- Adolf Dassler
Adolf "Adi" Dassler (
November 3 ,1900 inHerzogenaurach (Germany ) -September 6 ,1978 in Herzogenaurach), mainly known as Adi Dassler, is the founder of the German sportswear companyAdidas .Trained as a baker, Adi Dassler started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother's wash kitchen after his return from
World War I . His father, Christoph, who worked in a shoe-factory, and the brothers Zehlein, who produced the handmade spikes fortrack shoe s in theirblacksmith 's shop, supported Dassler in starting his own business, Adidas (Adi Dassler). In 1924, his brotherRudolf Dassler joined the business. Rudolf later went on to found business rivals Puma. At the 1928 Olympics, Adidas equipped several athletes, laying the foundation for the international expansion of the company. During the1936 Summer Olympics , Dassler equipped gold medal winnerJesse Owens with his shoes.Both Dassler brothers joined the
NSDAP , with Rudolf reputed as being the more ardent National Socialist. [Kirschbaum, Erik. (2005-11-08) " [http://in.rediff.com/sports/2005/nov/08adi.htm How Adidas and Puma were born] ." The Journal. Retrieved (2008-07-14)] Rudolf was drafted, and later captured, while Adi stayed behind to produce boots for theWehrmacht . [Brennan, Carole. (2002-01-29) " [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100006 Adidas] ." St James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. Retrieved (2008-07-14)] . The war exacerbated the differences between the brothers and their wives. Rudolf, upon his capture by the Allies, was suspected of being part of the SS, which he allegedly attributed to Adi. [James, Kyle. (2006-07-03) " [http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_printcontent/0,,2074427,00.html The town that sibling rivalry built, and divided] ." Deutsch Welle. Retrieved (2008-07-14)]In 1973, Adi's son Horst Dassler founded Arena, a producer of swimming equipment. After Adolf Dassler's death in 1978, his son and his wife Käthe took over the management. "Adidas" was transformed into a
private limited company in 1989, but remained family property until its IPO in 1995.References
External links
* [http://www.press.adidas.com/de/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-28/41_read-113/ Biographie:Adidas]
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