Sports

Eric Kilburn, high school freshman, gets size 23 shoes to help him play football

A 6-foot-10 high school freshman — with record-breaking size 23 feet — met with Under Armo😞ur for custom shoes on Sunday.

Eric Kilburn Jr., a 14-year-old football player at Goodrich High School in Michigan, went viral after he and his family told earlier this month that they’ve exhausted multiple avenues trying to find him shoes that fit.

Kilburn, who also goes by “Big E,” currently plays defensive t🐞ackle without cleats.

The teenager ðŸ”Ŋalso wears a special football helmet, a Schutt F7, as it’s the only company that manufactures his size.

His f♊ather, Eric Sr.ęĶ— also believed his son’s shoulder pads looked a bit small this season.

A 6-foot-10 high school freshman, Eric Kilburn, with record-breaking size 23 feet, met with Under Armour for custom shoes on March 26, 2023. Facebook / Rebecca Kilburn
A 6-foot-10 high school freshman, Eric Kilburn, with record-breaking size 23 feet, met with Under Armour for custom shoes on March 26, 2023. Facebook / Rebecca Kilburn

Kilburn has been wearing size 22 basketball shoes — the same ones as 7’6″ NBA player Tacko Fall — that a friend discovered at a Nike outlet about a year ago.

The shoes, which he calls “Banana 11s” have been professionally stretched.

On Sunday, the Kilburn family met with Robb Cropp, seniāĩĐor director of Footwear Development at Under Armour, at Bridgewood Church in Clarkston to get a 3D rendering of the teenager🎃’s feet.

“This is my biggest foot ever, that is for sure.” while sizing Kilburn’s feet.

“Been worried for so long what I would do if I grew out of🌞 [size] 22â€ēs, but Under Armour has come up with a solution,” Kilburn said.ęĶŊ

“It means everything to me, just having shoes that don’t cause blisters 💎or just pain on my feet would mean everything. It would mean t🍷he world.”

A 6-foot-10 high school freshman, Eric Kilburn, with record-breaking size 23 feet, met with Under Armour for custom shoes on March 26, 2023. Facebook / Rebecca Kilburn

Kilburn’s parents, Rebecca and Eric Sr., went public with their son’s story — with his permission — after multiple attempts working with shoe brands fell flat.

Nike told them that unless their son is a professional athlete, the company cannot help them🅚, Rebecc𓄧a said.

An Adidas customer service representative told them their only 𒆙shot at size 23 sh🐓oes is to go viral.

A 6-foot-10 high school freshman, Eric Kilburn, with record-breaking size 23 feet, met with Under Armour for custom shoes on March 26, 2023. Facebook / Rebecca Kilburn

“I just want shoes,” Kilburn said.

“There’s nothing eęĶšlse behind it. I just need shoes because once I grow out of these, I’ll have nothing to wear – no sandals, no crocs, no anything.”

Kilburn’s feet have also been measured by an orthopedic specialist — and the family recently found discovered an option for custom-made shoes that would cost more than $1,500.

A 6-foot-10 high school freshman, Eric Kilburn, with record-breaking size 23 feet, met with Under Armour for custom shoes on March 26, 2023. Facebook / Rebecca Kilburn

“It was a weird experience realizing like, ‘Oh, I’m going ðŸŒļto be stuck like this forever.’ Like I’m never not going to see the tops of the shelves in the store,” Kilburn said.

“I’m never not going to see the top of people’s heads wherever I go. It just kind of sat with me and settled for a bit after realizing that I was goi♌ng to be this tall. â€Ķ I was completely fine with it.”

KilbâœĪurn, who played three games this past season at Goodrich High School, is currently recovering from a high anðŸŧkle sprain that kept him out for the remainder of the campaign.