Skyya vintage sneaker ad from 1984 by Joe Skaja, designer of Nike's air-sole

Today we’ve got a vintage 1984 sneaker ad for Skyya brand running shoes. This brand was launched by Joe Skaja, a former Nike designer, and featured a patented replaceable plug system. These plug system sneakers were originally put out under the Keds brand name before they were eventually moved to his own brand. If you’re interested in this innovation you can see a couple of other ads for these here and here along with a link to the original patent here.

This original vintage Skyya print ad is available at our web store RewindRunning.com.

Ad info is below:

SKYYA’S THE LIMIT

Joe Skyya never stops reaching for new horizons. As a runner he competed in the 1976 Olympic Marathon Trials. As a designer he created the Nike Air-Sole® and worked with aerospace engineers to pioneer the use of revolutionary compounds for running shoes.

Too Good To Make. Skyya was hired by a major corporation to make the most advanced running shoe on the market. He delivered. It was selected State-of-the-Art• by Running Times magazine in their 1982 and '83 shoe surveys. Skyya's shoe was one of the lightest, most durable training shoes ever created, yet the company stopped the project without selling a single pair. Excel-lence was sacrificed for higher profits and broader markets.

A Dream Come True. For Skyya the past has been a road to his dream of bringing innovative technology to runnels. He's now formed his own company with a single goal: to produce the best running shoe possible. Skyya is no longer bound by the limits of big business; he's free to do what he does best.

Beat The System. How can Skyya build affordable state-of-the-art American shoes when major corporations can't? Unlike big name companies that mass produce in the orient, Skyya makes all his shoes in America and sells them directly to runners. No specialty shops. No retail chains. Skyya bypasses the middlemen to save you money and sells direct by mail order only. The price: $60.

The Best Shoe Possible. The Skyya Legacy is the most technically advanced shoe on the market. Its un-matched durability, light weight and comfort make it a shoe ahead of its time.

Replaceable Wear Plugs. Legacy's sole incorporates Skyya's original replaceable wear plug concept. Solid rubber plugs located at seven key wear spots on the sole pro-vide extraordinary durability. Legacy will take you up to 2,000 miles, far beyond the limit of average shoes.

Thermoplastic Heel Counter. Skyya's the first to introduce rigid full-cup external heel counters that'll never break down. Unlike most counters which are hand-formed of low grade plastic and card-board, Legacy's heel support is constructed by a high pressure injection-molded process of solid Dupont Hytrel®, a thermoplastic used in ski boots. Legacy's design is endorsed by podiatrists and biomechanic experts nationwide as a breakthrough to help prevent proration injuries.

Goodyear Sof Spun® Midsole. Cushioning the Legacy is Goodyear's new Sof Spun® crepe midsole. Superior shock absorption combined with remarkable compaction resistance make American-made Sof Spun® the top midsole available. Sof Spun® won't flatten out like typical orient-produced EVA midsoles found in most shoes.

Dynafit Saddle. Legacy's unique Dynafit saddle takes over where cosmetic stripes leave off. Dynafit gives support across the arch to produce a snug fit with enough stretch to move with your foot while holding it in place.

880 Denier Mesh. Holding together the revolutionary features of the Legacy is another Skyya exclusive: 880 Denier Mesh used throughout the shoe. It has four times the strength of conventional webbing and has no equal in breathability. The Legacy makes mesh blowouts a thing of the past.

Skyya Custom. The Skyya Custom is a special version of the Legacy made individually for you. If you have different needs for each foot, extra narrow, extra wide, or variations of any kind, Skyya will handcraft shoes to fit your requirements. Special modifications include drastic alterations in toe box and heel areas, both softer and firmer midsoles, heel lifts and anti-pronation extras. The price: $100. Delivery within six weeks from order. Call or write for details.

GUARANTEED QUICK DELIVERY SYSTEM: All MasterCard Visa and money orders will be shipped I within 14 days from om receipt of your order. Please allow an additional two weeks for personal check orders. We ship UPS whenever possible, so be sure to in- I dude your apartment and street address for trouble-free delivery. If you would like a refund for any reason, simply return the shoes in unused condition within 30 days for a prompt, courteous refund. Send orders to Joe Skyya, P.O. Box 940, Exeter, NH 03833. For information or to order by I phone, call (603) 7724543 (8 a.m. -12 p.m. and 2-5 pm.. EST). Prices: Includes shipping, tax and four free wear plugs. Additional wear plugs 25a each. Legacy.. $60. Breakthru Racer $50. Orders out of U.S. 48 states, add $10 postage and handling.

Legacy: Quantity pair(s) Sizes (men's 6-13 D width) (women's 6.11 B width) Special widths: men's HE, women's AA-D Add $15 per pair for special widths only. Need other I widths? See Skyya Custom above. Breakthru 5 oz. Racer: (not shown) Beige with orange stripe. Not a wear plug sole. Price $50. Quantity pair(s) Sizes (men's 6-13 D width) (women's 6.11 B width) Special widths: men's B•EE, women's AA-D Add $15 per pair for special widths only. Need other widths? See Skyya Custom above.

adidas 1982 Oregon Bill Dellinger vintage sneaker ad

Here's another track coach ad, this time Bill Dellinger of the University of Oregon in 1982. Bill Dellinger replaced Bill Bowerman after he retired as coach of the Ducks track team in the 70s. In this ad he is endorsing the adidas Oregon, Atlanta and Lady Oregon shoes.

Ad info is below:

adidas reports:
addas U.S.A. 1982 

Bill Dellinger has discovered a new use for Newton's Third Law of Motion. 

