Adolf Dassler is the founder of the era of commercialization of sports. Adolf Dassler: biography, business history, family Brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler

Rudolf Dassler(German: Rudolf Dassler; March 26, 1898, Herzogenaurach, - October 27, 1974, ibid.) - German entrepreneur. Founder of the sports goods company Puma, older brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler.

Biography

He was born into the family of a shoemaker and a washerwoman, who by that time already had a son and daughter (in 1900, their fourth child, Adolf, was born). As a child, together with his brothers, he delivered clean linen to his mother’s customers, and later entered the shoe factory where his father worked. In August 1914, together with his older brother Fritz, he was drafted into the army and sent to the front in Belgium, where he spent the entire war.

After demobilization, he completed police courses in Munich and entered service in the district department. However, he soon got a job as a distributor of goods at a porcelain factory, and then at a Nuremberg leather trading company. In 1923, his younger brother Adolf invited him to his shoe company, opened in 1920. Rudolf contributed a typewriter as a share in the capital.

On July 1, 1924, Rudolf and Adolf officially opened the shoe company Gebrder Dassler, which became very successful. Adolf was in charge of production issues, and Rudolf was in charge of sales issues.

On May 6, 1928, Rudolf married eighteen-year-old Friedl Strasser. On September 15, 1929, their son Armin was born.

However, after the 1936 Summer Olympics (at which world-record runner Jesse Owens competed in Dassler spikes), disagreements arose between Rudolf and Adolf - Rudolf was negative about Adolf's constant improvement of already commercially successful models, and Adolf was irritated by the overly arrogant and Rudolph's noisy behavior. Also, the cause of disagreement was political views - Rudolf never criticized the Nazis, and Adolf dared not to obey their demands.

In July 1939, Rudolf and Friedl had a son, Gerd.

With the outbreak of the war, relations between the brothers deteriorated even more, which was facilitated by the participation of their wives in the clashes between them. In March 1943, as part of the “total mobilization,” Rudolf was called up for military service and sent to Glauchau, and in April he was assigned to a customs post in the city of Tuszyn, where, citing imaginary night blindness, he received a position in the typing bureau. In January 1945 he fled from the advancing Red Army back to Herzogenaurach. In April, he was arrested by the Gestapo for desertion, as he did not appear when called by the SD. While being transported to the Dachau concentration camp, he was liberated by American soldiers. But on July 25, he was arrested by the occupation authorities for collaborating with the Gestapo and sent to the American internment camp in Hammelburg. At the same time, the Americans informed him that he was arrested on the basis of a denunciation in which Rudolf suspected Adolf.

However, on July 31, 1946, Rudolf was released as not posing a threat to security. Shortly before this, the denazification procedure began against Adolf, and after his release from the camp, Rudolf was interrogated in this case. During interrogation, he stated that, on Adolf’s initiative, the production of military products was organized at the factory, and Adolf himself made political speeches to the workers. As a result, the investigation recognized Adolf as the “accused”, after which the brothers decided to divide the enterprise as soon as possible and in April 1948 they separated completely. Their new firms were located on different banks of the Aurach River, which flows through Herzogenaurach. The result is a unique situation where the headquarters of two major sporting goods manufacturers are located within a few hundred meters of each other.

Rudolf first registered his company under the name Ruda (the first syllables of the name “Rudolf Dassler”), but in October 1948 he changed it due to cacophony to Puma (in the 2016 film “Duel of Brothers. The Story of Adidas and Puma” it is stated that “Puma " - Rudolf's nickname in his youth due to his numerous love affairs).

Every person, even those far from the sports world, has at least one item from Adidas or Puma in their wardrobe, and there is hardly a person who has never heard the names of these brands. Has anyone ever thought about who opened these companies and why they, like Cola and Pepsi, are constantly compared? It turns out that the founders of the brands were blood brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler.

Biography

Adi (as he was called at home) was born in 1900 and became of average income. His father worked in a bakery, and his mother worked in a laundry. After the defeat of the German army in World War I, difficult times came to Dassler's house. There is devastation in the country, officers are returning from the front, inflation - and Adolf's parents are left without work.

