Rudolf Dassler

Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler
Born(1898-03-26)26 March 1898
Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, German Empire
Died27 October 1974(1974-10-27) (aged 76)
Herzogenaurach, West Germany
OccupationFounder of Puma
SpouseFriedl Dassler (née Strasser)
ChildrenArmin Dassler
RelativesFritz Dassler (brother)
Marie (sister)
Adolf Dassler (brother)
Horst Dassler (nephew)

Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler (26 March 1898 – 27 October 1974) was a German cobbler, inventor and businessman who founded the sportswear company Puma.

Born on 26 March 1898 in Herzogenaurach,[1] Rudolf was the older brother of Adidas founder Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adolf started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik ("Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory"). Rudolf joined in 1924. However, after a feud developed between them following World War II, the brothers went separate ways and started their respective companies in 1948.[2]

Initially calling the new company "Ruda" (a portmanteau for Rudolf Dassler), it was soon changed to its present name of Puma.[3] Puma is the Quechua word for cougar; from there, it went into German as well as other languages.[4][5]

Life

After his return from World War I, Adolf Dassler, Rudolf's younger brother, started to produce sports shoes in his mother's kitchen. His father, Christoph, who worked in a shoe factory, and the brothers Zehlein, who produced the handmade spikes for track shoes in their blacksmith's shop, supported Adolf in starting his own business. On 1 July 1924, Rudolf joined the business and it formed the "Gebrüder Dassler, Sportschuhfabrik, Herzogenaurach" (Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Factory), Herzogenaurach.[6]

With the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, both Dassler brothers joined the Nazi Party, with Rudolf reputed as being the more ardent Nazi.[7]


Under his direction, Puma remained a small provincial company. Only under the direction of his son, Armin Dassler, did it become the worldwide known company it remains today.[8][9]

Death

Rudi Dassler died on 27 October 1974 of lung cancer at the age of 76.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rudolf Dassler : Fondateur de Puma". www.lsa-conso.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  2. ^ Carbone, Nick (2011-08-23). "Adidas vs. Puma – Top 10 Family Feuds – TIME". Time. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
  3. ^ John Underwood (1969-03-10). "The leading sports shoemakers in the world are the German – 03.10.69 – SI Vault". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
  4. ^ "Adidas versus Puma: Origins of a rivalry between brothers". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  5. ^ Esterl, Mike (2008-03-21). "A Run for Their Money - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
  6. ^ "Adolf Dassler: The Creative and Innovative Leader Behind adidas - adidas Group". adidas. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  7. ^ Kirschbaum, Erik (2005-11-08). "How Adidas and Puma were born". The Journal. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  8. ^ Tagliabue, John (1984-09-03). "ADIDAS, THE SPORT SHOE GIANT, IS ADAPTING TO NEW DEMANDS". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  9. ^ Tagliabue, John (1981-02-15). "ADIDAS, PUMA: THE BAVARIAN SHOEMAKERS; HERZOGENAURACH, West Germany". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  10. ^ Adidas and Puma bury the hatchet by Alan Hall on The Telegraph, 21 Sep 2009
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.