Today's Tidbit... Spot-bilt Shoes and O. J. Simpson

There was a time when Spot-bilt was among the highest-profile shoe brands in sports, and if you believe the stories, they nearly landed Michael Jordan before he signed with Nike. Had Jordan signed with Spot-bilt rather than Nike, Michigan football might not be wearing jerseys adorned with a basketball player's silhouette today.

Spot-bilt was an American brand that began production before the forward pass became legal. Over the years, they made shoes for track, bowling, baseball, football, and officiating, among other sports, and were particularly popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Owned by Hyde Industries, which also acquired Saucony in 1968, the two brands shared a three-holed "S" logo and engaged in "badge engineering," much like General Motors sold essentially the same vehicle under different brands.

Late to the shoe endorsement game that adidas pioneered, Spot-bilt named O. J. Simpson their Vice President of Promotions in 1973 or 1974. Then among the most popular sports celebrities in the land, Simpson helped raise Spot-bilt's already high profile on football fields.

Spot-bilt's 1978 football catalog featured an image of Simpson on the front cover and a letter from the Juice on the inside front cover.