream team. Those ol skoolers really didnt want to share the limelight back in the day!

Id like to see more lows and mids be retroed of the 90-91 force shoes - AIR FORCE V please !
 
AussieHeat said:
Can anyone tell me 100% what these are. I was thinking Delta Force ST but just look a tiny bit different. A friend found the photo and was asking. Thabks in advance from Australia
Click to expand...
Probably Delta Force ST, based on "AIR" on the heel tab and the shape of the seams on the high part of the upper. I haven't seen this colorway before.
 
NotaSneak said:
In all my research I've never come across an Omega Force. I've seen Strike force, Delta force, Driving force, lots of force shoes. Maybe you're confusing it with another one? If not, the name Omega is in line with the naming convention of these other force shoes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it did exist, and I'd be super curious to see a pair.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for taking your time. I did research before and could never prove the existence of such model either and really wished I at least had taken a pic of that one before throwing em away tho.

The reason why I believe it was Omega Force is because it was written so on the tongue. The tongue design was almost identical to Delta Force's w/ that half basketball logo sitting under "FORCE" and there was the term, "Omega" used above the Force logo. It was a mid-cut shoe in simple black/white colorway (black body w/ white Swoosh & logos on the tongue).

Wishing that someone can prove me right someday along with my Air Anniversary Max? which I also can't prove the existence of such model ever since I threw away the box...
 
Deltas look pretty good to me now.
You couldn't tell me mine were nice when my friends were running around in og 90s, 4s, flights and tech challenge 2s. No air window was devastating
 
poscogrubb said:
classic-photo-90-91.jpg

class of 1990: (left to right): Steve Smith, Mike Iuzzolino, Larry Johnson, Billy Owens, Don MacLean, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaq, Kenny Anderson, Stacey Augmon, Alonzo Mourning, Todd Day
Click to expand...

Steve Smith and Todd day.... What is the name of the converse they have?

Highs and lows are so fire. I remember kind of a basketball pebbled tongue and they were like EX-3800s or something like that.

Who knows a name?
I'd love a retro of those
 
Titanium Tea said:
Steve Smith and Todd day.... What is the name of the converse they have?

Highs and lows are so fire. I remember kind of a basketball pebbled tongue and they were like EX-3800s or something like that.

Who knows a name?
I'd love a retro of those
Click to expand...
You're thinking of the Converse ERX line. They ran from the 150s to the 400s I think. Dude on far right looks like he's got some 350s on. Tough to tell but it could be 250 lows on the far left. Unfortunately like the Air Force STS', most of the ERX line used some sort of polyurethane midsole and the shoes are unwearable today, a shame since it's probably my favorite line of kicks from the late 80s bar none.

There are a few that had a simpler setup that can still be worn today though. I have a pair of white/blue 150s and you better believe they're one of my favorites in the collection, wear them all the time.
 
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NotaSneak said:
 
Titanium Tea said:
Steve Smith and Todd day.... What is the name of the converse they have?

Highs and lows are so fire. I remember kind of a basketball pebbled tongue and they were like EX-3800s or something like that.

Who knows a name?
I'd love a retro of those
Click to expand...
You're thinking of the Converse ERX line. They ran from the 150s to the 400s I think. Dude on far right looks like he's got some 350s on. Tough to tell but it could be 250 lows on the far left. Unfortunately like the Air Force STS', most of the ERX line used some sort of polyurethane midsole and the shoes are unwearable today, a shame since it's probably my favorite line of kicks from the late 80s bar none.

There are a few that had a simpler setup that can still be worn today though. I have a pair of white/blue 150s and you better believe they're one of my favorites in the collection, wear them all the time.
Click to expand...
Yeah, do a Google image search for Converse ERX... so many beautiful hightops!!
 
I went straight to google when I got the name.
It seems like every color of the highs and lows was complete crack.

I remember watching the men play ball as a kid and always thought " that's a real man's shoe"
 
These kids don't know but the Reebok bb4600 was a SERIOUS shoe too when I was a kid. The leather of the ogs, especially the tongue was pretty much beyond anything we get now a days.

In the white and blue, we wanted those things bad
 
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