For 2 years they found part-time jobs to somehow survive, and eventually decided to open their own business.

They approached the implementation of their idea thoroughly: the laundry was turned into a workshop for future production, the bicycle was converted into a mechanism for cutting skins, the guys and their father were engaged in cutting shoes, and the female half of the family was engaged in cutting out canvas.

The first collection looked like slippers. The fabric for their creation was military uniforms, and the soles were replaced by tires from car wheels. Within a few years, they allowed themselves to hire a workforce of 8 people, since they had to produce more than 50 pairs per day. Rudolf dealt with commercial issues, and Adolf Dassler took control of the organization of the production process.

Photos of the founders of warring brands

After 28 years of living together under the same roof, the Dassler brothers are turning into rivals. Their factories are built on opposite ends of the city. The great rivalry also spread to the employees of the enterprises, and before starting a conversation about another company, they looked around so as not to blurt out too much. After this, Herzogenaurach received its second name - “the city of curved necks”.

The brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler died, but reconciliation never happened between them. The current management of the two companies tried once again not to contact each other. However, on September 21, 2009, after playing a friendly football match, they decided to end their rivalry and restore good relations.

There is an opinion that this decision was made because of Nike, which took a large share of the market, but no one knows whether this is true or not.

First joint venture logo

The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in Herzogenauer was registered in mid-summer 1924. Adolf Dasler was a thoughtful and talented designer, and Rudi was an excellent salesman. The different characters and human qualities perfectly complemented the cooperation of the brothers.

The very next year, an event significant for the fate of the factory occurred. Adi's passion for football became the basis for the creation of the world's first sports boots with spikes. Soon this new product, like the slippers, became the main product of the company. Professional athletes, namely football players, quickly appreciated the convenience of the boots, and soon the brothers’ company began to expand at an incredible pace. The staff expanded to 25, and the number of shoes produced exceeded 100 pairs per day.

Popularity of Adidas: significant dates

1920 - Adolf Dassler creates the world's first sports shoes. It was made by hand, the work process took place in the kitchen of his home.

1924 - founding of the family business of the Dassler brothers. The whole family works on the production of shoes.

1927 - home production grows into the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, employing 25 people. The family buys a separate building for the company.

1928 - sports shoes produced by the brothers' company take part in competitions in Amsterdam.

1931 - Adolf Dassler produces shoes for tennis players.

1936 - birth of a son.

1938 - opening of the second factory.

1948 - brothers quarrel, division of the family business.

1954 - the annual production volume of Adidas products exceeded 450 thousand.

1956 - The Norwegian factory receives a license. Adidas brand shoes are manufactured outside of Germany.

1959 - son Adi Horst opens a company in France.

1962 - the appearance of a tracksuit with three stripes.

1978 - Adolf Dassler, founder of Adidas, dies.

After his death, the company passed into the hands of his wife Katarina. When the widow died, their son Horst became the head of Adidas.

Founder of Adidas

The year 1948 became fatal: the brothers’ paths diverged, and the Dassler company, which had already become world famous by that time, ceased to exist. Each of them gets their own factory, and according to the agreement, none of them had the right to use the Dassler surname in the name of their company. Thus, the Adidas company appeared, the founder of which was Adolf Dassler. From that moment on, the biography of the brothers was divided into “before” and “after”. This marked the beginning of fierce competition between blood relatives that lasted 60 years.

In the same year, the situation between the brothers was further aggravated by the creation and registration of the famous “three stripes” (the distinctive fact is that the Dassler family logo originally had 2 stripes, and Adi added one more.

In 1949, Adolf Dassler's company released boots with rubber studs, and thereby surpassed the Puma brand in the competition. But the biggest victory happened in 1952 at the Helsinki Olympics, when most of the athletes were wearing Adidas shoes.

Founder of the sports brand Puma

The name was invented by Rudolph after he and his brother quarreled to smithereens. Of course, the Puma brand cannot boast that many athletes preferred its shoes after the collapse, but still, some players of the German national football team took to the field wearing boots created by Rudolf’s company.

