If you didn’t catch part 1 and part 2 of DeFY New York’s on going look back at the infancy’s of internet sneaker culture make sure and check them out. Today we are taking a look back at Al Bundy Society, one of the earliest sites dedicated to our passion of footwear. Run by Mark Halstead this was one of those sneaker sites that was a regular visit for most shoe heads back in the day including myself and was memorable for its name (Snapple fact, Married With Children was still pumping out new episodes during this sites birth). Photo’s included early previews of footwear that were scheduled to drop as well as shoes from Marks personal collection. Nike’s, Brooks, Converse, Adidas etc., Marks personal collection featured a more well rounded selection of shoes to look through in comparison to many enthusiast run sites which were solely dedicated to Nike.
At first glance the site looks rather dull (especially in comparison to other sites at the time that went hard with Flash and futuristic (but dated looking by today’s standards) designs), but it was actually neat, polished and had that 90’s medical appearance to it and I believe I know why.
After looking into Marks old email address it appears that not only did he go on to receive a medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School, but he would also become a team physician for the St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Blues, Washington University athletes, and Lafayette High School. He also serves as an assistant medical director to the Go! St. Louis Marathon and is an Assistant Professor for Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics as well as a director for a Sports Concussion Program. Oh and did I mention that he was also named as one of the best doctors in America from 2007 through present? Yes, indeed if this is the same Mark (which we’re pretty sure it is) then not only did he leave his permanent print forever embedded in sneaker culture but has gone on to be a huge asset to society as a whole. Check out what I believe to be Mark’s BIO (attempts to contact Mark for this article were unsuccessful) and remember Don’t sleep on shoe heads………….