Jason Coles - Golden Kicks: The Shoes That Changed Sport

Bloomsbury Sport

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This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published in 2016

Jason Coles, 2016

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ISBN: 978-1-4729-3704-9 (HB)

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3705-6 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3706-3 (ePDF)

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FOREWORD

W hen I was first approached by Horst Dassler to endorse adidas flagship tennis shoe, I never imagined that over forty years later it would be one of the most popular and best-selling of all time. So popular in fact, that many fans dont even realize that Im an actual person, not a shoe! Over the years Ive been amazed and humbled at the way it has stood the test of time. Echoing the stories of so many of the most popular sports shoes covered in Golden Kicks, it was born as a performance shoe and the choice of not just myself, but many professional tennis players, and over time has become an iconic lifestyle shoe in its own right and the favorite of millions of people across the globe. Although it now comes in countless styles and colors, it remains essentially the same simple, comfortable shoe that I wore when I won Wimbledon, back in 1972.

As youre about to discover, Golden Kicks is full of fascinating stories about the shoes that athletes of all kinds have worn during the greatest moments in sporting history. Not just the ones that involved winning trophies and championships, but also those that won hearts and minds. From Jessie Owens and Adi Dassler embarrassing Hitler in 1936, to Lionel Messi celebrating his fifth Ballon dOr in boots made with platinum in 2016, whether youre a casual sports fan or a passionate sneakerhead, Im sure, like me, youll enjoy reading and sharing these anecdotes.

We all take our shoes for granted - its part of their job - but I hope after reading Golden Kicks, next time you put on those simple white shoes with the green heel tab (or whatever your favorite sneakers happen to be), you might appreciate just a little more, the stories that youre quite literally wearing on your feet.

The man, the shoe.

Stan Smith

INTRODUCTION

I have to come clean. My passion for sports shoes is a relatively new thing in my life. I wish I could say Ive been crazy about them for decades, but despite having worn them from when I first started walking, and building a career with agencies and brands that marketed and sold them, until a few years ago Id never really given them much thought. They were just things I put on my feet until they wore out and were replaced with another pair. But something happened that changed all that when I discovered the story of a feud between two brothers from a tiny village in Bavaria.

The more I learned about brothers Rudi and Adi Dassler, the founders of Puma and adidas, the more I fell in love with the wonderful stories behind the shoes they created and how their battle shaped the sports world. And when Id learned all I could about the Dasslers, I moved on to the stories of their fellow pioneers, people like Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman of Nike, the Foster family of Reebok, Kihacharo Onitsuka of ASICS and William Riley of New Balance. Enthralling stories of passionate people who poured their devotion into making shoes so that athletes could perform better and achieve more. What struck me most was that they almost appeared to instill life into their creations. They were so much more than just pieces of canvas or leather stitched to rubber. Many seemed to have lives of their own, becoming as legendary as the athletes who wore them, and then retiring to live the rest of their days as streetwear.

Sports shoes quickly became an obsession and I immersed myself into sneaker culture. As my head filled with their stories, I couldnt go anywhere without looking at everyones feet. It got so bad that when I met people, my first instinct was to look at what shoes they were wearing rather than their faces. Whatever they were Stan Smiths, Suedes, Jordans or All Stars I would find myself asking if they knew the story behind them. Naturally, at first I got some funny looks, but once they heard it, they were hooked and wanted to know more. Their reactions made me realize that even diehard sports fans and dedicated sneakerheads didnt know the sporting origins of the brands and shoes they loved and wore everyday. I just had to put these stories down on paper. And thats how the book you now hold in your hands was born. Sadly there were so many stories I couldnt possibly fit them all into one book. If Ive missed out any of your favourites, please forgive me and let me know. Ill try to get them into book two!

Yours shoely,

Jason

Website:

A STAR IS BORN

1917 CONVERSE CREATE THE ALL STAR

CONVERSE ALL STAR

W e start with the Granddaddy of them all and the sports shoe arguably most deserving of the title, Greatest of All Time. A shoe so iconic that it became more of a symbol for basketball than the ball itself; a shoe so universally acclaimed that at one point in its glorious history 60 per cent of Americans owned a pair. It is, of course, the Converse All Star, more affectionately known as Chucks or Connies.

Founded in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts, by Marquis Mills Converse, the Converse Rubber Company began life manufacturing waterproof overshoes. Being a seasonal product, the company couldnt keep its workers busy all year round and so in 1915 it began making tennis shoes. With basketball steadily increasing in popularity, Converse developed a new shoe to meet the rising demand, and in 1917 the All Star was born.

Two things happened that were to ensure the shoes destiny. The first was the entry of the United States into the First World War. The US army needed fit young men and, in the belief that the coming battles would first be won on the sports fields, physical activity and participation in sports were encouraged, increasing the need for sports shoes. The second thing that put the All Star on its path to greatness was the arrival at Converse of Charles Hollis Chuck Taylor.