Adolf Dassler

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Sculpture by Adolf Dassler in the Adi-Dassler-Stadion Herzogenaurach, sculptor Josef Tabachnyk, bronze, 2006

Adolf "Adi" Dassler (born November 3, 1900 in Herzogenaurach ; † September 6, 1978 there ) was a German inventor and entrepreneur . He is the founder of the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas . He was the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler , the founder of Puma .

Life

Adolf Dassler was the son of the shoemaker Christoph Dassler and his wife Pauline. After completing school and apprenticeship as a baker and after returning from the First World War , he followed his old dream and made his first sports shoes out of linen in his mother's laundry room . In 1920 he took over the business of his father, who had previously specialized in the production of felt slippers . Instead, from now on he made sneakers , which his father supported. The Zehlein brothers from the blacksmith's workshop of the same name supplied handcrafted spikes .

In 1924 his brother Rudolf Dassler also joined the company, which was now called “Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik”. In 1925 the first soccer shoes with studs and racing shoes with spikes appeared. At the Olympic Games in 1936 , several athletes, including Jesse Owens (but only for training), wore models by Adolf Dassler.

In 1932/1933 Adolf Dassler went to Pirmasens , the Mecca of the shoe industry at the time, to learn more about sports shoes. In 1934 he married 17-year-old Käthe Martz (* July 17, 1917 - December 31, 1984), whom he had met at a party as the daughter of his teacher Franz Martz. The marriage resulted in five children: Horst (1936), Inge (1938), Karin, Brigitte and Sigrid.

In 1939, Käthe's sister Maria Anna Martz (called Marianne) also moved to Herzogenaurach and in 1941 married the mechanic and pilot Hans Hoffmann.

World War II period

Like his brother Rudolf, Adolf Dassler had been a member of the NSDAP since May 1933 . At the beginning of the Second World War he was drafted into the Wehrmacht, but was allowed to return to his company after just one year. Towards the end of the war, the Panzerschreck anti-tank weapon was manufactured in his shoe factory , for which French forced laborers were also used. After the end of the war, the US occupiers initially classified it as contaminated and expropriated in the denazification process . Numerous statements from employees, fellow citizens and the mayor of Herzogenaurach then classified him as “less burdened” and he was able to resume business under the supervision of a trustee. A few months later he was only classified as a fellow traveler and was able to run the business again as the owner. His brother Rudolf was also released after a year in captivity in the US.

From then on, the two brothers fell out until their death; this behavior should also affect the offspring and beyond. While in captivity, Americans are said to have told Rudolf Dassler that he had been denounced from his immediate surroundings. The suspicion arose in him that his brother Adolf could have been the informer to force him out of the company. Before that, there had been tensions and arguments, in which the wives were also involved. After his release, Rudolf denounced Adolf to the military authorities. Since they were unable to decide who lied and who was telling the truth, they finally released the two of them from captivity.

Post war and rise

In 1945, when the Americans marched into Herzogenaurach, the Dassler's factory and property were preserved thanks to the courageous commitment of Käthe Dassler and were used as quarters by the Americans. Both brothers then quickly decided to split up the company. This constellation has had an impact to this day, with two of the largest sporting goods manufacturers in the world having their headquarters just a few hundred meters apart. Adolf Dassler gave his company the name Adidas (after his nickname Adi and the first three letters of his last name). Rudolf, however, called his company Puma . In 1946, Marianne Hoffmann, Adolf Dassler's sister-in-law, founded the Hoffmann sports shop in Herzogenaurach together with her husband and was also Adolf Dassler's confidante at Adidas. She was considered to be the bridge builder from Adidas to the shoe trade.

Adolf Dassler equipped the victorious West German team at the 1954 World Cup . At that time he was also a kit manager during the tournament. The football boots with screw studs , which gave the German team an advantage over their opponents on wet ground, are legendary . This World Cup is considered to be the start of Adidas' world career.

Quarrel of the sons

The dispute between the sons Horst (son of Adolf Dassler) and Armin (son of Rudolf Dassler) began in 1970. In previous years, their fathers had made agreements about subcontracting athletes and clubs. In the case of the Brazilian soccer player Pelé , a kind of peace agreement was signed before the 1970 World Cup, an oral agreement not to hold a competition for Pelé. Contrary to this so-called "Pelé Pact", Armin Dassler took the world champion (1958 and 1962) under contract for Puma.

Adolf and Rudolf Dassler are said not to have spoken a word to each other for decades until they died. Business dialogue took place through middlemen.

Adolf Dassler's son, Horst Dassler, began to lay the foundation for the company's international expansion in 1959 with the establishment of Adidas France . Further company investments in other countries followed. In 1973 Horst Dassler founded the swimwear manufacturer Arena . After Adolf Dassler died in 1978, his wife Käthe and son Horst took over the company. The company remained family-owned until the IPO in 1995.

Inventions

Dassler has more than 700 globally recognized patents and utility models registered.

reception

Adolf Dassler as the namesake

  • The Adi-Dassler-Pokal , which was held by the DFB in 1985 and 1986 , was named after Adolf Dassler .
  • In May 2006, a sculpture by Adolf Dassler was inaugurated on the grounds of the Adi Dassler Stadium in Herzogenaurach. The sculpture was created by the sculptor Josef Tabachnyk .

Film adaptations

Sources for the Nazi era and the civil war

  • TV documentary on ARD from July 2, 2007: Duels - Adidas against Puma
  • Barbara Smit: Three stripes against Puma, two warring brothers and the fight for world market leadership

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Barbara Smit: The Dasslers: Three Stripes Against Puma , Bastei Lübbe, February 20, 2007.
  2. ↑ Edith Kern-Miereisz: Selling sporting goods with a lot of style . In: Nordbayrische Nachrichten of October 10, 2009. Online at nordbayern.de.
  3. ↑ Panzerschreck in the shoe empire spiegel.de 19 February 2009
  4. ^ Spruchkammer Höchstadt: Denazification judgment Adi Dassler. Adi & Käthe Dassler Memorial Foundation, July 30, 1946, accessed May 11, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Barbara Smit: Three strips against Puma: Two warring brothers in the fight for world market leadership . Campus-Verlag 2005, ISBN 3-593-37691-1 .
  6. ↑ Adidas versus Puma - sports enemies Herzogenaurach
  7. ↑ Richard Singer: Saying goodbye to a great woman . Online at inFranken.de from August 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ www.handelsblatt.com of October 29, 2010
  9. ↑ adidas - A Success Story from Herzogenaurach Herzogenauracher Heimatblatt, November 2, 2000
personal data
SURNAME Dassler, Adolf
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dassler, Adi (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German entrepreneur and founder of Adidas
DATE OF BIRTH November 3, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Herzogenaurach , Germany
DATE OF DEATH September 6, 1978
Place of death Herzogenaurach , Germany