Adolf Dassler

Adolf Adi Dassler (November 3, 1900, in Herzogenaurach; September 6, 1978, in the same place) was a German entrepreneur. He is the founder of the sports equipment manufacturer adidas. He was the son of the shoemaker Christoph Dassler and his wife Paulina. After completing school and an apprenticeship as a baker, and following his return from World War I, he pursued his old dream and made his first sports shoes from linen in his mother's laundry room. In 1920, he took over his father's business, which had previously specialized in the production of felt slippers. Instead, he began manufacturing athletic shoes, which his father supported. The Zehlein brothers from the eponymous blacksmith workshop supplied handcrafted spikes for this purpose.