81 In 1968, Puma became the first shoe to introduce Velcro fasteners.
82 Asics is an acronym for the Latin phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano," which translates to "a sound mind in a sound body."
83 Featuring a kangaroo-esque pouch, Roos were endorsed by former NFL rushing leader Walter Payton.
84 Only Nike and Reebok sell more basketball sneakers than And 1.

85 Etnies made the first pro-model skate shoe.
Founded 20 years ago by the Rautureau Apple Shoe Company and skateboarder Alain "Platoon" Montagnet, Etnies was the first shoe company to be owned by a skateboarder, to develop a pro-skate shoe, and to sign a skater to a contract. It was luck-as much as visionary thinking-that helped bring about the signing of California\'s Natas Kaupas. "The original owner came to Venice Beach," explains current C.E.O., owner, and ex pro-skater Pierre André Senizergues, "and saw Natas on the cover of Thrasher, so he went to a local skate shop, got his address, went to his house, and found him. It was lucky. He could have not been there. They decided right then to make the deal." Sometimes opportunity knocks, literally. (DS)

86 When Saucony started in 1910, it made "carpet slippers," constructed from actual rugs.
87 The Air Max 360 heel pull-tab with two lines inside a 16-dot circle represents the birthday of designer Martin Lotti.
88 The "PF" in PF Flyers stands for "posture foundation."

89 Fabolous got his kicks collection exposed on  ESPN\'s \'It\'s The Shoes.\'
When ESPN\'s Kevin Wilde and David Jacoby decided to make a show about sneakers, Bobbito Garcia was the first and last name on their list of hosts, and rightly so. Garcia, famous for hosting Stretch Armstrong\'s popular \'90s college radio show, penned the groundbreaking article "Confession of a Sneaker Addict" in The Source in 1991, as well as the sneaker culture tome, Where\'d You Get Those? New York City\'s Sneaker Culture: 1960 to 1987 [Testify, \'02]. The producers had no idea the resulting half-hour show, which airs on ESPN2 at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday nights, and features segments on sneakerhead dons like Flight Club\'s Chris Ridell, and celebs Carmelo Anthony and Trick Daddy, would expose F-A-B-O\'s F-A-U-X collection. "All the kids on niketalk.com were like, \'Yo, Fabolous was showing some fake Jordans on the screen and he didn\'t even know it,\'" Bobbito recalls. "I don\'t think he knows to this day." The same haters might be inclined to think that Fab\'s kicks aren\'t the only phony thing about sneaker TV. "You got a host that got legitimacy up his fuckin\' asshole," says Bobbito, unfazed. "So just sit back and enjoy it." (TK)

90 Hungar For More
Thought every corner of the universe had been dusted for retro sneakers? Not quite. In 1971, Hungarian athletic shoe company Tisza introduced sneakers in communist Eastern European countries as an alternative to the standard-issue leather shoes. When the Iron Curtain dropped in 1989, Western brands soon buried the once popular Tiszas. "Slowly, we are getting over this shock of capitalism and these new brands," says 23-year-old Tisza designer Zsofi Fenyvesi. The line was re-released in 2002 and Hungarian youth embraced Tisza, the only fashion and shoe company to design and produce in their country. It\'s a distinction that also keeps the shoes, um, limited edition. "It would be great to have products in other countries," says Fenyvesi, "but it isn\'t worth it because the shoes are produced in Hungary, not Vietnam, so it cannot be sold cheap." For us, by us-for real. (MJ)

91 New York\'s Department of Correction forbids prisoners in NYC jails to wear Nike Air or similar sneakers because razors and drugs can be stored in the hollowed-out sole of the air bubble. Ironically, prisoners can wear Converse Weapons, as they can\'t be used as a weapons cache.
92 DC Shoes\'s L.A. headquarters stands on the very spot where founder Damon Way was conceived.
93 Kurt Cobain died wearing a pair of black suede Converse One Stars.
94 Fila signed Grant Hill to an $80 million deal in 1997. Since then, Hill has played in only 249 games. In two and a half seasons, LeBron has already played in over 200.
95 In 1991, MC Hammer was endorsing British Knights.
96 When Reebok signed Yao Ming in 2003, it was the first time the company won an endorsement battle against Nike.
97 Andy Roddick\'s signature Reebok shoe was called the "Figjam DMX." "Figjam," which stands for "Fuck I\'m good…just ask me," comes from the nickname of Aussie Rules Football player Nathan Buckley.
98 Nike Air technology was born in 1979.
99  LA Gear still exists.

100  Nike Cortez were born at Asics.
In 1969, Asics, then known as Tiger, released the Cortez. Phil Knight, who\'d been a sales rep for Tiger in the \'60s, felt that he\'d been instrumental in the development of the shoe, so he took the design with him when he left to form the company that would later become Nike. Thus began a lengthy legal battle. In \'74, the courts decided that both parties had the rights to the design of the shoe, but that Tiger could not use the name Cortez. As a result, the company renamed its shoe the Corsair. Thirty years later, both models are still available.

101 When it premiered in \'73, the Puma Clyde was the first endorsed basketball shoe. When it came time to re-release the shoe, Puma didn\'t have an original blueprint, so designers and shoe engineers meticulously dissected an employee\'s deadstock pair to re-create the specs. Home // SNEAKERS // FEATURES // 101 Things You Didn't Know About Sneakers: 81-101