Condition: like new as pictured inside shoes have been worn handful of times. Soles: dirt as pictured can be cleaned. Otherwise intact no obvious wear. As classic as it gets. The Nike Cortez have been a staple in Nike's catalog for over 50 years. Designed by co-founder Bill Bowerman, they were the first ever track shoe Nike released. Phil Knight tells the story of how the Cortez got its name in his memoir Shoe Dog. The 1968 Olympic games held in Mexico were right around the corner, and Bowerman came up with "The Aztec," a homage to the Mesoamericans who inhabited what eventually became Mexico. However, Adidas had already released a track shoe called the Azteca Gold. "Who was that guy who kicked the sh*t out of the Aztecs?" Bowerman asked Knight. "Cortez".