The History of the Puma Shoe

PUMA is a German-based shoe company that produces sportswear and specializes in making athletic shoes. It employs nearly 8,000 people and its products reach as many as 80 countries around the world. PUMA sponsors many individual athletes, such as Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica and also sponsors a large number of national and club teams in sports ranging from soccer to cricket.

History

A German man named Christoph Dassler, who lived in the town of Herzogenaurach in the Bavarian region of Germany, worked in a shoe factory prior to World War I. His wife ran a laundry and they had a son named Rudolf, who also worked with his father at the factory. Rudolf served in the army during the war and when he returned, he worked in manufacturing venues near the city of Nuremberg. He finally returned to his hometown in 1924, where he joined his younger brother Adolf who had established a shoe factory of his own. This was the beginning of what would become PUMA shoes.

Significance

The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory had humble beginnings as the two siblings used their mother's laundry to make the shoes. They had to supply their own electrical power at times by riding a stationary bike hooked up to their equipment. The brothers' big break came in 1936 when Adolf traveled to the Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he was able to talk the great American track star Jesse Owens into wearing a pair of their track spikes. Owens went on to win four gold medals and the brothers' shoes became a hit.

Effects

Cashing in on their fame, the Dassler brothers were able to expand their factory and sold thousands of shoes. But World War II came along and both brothers joined the Nazi party. During the course of the war, the brothers had a severe falling out and when the war ended they broke up their business. In 1948, Adolf founded Adidas shoes while Rudolf called his new shoe company Ruda.

Identification

Both companies thrived over the years. Rudolf quickly changed the name of his to PUMA and was able to still sponsor many athletes, including the West German soccer team in 1948. In 1949, Rudolf came up with soccer shoes that had removable spikes and in1952 a runner wearing a pair of PUMA spikes won a gold medal in the Helsinki Olympics. PUMA became identified with the most famous athlete in the world when the company signed the great Pele of soccer to a marketing contract. PUMA also boasted of having basketball star Walt Frazier and football icon Joe Namath endorse their shoes.

Expert Insight

The two brothers never reconciled. When Rudolf died in 1974, his two sons took over the company, which became a corporation in 1986. Adolf passed away in 1978. The pair are buried in the same cemetery but as far apart as could be. In 1998, the company, named for the Spanish word for a cougar, diversified, branching out into sportswear as well.