The first victory happened only in 1952, when Joseph Bartel, wearing the brand's products, won the 1500-meter race. Two years later there was another triumph: a world record for short-distance running. Heinz Fütterer, who installed it, was wearing Puma sneakers.

It is strange that despite the fact that many celebrities won and, in modern parlance, “promoted” the company, the famous logo appeared only in 1960.

A real revolution in the sports world occurred when this brand released a children's collection of sneakers in 1990, where their size was controlled by the child's foot.

Our days

The company was able to open its own office only in 1999; apparently, the spirit of competition came first and did not allow it to lag behind competitors. The ultra-modern building is located in the city of Herzogenaurach, where the “friendly” brothers were born. In the millennium, the French national team, completely shod and dressed in the brand’s products, becomes the European football champion, and this further increases the global status of the company.

The very next year, Herbert Heiner became the head of the company. The acquisition of the Reebok brand further enhances its importance, and Adidas becomes the second popular brand, losing the leadership to Nike.

Today, the main activity of the company, as at the beginning of its development, is aimed at producing sports products and continuous improvement. At the football match that took place in South Africa, the whole planet watched the game of football players from Adolf Dassler's Adidas brand.

1. The reason for the quarrel between the brothers is still unknown. As they say, they took her to the grave.

2. Celebrities such as Marat Safin, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and many others have won while wearing shoes from the Adidas brand.

A large distribution of Adidas products has been recorded in Russia. Many celebrities wear it, most of them have signed a contract with the company and receive a good amount of money for it.

Monument and personal qualities of Adi Dassler

Adolf never put commercial success first - this level was always occupied by his boundless love for sports. He was active since childhood, even at the age of 75 he continued to play tennis and loved to swim in the pool. Until his last breath, Adolf Dassler was busy with the affairs of his famous sports brand.

In 2006, in the city of Herzogenaurach, where the founder of the Adidas company was born, a monument was erected in his honor. The monument is located at the stadium named after him. Bronze Adolf Dassler sits on the second row, watching the game among living people, and in his hands holds a football boot that once conquered the world and brought fame to a simple shoemaker from a poor family.

Inventor

Children:

Childhood, youth, business

However, over time, relations between the brothers deteriorated, and in 1948 they divided the company. Adolf founded the company Adidas(the name is composed of the diminutive form of the name Adi and the first three letters of the surname), and Rudolf - the company Puma.

On August 18, 1978, Adolf suffered a stroke and died on September 6.

Personal qualities

Dassler put commercial success in second place - his irrepressible love for sports always came first. He was a very active person. At the age of 75, he still played tennis and swam in the pool. And he was involved in the affairs of the company until his death.

One of his hobbies was designing football shoes. He invented football boots with replaceable studs. Dassler was responsible for outfitting the German team at the 1954 World Cup.

Monument

In May 2006, in the homeland of the founder of the Adidas company in the city of Herzogenaurach (Bavaria), a bronze monument to Adi Dassler was unveiled, its author is sculptor Joseph Tabachnik. Adi Dassler sits in the second row of the stadium named after him, among the people. Energetic, perky, cheerful, full of strength, he is a simple shoemaker who became a billionaire, holding a football boot that has conquered the world.

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Literature

Smith, Barbara. Adidas or Puma? Brothers' struggle for world leadership. / Per. with him. I. Kanevskaya. - M.: JSC "Olympus-Business", 2012. - 392 p.: ill. - ISBN 978-5-9693-0198-6.