As most of you know, Bill Dellinger is the University of Oregon's running coach; and he will be doing the same honors for the United States Olympic Team in 1984. He has become world-renowned for getting the most out of some of the finest runners around. But now, he's about to become equally famous for getting extra performance from a gentleman who had his peak many years ago. Because he and adidas have developed a way to harness Sir Issac's fundamental law that will make a fundamental difference to runners. 

Distribution of impact shock. The Dellinger Web. For runners, its a loophole in the Third Law of Motion.

Newton's dictum states that for every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Until now, for runners, this has meant that what goes down (in terms of initial heel shock), must go up (as an equal shock transmitted straight up the leg). But The Web disperses part of the heel shock throughout the entire sole of the shoe, where it is not felt by the leg. So in effect, what goes down goes sideways as well as up. The Web: What it is and how it works. The Web is a unique polyamide netting that covers the midsole from heel to toe. To a runner, this simply means a type of construction that can significantly reduce leg fatigue. When a runner's heel strikes the ground, it compresses the netting in the heel area. This compressed netting in turn pulls in on the rest of the netting throughout the entire sole of the shoe. The resistance of the netting and sole acts much like a torsion bar to absorb part of the impact shock.

Close - up of The Web.

Up to ten percent of the shock, in fact. Ten percent that the runner doesn't ever feel. Which means that the runner has ten percent more energy to devote to running instead of shock absorption. As if that weren't enough, there's even another advantage to The Web. The heel impact puts The Web in a state of tension, with some areas compressed and others stretched. As the runner rolls forward into the next stride, The Web springs back, giving a trampoline effect. And all of this is accomplished without sacrificing stability, and with no gain in thickness or bulk. Dellinger's Law: "You pay for the whole shoe, why not use it?" As we've explained, most running shoes only use part of the sole most of the time, an inefficiency your whole body pays for directly. But now with The Web, you can have a shoe that does part of the work you've been used to doing. The adidas-developed Web is currently available in the Atlanta, Oregon, and Lady Oregon. Only from adidas, the company that can bring the laws of physics to heel. 

Atlanta

Oregon 

Lady Oregon 

adidas

Puma Easy Rider 1977 vintage sneaker ad

This week I'll post some of the 'Track Coach endorsement' ads. After Nike and Bill Bowerman became a model of success other footwear brands began finding track coaches to use as part of their marketing and advertising materials. This ad for the Puma Easy Rider running shoe is from 1977 and features Don Riggs who was the distance running coach at San Jose State University. Don is all about the 'toe-off' advantage in this ad.

​Ad info is below:

Who makes the best jogging shoe? 

by Don Riggs The distance-running coach at San Jose State University examines the new Puma® 'Easy Rider: 

Distance-running coach Don Riggs.

A startling find.

I've tested every major brand of jogging shoe and I've come to a pretty startling discovery: Puma is the only one that toes-off properly— that bends the right way under the ball of your foot. Only one other brand comes even close. Is this important? You'd better know it! Improper toe-off can lead to all kinds of foot and leg problems. But don't take my word for the way Puma toes-off. You can test it for yourself. Grab hold of the new 'Easy Rider' and bend the sole (see photo-graph). The bend is exactly where the foot bends, at the head of the metatarsal, and it's rounded the way your foot is rounded. Now try the same thing with other shoes. Some bend too sharply. Some bend in the wrong place altogether. I've even found shoes that bend right in the middle, which can tear the heck out of your metatarsal. 

Puma is the only big-name shoe that toes-off properly, says Riggs. 

A 1,000-mile sole?

The sole on the new 'Easy Rider' is going to make a few people sit up and take notice. Look closely and you'll see it's covered with rows of truncated cones— in two different heights. The tall cones give you traction and help to cushion impact and insulate your foot from surface heat. The comfort is fantastic, but that's only half the story. When you run, the tall cones are squashed down. This is when the short cones come into play. They're placed where the greatest wear occurs in a shoe — at the heel. They act like firm little bumpers to keep the tall cones from mashing down and wearing out too fast. Going by the three years of testing I've done — and this depends, of course, on weight, running surface, and how hard you run — don't be surprised if you rack up a thousand miles on this sole. 

The 'Easy Rider' sole. Note the two different heights of the cones. 

Beware of mushy counters.

Another way to spot a first-class jogging shoe is by checking the counter— which is what they call the part that surrounds your heel. You take a poor shoe and push against the side or back of the counter with your thumb. You'll find it's soft and mushy. When it breaks down, your heel is going to start wobbling around in there, which can cause anything from shinsplints to knee problems. Avoid this kind of shoe like the plague. Now try the same test with the 'Easy Rider: The counter is strong, firm (like the photograph shows ). It holds and protects the cal-caneus (or heel bone) and its muscle group all the way down. I like the way Puma pays careful attention to details like this. 

The 'Easy Rider' stays firm when you push here. A poor shoe is soft and mushy. 

Should you wear Puma?

Run your hand around the inside of an 'Easy Rider' and you won't find a rough edge anywhere. Look at the nylon outside and you'll see why the rate of breakdown is so phenomenally low on Puma: all the stretch points are reinforced with leather. That kind of careful thinking goes into all the other new Puma jogging-running shoes: the soft-leather `Stud' with its ventilating holes... the less-expensive `Rocket:.. the 9191 'Pavement Jogger' with its tradi-tional herringbone sole ...and the 'Whirlwind: built on the Puma spike last for cross-country competition and interval training. I'll tell you the same thing I tell my athletes: A good shoe can make a difference in how you run. If you take pride in what you're doing, you've earned the right to wear Puma. You've earned your stripe. 

The new Puma Easy Rider: 

PUMA
You've earned your stripe

UPDATE:

We recently covered the style changes to the Puma Easy Rider model in our Le Coq Sportif blog post because their Quartz model sneaker is along the same lines as the Easy Riders in this ad. You can see the differences here:

Puma Easy Rider 2019 vs 2017 style comparison