A 6-foot-10 high school freshman â with record-breaking size 23 feet â met with Under Armoðžur 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 âBig E,â currently plays defensive tðžackle without cleats.
The teenager ðŊalso wears a special football helmet, a Schutt F7, as itâs the only company that manufactures his size.
His fâather, Eric Sr.ęĶ also believed his sonâs shoulder pads looked a bit small this season.
Kilburn has been wearing size 22 basketball shoes â the same ones as 7’6″ NBA player Tacko Fall â 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 teenagerðâs feet.
“This is my biggest foot ever, that is for sure.” while sizing Kilburn’s feet.
âBeen worried for so long what I would do if I grew out ofðž [size] 22âēs, but Under Armour has come up with a solution,â Kilburn said.ęĶŊ
âIt means everything to me, just having shoes that donât cause blisters ðor just pain on my feet would mean everything. It would mean tð·he world.â
Kilburn’s parents, Rebecca and Eric Sr., went public with their son’s story â with his permission â after multiple attempts working with shoe brands fell flat.
Nike told them that unless their son is a professional athlete, the company cannot help themð š, Rebeccð§a said.
An Adidas customer service representative told them their only ðshot at size 23 shðoes is to go viral.
âI just want shoes,â Kilburn said.
âThereâs nothing eęĶlse behind it. I just need shoes because once I grow out of these, Iâll have nothing to wear â no sandals, no crocs, no anything.â
Kilburn’s feet have also been measured by an orthopedic specialist â and the family recently found discovered an option for custom-made shoes that would cost more than $1,500.
âIt was a weird experience realizing like, âOh, Iâm going ðļto be stuck like this forever.â Like Iâm never not going to see the tops of the shelves in the store,â Kilburn said.
âIâm never not going to see the top of peopleâs heads wherever I go. It just kind of sat with me and settled for a bit after realizing that I was goiâng to be this tall. âĶ I was completely fine with it.â
KilbâĪurn, who played three games this past season at Goodrich High School, is currently recovering from a high anðŧkle sprain that kept him out for the remainder of the campaign.