Excerpt characterizing Dassler, Adolf

From the hall, Berg ran into the living room with a floating, impatient step and hugged the count, kissed the hands of Natasha and Sonya and hurriedly asked about his mother’s health.
– How is your health now? Well, tell me,” said the count, “what about the troops?” Are they retreating or will there be another battle?
“One eternal god, dad,” said Berg, “can decide the fate of the fatherland.” The army is burning with the spirit of heroism, and now the leaders, so to speak, have gathered for a meeting. What will happen is unknown. But I’ll tell you in general, dad, such a heroic spirit, the truly ancient courage of the Russian troops, which they – it,” he corrected himself, “showed or showed in this battle on the 26th, there are no words worthy to describe them... I’ll tell you, dad (he hit himself on the chest in the same way as one general who was talking in front of him hit himself, although a little late, because he should have hit himself on the chest at the word “Russian army”) - I’ll tell you frankly that we, the leaders, “Not only should we not have urged the soldiers or anything like that, but we could forcefully hold back these, these... yes, courageous and ancient feats,” he said quickly. – General Barclay, before Tolly, sacrificed his life everywhere in front of the army, I’ll tell you. Our corps was placed on the slope of the mountain. You can imagine! - And then Berg told everything that he remembered from the various stories he had heard during this time. Natasha, without lowering her gaze, which confused Berg, as if looking for a solution to some question on his face, looked at him.
– Such heroism in general, as shown by Russian soldiers, cannot be imagined and deservedly praised! - Berg said, looking back at Natasha and as if wanting to appease her, smiling at her in response to her persistent gaze... - “Russia is not in Moscow, it is in the hearts of her sons!” Right, dad? - said Berg.
At this time, the countess came out of the sofa room, looking tired and dissatisfied. Berg hastily jumped up, kissed the countess's hand, inquired about her health and, expressing his sympathy by shaking his head, stopped next to her.
– Yes, mother, I will truly tell you, difficult and sad times for every Russian. But why worry so much? You still have time to leave...
“I don’t understand what people are doing,” said the countess, turning to her husband, “they just told me that nothing is ready yet.” After all, someone needs to give orders. You'll regret Mitenka. Will this never end?
The Count wanted to say something, but apparently refrained. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.
Berg at this time, as if to blow his nose, took out a handkerchief and, looking at the bundle, thought, sadly and significantly shaking his head.
“And I have a big request to ask you, dad,” he said.
“Hm?..” said the count, stopping.
“I’m driving past Yusupov’s house now,” Berg said, laughing. “The manager, I know, ran out and asked if you would buy something.” I went in, you know, out of curiosity, and there was just a wardrobe and a toilet. You know how Veruschka wanted this and how we argued about it. (Berg involuntarily switched to a tone of joy about his well-being when he began talking about the wardrobe and toilet.) And such a delight! comes forward with an English secret, you know? But Verochka wanted it for a long time. So I want to surprise her. I saw so many of these guys in your yard. Give me one, please, I’ll pay him well and...
The Count frowned and gagged.
- Ask the countess, but I don’t give orders.
“If it’s difficult, please don’t,” said Berg. “I would really like it for Verushka.”
“Oh, go to hell, all of you, to hell, to hell, to hell!” shouted the old count. - My head is spinning. - And he left the room.
The Countess began to cry.
- Yes, yes, mummy, very difficult times! - said Berg.
Natasha went out with her father and, as if having difficulty understanding something, first followed him, and then ran downstairs.

Surely every person has at least some item from Adidas in their wardrobe, but most likely not everyone has thought about who its creator is. The founders of this company are considered to be two brothers - Rudolf and Adolf Dassler.

Adolf, everyone at home called him Adi, was born in 1900 into a poor family in the city of Hartzogenaurach. He was the 4th child. His mother worked in a laundry, and his father worked in a factory where shoes were made. Most of all, Adolf communicated with his brother Rudolf, they played sports together and constantly competed with each other.

In 1914, when Rudolf was drafted into the army, Adolf began a fruitful study of his father's business. Football was gaining immense popularity at that time, and Adi enjoyed playing it.

It was post-war with devastation in the country, and his parents lost their jobs. For two whole years they worked part-time to feed their children and survive. But they still decide to take a serious step and open their own business - shoe production. In the former laundry room, it was decided to open a workshop where they initially sewed sleeping slippers, then gymnastics slippers. But Adolf really wanted to produce shoes for athletes.

