words // Nick DePaula
Upon hearing the news this morning that Dwyane Wade would be leaving the only shoe brand he’s known during his professional career, Converse, for the big brother under the Nike Inc. umbrella in Jordan Brand, I was left to wonder where that would leave his alma mater, Marquette University. It was during college that the somewhat unknown Wade blew up, after leading the Golden Eagles to the 2003 Final Four, and for the past few seasons they’ve had the good fortune of being the only Converse Basketball college program in the nation, proudly linking Wade with his former school.
Though we’re still a few months away from Midnight Madness and the official start of Division 1 practices, we can announce that Marquette University will, like Wade, also be shifting away from Converse footwear and apparel. “Marquette will transition to the Jordan Brand along with Wade,” says Reggie Saunders, spokesperson for Jordan Brand. “Marquette is proud of their former athlete and should have the opportunity to maintain their relationship with him.”
With the University of California Berkeley wearing mostly black/varsity maize kicks over the past few seasons, it’s been a few years since we’ve regularly seen white/navy/yellow Jordan PE’s at the college level. If you recall, there was also the short-lived North Carolina A&T sponsorship. Either way, you can now add Marquette to the list of official Jordan schools, along with Cal, Georgetown and of course the University of North Carolina.
