Adolf Dassler (1900

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Biography

Adolf "Adi" Dassler was a German cobbler, inventor, and businessman who founded the sportswear company Adidas.

Timeline

The story of Adolf Dassler, told in moments.

1936 Event

Convinced Jesse Owens to wear his hand-crafted track shoes at the Berlin Olympics. Owens won four gold medals. Orders poured in from around the world.

How did you convince Jesse Owens to wear your shoes at Hitler's Olympics? Did four gold medals on your shoes feel like vindication?

1949 Event

Registered "Adidas" after splitting with his brother Rudolf over a feud that began during WWII. Rudolf started Puma across the river. The two never spoke again. The town of Herzogenaurach split into two camps.

Was the split with Rudolf about politics, personality, or the war? Did you ever regret never speaking to your brother again? Could you have built Adidas without the feud?

1978 Death

Died at 77. Adidas had 17 factories and annual sales exceeding one billion Deutschmarks. He and Rudolf are buried in the same cemetery but at opposite ends.

Does being buried at opposite ends of the same cemetery from Rudolf say everything? Was one billion Deutschmarks enough to justify the family that broke apart?

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