In 1924, Rudolf expressed a desire to work with his brother, and they named the company Gebrüder Dassler. Adolf was responsible for the production process, and Rudolf took over sales. At that time, the company employed 14 people.

In 1925, Adolf began developing the first football boots, which required studs. Rudolph went to a local blacksmith and established a partnership with him. These football shoes have proven themselves well, and the young company managed to expand its turnover. The company was already producing more than 100 pairs a day in 1926, and after a while they managed to rent an entire factory for their production.

The brand gained popularity after the brothers decided to develop shoes for participants in the 1928 Olympics. All German athletes already wore Dassler shoes. Production increased every day, already producing more than 1,000 pairs per day. It's time to expand and buy another factory for production.

Adidas - brand development

As soon as the war ended, the Americans forced Adolf to design and produce sports equipment for the United States. During wartime, the business suffered quite badly, so we had to start almost from the very beginning.

As soon as Rudolf returned from the war, he quarreled with his brother. What caused the conflict is unknown, and opinions differ. In 1948, the brand disbanded and the brothers split into two different companies. That’s how it happened that Adolf named his company Addas, which would later be known as Adidas, and Rudolf created the company Puma. There was calm in the brothers' relationship, but somehow the company's relationship did not work out. The employees constantly competed and did not even greet each other when they met.

In 1954, Adidas appeared in Switzerland at the World Cup. Towards the end of the 50s, Adolf launched the production of various accessories and bags, and later three-stripe tracksuits. Later, balls appeared that were used only at important world championships.

Adolf became the author of the first revolutionary development in 1957. These were sports shoes with an air cushion. After a while, production opened in Norway and France. Advertising campaigns were constantly carried out, starring the brightest athletes.

Robert Louis-Dreyfus

In 1978, Adolf Dasler left the world and was succeeded by his wife Katharina. She managed the company for five years. But it seemed that with the death of Adolf, production was gradually declining. Later, his daughters began to manage the company, but they did not make very good leaders, as they constantly quarreled among themselves.

In 1989, Adolphe's daughters decided to sell 80% of the company to French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie. Tapi wanted to raise the company high, but nothing came of it. In 1993, he decided to sell Adidas to his friend Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Each time sales grew, new developments in the shoe industry appeared, and the company rose higher every day.

In 2001, Louis left the company, but managed to prepare a replacement for himself. It was Herbert Hainer, who had been interested in football since early childhood and knew everything about Adidas.

From that moment on, Herbert made a significant contribution to production, developing new shoe models and introducing the latest technologies. Now the company has taken a leading position and is among the first among such famous brands as Nike and Puma.

Almost every inhabitant of the planet knows about the Adidas company, and many probably have a question about why the brand is named this way. So, its founder is Adolf (Adi) Dassler, who today is considered one of the most successful businessmen of all time. When exactly did the idea of creating this company arise, why did the founder decide to start producing sportswear and equipment? Read in this article.

Adi Dassler: biography with photos

Adolf was born in early November 1900 in the city of Herzogenaurach (Bavaria). The parents were real hard workers: the mother did laundry from morning to evening in her own laundry, and the father baked bread and buns in the bakery. As a child, Adolf was called diminutively Adi. Dassler Rudolf - his older brother called him that even in adulthood.

Adolf grew up as a calm, one might even say quiet, boy. He was 14 years old when the First World War began. He was still very young to be drafted into the army and sent to the front, but at that time he became very interested in football - the most popular game in Europe. After the end of the war, in which Germany was defeated, the country was in complete ruin, inflation and unemployment seemed to be racing.

Starting a business

Like many ordinary families, the Dasslers found themselves on the verge of poverty. And in 1920, they got together and decided to organize a family shoe manufacturing business. It was decided to convert the laundry room of the mother of the family into a workshop. They decided to make everything else from improvised materials. For example, Adi Dassler, who has the gift of an inventor, made a machine for cutting leather from an old bicycle.

