In 1924 German brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler started a shoe company from the laundry room in their mother’s basement.
They called it “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory.”
Adolf (“Adi”) Dassler was a quiet craftsman who designed the shoes, complemented by his older brother Rudolph (“Rudi”), an extroverted salesman.
As the sole manufacturer of athletic shoes within Germany, the Dassler Brothers immediately saw strong sales.
When Adolf invented the revolutionary screw-in spikes, it became an instant sell out!
The brothers big break came at the 1936 Berlin Olympics when Adolf convinced American Sprinter Jesse Owens to run in their shoes.
Owens won 4 gold medals, and the brand became an international success with sales exploding to 200,000 pairs a year before the outbreak of WWII.
It was during WWII, and shortly after, that the relationship between the brothers and their wives began to falter.
The exact cause is unknown but rumors range from stealing to resentment, and even sexual affairs.
What started the spat between the brothers is a point of contention.
Town chronicles mention it only in passing as “internal family difficulties”, but the most common explanation is that Rudi (apparently the better-looking one) had an affair with Adi’s wife, Käthe, for which he was never forgiven.
The most popular theory of this rift dates back to a 1943 Allied bomb attack.
Upon entering a shared bomb shelter with Rudolph and his family, Adolf yelled “Here are the bloody bastards again” referring to the warplanes.
Due to his insecurity, Rudolf took this personally.
After their argument, Rudolf was picked up by American Soldiers accusing him of being a member of the Waffen SS — the military branch of the Nazi Party organization.
Although impossible to prove, Rudolf was furious and certain that his brother had turned him in.
By 1948, the brothers had broken up Dassler Shoe Factory, and each set up their own shop on opposite sides of the Aurach river.
Adolf named his new company “Adi-das” as a combination of his first and last name. Rudolf tried a similar concept with ‘Ruda’, but settled on ‘Puma’.
The brothers rivalry deepened over time, fueling a fight for footwear supremacy.
Even citizens of their town, Herzogenaurach, took brand loyalty to new levels. Shopkeepers would favor one brand and not serve customers wearing the other – a tradition that still exists today.
Fast forward 73 years, Adidas and Puma are now both multi-billion dollar companies that are just as relevant and powerful as ever.
This little-known story just shows what ambition, determination, and a hint of insecurity can push people to accomplish!!
Rudolph died in 1974… Adolf (the younger brother) died in 1978..
The brothers refused to talk!
Even when Rudi lay on his deathbed in 1974 and the priest called Adi to his bedside!
And yet, before they died, the brothers may, in fact, have been reconciled, according to several sources.
“In 1974, just six months before Rudi’s death, they got their drivers to take them to a secret meeting in Nuremberg for half a day,” says Helmut Fischer, the peace match referee and Puma’s in-house historian, referring to conversations he has had with those closest to the inner workings of the Dasslers’ empires, including their chauffeurs and housekeepers.
“But they could never tell their wives, and certainly not their workers, because it would have been bad for business.”
