Kolat Wrestling Shoes – A Complete Guide

nike black and silver og kolat wrestling shoes
nike kolat speed wrestling shoes in black and red
nike kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes in white and black
illinois kolat 2000s tongues
PSU Kolats
blue og kolat wrestling shoes
3 versions of kolat wrestling shoes
unc kolat internationals
kolat international wrestling shoes
ciollege edition kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes
illinois edition original kolat wrestling shoes blue silver and orange
ohio state 2k4 kolat wrestling shoes
nike black and silver og kolat wrestling shoes nike kolat speed wrestling shoes in black and red nike kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes in white and black illinois kolat 2000s tongues PSU Kolats blue og kolat wrestling shoes 3 versions of kolat wrestling shoes unc kolat internationals kolat international wrestling shoes ciollege edition kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes illinois edition original kolat wrestling shoes blue silver and orange ohio state 2k4 kolat wrestling shoes

Former wrestling prodigy Cary Kolat was one of few wrestlers to ever receive a shoe deal from Nike.  Kolat was a 2000 U.S. Olympian, as well as a world finalist and 2x NCAA champ. In college, he attended Penn State University where he earned All-American honors twice.  He then transferred to Lock Haven and won two NCAA titles during his junior and senior campaigns. It seems that many shoe collectors today know Kolat more for his line of shoes than they know of his accomplishments on the mat.

The Original Kolat Wrestling Shoes - The Kolat 2000s

blue original nike kolats

Cary Kolat's wrestling shoes were first released by Nike 2000. Now the "Kolat 2000s" are referred to as "Original Kolats", or "OGs" for short. They came in a blue and silver colorway, as well as black and silver. These Kolats were made of synthetic leather.

If you find a pair of these now in good condition, it's likely that you'll be looking at a price tag of $500 or more.  Believe it or not, about 2 decades ago they were available for $38.95.  Even a pair in poor condition in 2020 is likely to score you at least $150.  These are among the most sought-after wrestling shoes on the market.

kolat speed tongue

About Kolat Speeds, 2k4s, & Internationals

Kolat Internationals - These were only available in a blue and red colorway, except for college team issued pairs.  They featured the same soles as 2k4s.  The Kolat Internationals featured a zipper and small strap as a lace guard to eliminate the need for taping your shoelaces.  A pair of Kolat Internationals is pictured below.  Many nowadays will have the lace covers removed, unlike the pair pictured below.

kolat international wrestling shoes

Kolat 2k4s - These were only available in a black and white colorway and had the same soles as internationals.  The Kolat 2k4s featured a zipper and a strap as a way of securing the laces.

black and white kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes

Kolat Speeds - The Kolat Speeds only were available in a Red and Black colorway. They featured the same sole as the Original Kolats and are very similar in design.

nike kolat speed wrestling shoes in black and red

One thing worth noting if you have your eye on Kolat speeds is that you may be purchasing reps if they show up close to new or brand new for less than $500. There were also a few pair of OG Kolat replicas made, but they were in green/yellow and red/black colorways, so they're easy to spot.  In the video below, I outline how to determine whether Kolat speeds are legitimate or if they're fakes.

What Is The Rarest Kolat Wrestling Shoe?

It's hard to pick a shoe as the "rarest Kolats" because the entire line has a huge demand. Personally, I prefer the Kolat 2000s and Kolat Speeds because they tend to last longer. I've never had much luck with the soles used for 2k4s or Internationals.  The sole used on those versions were used on a handful of Nike shoes in the early 2000s and they're known for dry rotting and blowing out rather easily.  See below for the sole I'm referencing. The sole pictured below is from a Kolat International. Kolat 2k4s had the same sole, but with black lines rather than red.

kolat international soles

Wait There's More? YES - College Edition Nike Kolats

Some of the rarest shoes of the Kolat collection were designed specifically for college wrestling programs.  The most common of these college releases are PSU Kolat 2k4s. The college editions of each of these wrestling shoes featured school colors and a logo.  The college versions vary in rareness based on the model of shoe and school they were made for.  As a whole, all of them are  difficult to find, especially in good condition.

