Marion Frank Rudy (24 January 1925 – 13 December 2009) was an American

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

and inventor, most known for patenting what would become the Nike Air Sole.

Early life and education

Rudy was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and raised in Fairview Park, Ohio. He was a graduate of Fairview High School and

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

's class of 1950, majoring in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. He was also a member of the

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of May 2024, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 83 active chapters, 7 associate chapters, a ...

fraternity.

Career

Rudy's first job after graduation was with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, where he worked on projects for the Saturn and Apollo rocket engines. With a slow down in the space industry in 1969, Ruby, an avid skier, took a job at

Nike Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as ''NIKE'') is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. In 1977, Rudy designed a cushioning system based on an

inert gas An inert gas is a gas that does not readily undergo chemical reactions with other chemical substances and therefore does not readily form chemical compounds. Though inert gases have a variety of applications, they are generally used to prevent u ...

encapsulated in

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

plastic. The first shoe to implement the technology would be the Nike Air Tailwind in 1978. The design was ultimately trademarked by Nike as the "Air" sole. Throughout his career, Rudy ultimately held more than 250 patents.

Death

Rudy died in his home in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on December 13, 2009. He was 84 years old. Rudy is buried in

San Fernando Mission Cemetery The San Fernando Mission Cemetery, a significant part of the Mission Hills community in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, is steeped in history. It stands adjacent to the iconic San Fernando Mission, also known as Mission San Fernando Rey d ...

Legacy

The 19 varsity athletic teams at his alma mater, Case Western Reserve Spartans, wear a special patch on their uniforms commemorating him and his invention. The emblem has Rudy's initials, MFR, with a 3D design of special texture and shine to resemble inflated air sole look, and has orbiting planets pay tribute to his career as an aerospace engineer.

References

American aerospace engineers Case Western Reserve University alumni 1925 births 2009 deaths Nike, Inc. people People from Fairview Park, Ohio Engineers from Ohio 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors {{US-inventor-stub