The female part of the family - mother and sisters - made patterns, but the men - Adolf, Rudolf and the head of the family himself - were engaged in cutting shoes. Of course, in order to make shoes, they first needed to gain experience, so their first products were slippers, which they cut from decommissioned military uniforms, and the soles were made from old tires. It turned out that Rudy is very good at selling goods, and Adolf is very good at managing production. He was also great at shoe design.

The rise of production

After 4 years, their company already had a dozen employees, including family members. They managed to produce 50 pairs per day. In 1924, the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was officially registered. The brothers were very different, but they complemented each other. The eldest, Rudolf, was quarrelsome, loved girls, listened to jazz and hit a punching bag, and Adi Dassler, on the contrary, was a quiet and calm intellectual who loved to play football.

It was his love for this sport that led Adolf to one day decide to make real football boots with spikes. This happened in 1925. It was then that the first studded shoes appeared. The football players liked it, and orders poured in for the Dasslers. In addition to studded boots, the factory also produced sports slippers. Thus, production grew, and it was already necessary to think about a new building for it.

The brothers had such a chance already in 1927. With the new building came the opportunity to double the workforce. The same applies to the number of shoes produced.

Olympic "Dassler"

Adi Dassler and his brother Rudolf were completely absorbed in work in their factory. Adolf tried each new model himself while playing football. With the development of a new wave of Olympics, he began to make special shoes for the strongest athletes - winners. For the first time, football players wore such shoes at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928. At the 1932 games in Los Angeles, the German athlete, wearing boots from Adi Dassler, was among the top three winners. The year 1936 was even more successful: a black athlete from the USA, Owens, wearing Dassler brand shoes, won 4 zloty medals and set 5 records at once. It was a complete victory for the German company. That year their sales rose to half a million German marks. One factory was no longer enough for them, and soon the brothers had to open a second one.

War

With the emergence of the Nazi party, the Dasslers joined them. And with the beginning of World War II, they began producing military shoes. Then Rudi decided that he should fight for the interests of his country, and Adi Dassler (see photo in the article) remained engaged in production. After the end of the war with the failure of Germany, the Herzogenaurach area found itself occupied by American troops. Adi had to produce skates for American hockey players. Meanwhile, the Yankees sat comfortably in their house. Adolf's wife had to take on all the dirty work. She even dug in the garden and looked after the cattle. A year later, the Americans left, and Rudy returned from the prisoner of war camp.

Renaissance

By 1946, the company was in complete decline, and the Dassler brothers began to raise it practically from scratch. The employees were paid in kind for their work; they received firewood and yarn from the owners. Two years later, their father died, and then the brothers decided to split the company into two parts. Fortunately, there were two factories - one for each. The name of the company also needed to be changed. Adi named his company "Addas", and Rudi - "Ruda".

However, after some time, the inventive Adolf came up with a sonorous name for it, which is still the most famous sports company in the whole world - “Adidas”. Ruda renamed itself to Puma. And the Dassler brand disappeared from the face of the earth overnight. At the same time, the brothers became ardent opponents, both in business and in life. Although no one ever found out what made them enemies.

Suits with stripes

Having parted with his brother, Adi Dassler, whose biography seemed to begin anew from that moment, became the sole owner of his company, and he decided that the symbol of his new company would be three stripes, instead of Dassler’s two. Then all his ingenuity came into play. For example, he invented boots with removable rubber studs. Then in 1950 he invented special ones for playing in bad weather. And in 1952, most athletes were already wearing Adidas.

Then he decides not to limit himself to the production of shoes and begins to create bags and other accessories, and plans to launch the production of clothing. And Willy Seltenreich helped him with this. Soon, tracksuits with three stripes on the sides and sleeves, which symbolized the Adidas company, went on sale.

Prosperity

The biggest triumph for Adi Dassler was the victory of the German national football team at the World Cup. All team members were shod and dressed in sports kits from Adidas. This was the revival of not only the company, but also the entire country, which became victorious for the first time after the defeat in the war. Since then, he began placing his advertisements directly in stadiums. This is where the commercialization of sports began. The monument to Adolf Dasler, the founder of the world-famous Adidas company, is installed right at the stadium.