'Air' to cover story of Reedley College alum Sonny Vaccaro's history with Michael Jordan

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The movie "Air" covers the 3 1/2 months it took for Sonny Vaccaro to convince Michael Jordan to sign a shoe deal and convince Nike head Phil Knight, played by Ben Affleck, to come up with a signature shoe.

That signing changed the industry.

Nike became a behemoth. The Air Jordan shoe became a collectible.

"There can't be anyone else ever to do what Michael did," Vaccaro said. "He changed the whole industry that's continuing today. The Jordan brand is as big as all those other ones put together."

We last caught up with the 83-year-old Vaccaro a decade ago when he returned to a place he will love forever - Reedley College

"It changed my life," he said. "I never saw Hispanics. I never saw Japanese people."

The Pennsylvania native was supposed to play football at Kentucky in 1957, but his grades weren't the best.

"I tell everybody I graduated third in my class, but I finish by saying I graduated third from the bottom of my class," he said.

Sonny Vaccaro eventually rose to the top. Now, a new movie will chronicle that rise.

"It's good if you want to know the whole story," he said.

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