HBCU pride gets laced up in Nike’s new Yardrunners 6.0 collection

The Air Max 95 collection reimagines the spirit of Florida A&M, Spelman, Morehouse, and Norfolk State through color, texture, and community.

Nike is making sure your HBCU school spirit radiates during and long after this year’s homecoming tailgates.

For its sixth year, the brand’s Yardrunners initiative is spotlighting four historically Black colleges and universities with a new collection of Air Max 95s inspired by each school’s heritage, colors, and culture. This time, the lineup celebrates Florida A&M University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Norfolk State University, four schools that have shaped generations of leaders, thinkers, and tastemakers.

Initially launched in 2020, Yardrunners was founded by Nike employees who are HBCU alumni. The goal has always been simple: celebrate the creativity, community, and cultural power that live on HBCU campuses. Or, as Nike puts it, “to partner with HBCU trailblazers and community creatives to create inspirational products and storytelling with and for the community.”

This year’s class centers on the people who make HBCUs what they are: the students, alumni, and faculty who carry their schools’ legacies forward in and outside of the classroom.

Layered in orange and green leather and snake print, the Florida A&M Air Max 95 offers a bold take on the school’s colors and a subtle nod to its Rattler mascot. Across the shoe, the words “Strike, strike, and strike again” capture the chant every FAMU student knows by heart. The FAMU faces tied to this drop include DungeonFord founder David Castro, Director of Bands Dr. Shelby Chipman, SGA President Zayla Bryant, and track star Arayana Ladson.

For Spelman College, the design leans into elegance and legacy. The blue-and-white Air Max 95 features layered leather and suede with a jaguar print that nods to the school’s mascot. “Thy Name We Praise,” a line from the Spelman Hymn, is stitched across the upper, a small but powerful touch honoring legacy. Featured Spelmanites include flag football captain Olivia Brown, longtime music professor Dr. Joyce Johnson, Women in Hip Hop Collective founder Eboni Ellis, and Kamora Freeland, Class of 2028, the youngest Black female pilot in the country.

In the Morehouse iteration, black and maroon tones blend across leather and suede layers, with a tiger-inspired print and the school’s Latin motto “Et Facta Est Lux” (“And There Was Light”) running along the shoe. Classic, confident, Nike’s campaign highlights Dr. Brock Mayers, Dean of Students; Keshawn Wiley III, the school’s 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year; javelin thrower Rodney Gross; and the Moody family’s two generations of Morehouse men Charles & Charles Jr. Moody. 

Green and gold leather and suede layers make the Norfolk State University Air Max 95 pop, while the phrase “Behold the Green and Gold” captures the vibrant, resilient and unity that embodies Spartan pride. To showcase the passion and perseverance that define the NSU community, Nike highlighted former athletic director Marty Miller, Mister NSU Demetrius Pernell, first female drum major Quiara Jackson, and alumna Indya Richards in its campaign. 

Beyond the fly silhouettes, these sneakers are designed to encapsulate a sliver of the stories and magic that lie at the heart of these HBCUs. 

The sneakers dropped at select retailers on October 11th, but if you missed that drop, The Yardrunner 6.0 Airmax 95s will also be released on the SNKRS app on October 14th.