Adi Dassler

Born: 1900 | Died: 1978

Entrepreneur

Adi Dassler, born in Herzogenaurach in southern Germany, was a shoemaker's son who loved sports, he was the creator of ADIDAS athletic shoes. Originally a baker, he started producing sports shoes in his mother's washkitchen after returning from the First World War. The company originally included Dassler's father Christoph, his brother Rudolf and the brother's Zehlein. In 1949 after a dispute Rudolf Dassler split from the company to form the rival company PUMA.

Adi Dassler was a pioneer in the sports world. In 1920, he designed his first shoe, a sports shoe for runners. In 1925, he developed the first shoes made especially for athletics and soccer players. Six years later he started a separate line of tennis shoes. Dassler's dream was to make the best shoe for each game. Soon, athletes were winning Olympic medals in Dassler shoes. US sprinter Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Dassler shoes during the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, the brand also made history in 1954, when Germany's soccer team, all wearing ADIDAS shoes, won the World Cup for the first time.

By 1937, Dassler’s collection included 30 different models for eleven sports. In 1948, Dassler named his company "ADIDAS", taking the first three letters from his first and last name.

After Adi Dassler’s death, his son Horst Dassler took charge of running the company. In 2006, ADIDAS merged with Reebok. Today, the group has four brands: ADIDAS, Reebok, Rocksport, TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

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