Adolf Dassler

Born on November 3, 1900, in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Adolf Dassler was the son of a shoe-factory worker. Returning from World War I, he began making custom athletic shoes by hand in his mother's wash kitchen in 1920. Driven by an uncompromising philosophy—"Only the best for the athlete"—Adi meticulously studied how athletes moved, experimenting with lightweight leathers, canvas, and handcrafted spikes. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Dassler personally drove to the Olympic village and convinced African-American sprint legend Jesse Owens to compete in his handmade spikes; Owens won four gold medals, launching Dassler shoes into global fame. Following a bitter post-war rift with his brother Rudolf (who founded Puma), Adi registered his company as "Adidas" (from Adi Dassler) in 1949 alongside the iconic Three Stripes trademark. In 1954, Dassler's invention of interchangeable screw-in studs allowed the West German football team to conquer the rain-soaked pitch and defeat Hungary in the historic "Miracle of Bern" World Cup final. Over his lifetime, Dassler registered over 700 patents, transforming Adidas into the world's leading sports brand before his passing in 1978.