The College Releases for Kolat Wrestling Shoes were:

Colleges That Had Kolat 2000s

  1. University of Illinois (pictured below)
illinois kolat 2000s tongues

A fun fact with Illinois OG Kolats is that they were the only team with these shoes because of the coaches ties to Nike.

Colleges That Had Kolat Internationals

  1. University of Oregon
  2. University of Illinois
  3. University of North Carolina
  4. Portland State University

The UNCs edition is pictured below, but the zippers and lace guard were removed from this pair.

unc kolat internationals

Colleges That Had Kolat 2k4s

  1. Penn State University
  2. Ohio State University
  3. University of Illinois
  4. University of Oregon
  5. University of North Carolina
  6. University of Virginia
  7. University of Michigan
  8. Portland State University
  9. Arizona State University
  10. Purdue University

Pictured below are 2 pair of Penn State Kolat 2k4s and a pair of arguably the rarest college edition, Purdue's.

ciollege edition kolat 2k4 wrestling shoes

Sample Kolat Wrestling Shoes

There are also a handful of samples that are not college releases that I've seen, such as:

  • Black 2k4s with Kolat 2000s bottoms
  • What appear to be Kolat Speeds with the Kolat logo on the bottom of the shoe
  • What appear to be similar, but not exact, to Kolat 2000s that have the Kolat logo on the bottom of the shoe

These are the only samples I know of, but I can't even find an image for them.  They surfaced on Flickr around 7 or 8 years ago and I'm not sure who has their hands on them now.  If you were to find a pair of the sample Kolats in good condition, there is probably someone out there willing to spend $1500+ on them.

Where Can I Get Kolats Now?

Unless you are familiar with the ins and outs of wrestling shoe trading, you probably will have a tough time finding any pair of Kolat wrestling shoes. Your best bet is to keep your eye on eBay and follow accounts of other shoe traders on Instagram.  I usually have at least one pair of Kolats in my Nike Collection, so you can also keep your eye there.  If you have any questions about Kolat wrestling shoes, feel free to reach out.  If you're looking to learn more about the wrestling legend Cary Kolat, he is currently the head coach at Navy and is often posting new technique videos and speaking on podcasts. These can be viewed on his website, Kolat.com.

Another awesome resource is this video where Cary Kolat talked with Flowrestling about his shoe deal.  This video was filmed a decade ago and his shoes have gone up in value since, but Kolat talks about how he was treated as a Nike Athlete, the time he visited Nike's campus, creating his shoe, and more.

Meet The Author

nolan barger wrestling ncaa championship

I'm Nolan Barger.  I've been collecting wrestling shoes for over 15 years, and I'm the owner of Rare Wrestling Shoes Co. I've bought, sold, and traded more than 1000 pairs of shoes in these years and currently have around 150 pairs in my collection.

As my day job, I work for WebFX, a digital marketing agency headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  I built this site to combine my love for digital marketing with my love for wrestling and wrestling shoes.  My goal of it is to provide helpful information such as photos, price ranges, and more for those looking to learn more about the shoes they have or are looking for.

In my wrestling career, I was a PA state medalist and a 3x NCAA All-American for Lycoming College.

If you have any questions about wrestling shoes, please drop a comment below.  I'll do my best to provide you with answers!

2 Comments

  1. WE ARE on April 24, 2024 at 11:20 am

    Just a tidbit.
    PSU had the OG Kolats. I know this because I went to High School with 2 brothers that both wrestled for PSU and they gave me a pair of OG Kolats because they were sponsored and had stacks of Kolats. I wrestled with their younger brother and he had the blue OG kolats and the blue 2k4s. I let my best friend borrow my OG Kolats when we were in college for boxing and his sister did some housekeeping and threw them out! He’s now kind of related the Cary through marriage so he said he’s going to try to replace my pair if he ever sees him.

    • Nolan Barger on April 24, 2024 at 8:01 pm

      Yep they did, but they had the ones that are the same as the ones that were released. Illinois was the only school to my knowledge that had team issued pairs with their logo and custom colorway. The 2k4s I believe are the first and only true “Team-issued” pair that was custom with their logo and such!

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As a wrestling shoe collector for over 15 years, I'm constantly trying to buy new shoes and learn the history behind them.  If you have questions about old-school wrestling shoes, shoot me a message.

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