Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler (29 April 1898 – 27 October 1974) was a German cobbler, inventor, member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, businessman and founder of the sportswear company Puma. He was the older brother of

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adolf started, . Rudolf joined in 1924. However, after a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

developed between them following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the brothers went separate ways and started their respective companies in 1948. Initially calling the new company "Ruda" (a portmanteau for Rudolf Dassler), it was soon changed to its present name of Puma. Puma is the Quechua word for

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

; from there, it went into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

as well as other languages.

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. In 1924, Rudolf joined the business, which became the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory). With the rise of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

in the 1930s, both Dassler brothers joined the

, with Rudolf reputed as being the more ardent Nazi. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in: "The dirty bastards are back again," Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied warplanes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family. Rudolf, upon his capture by American troops, was suspected of being a member of the SS, information Rudolf assumed was allegedly supplied by Adolf. 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.

Death

Rudi Dassler died on 27 October 1974 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at the age of 76.Adidas and Puma bury the hatchet
by Alan Hall on ''The Telegraph'', 21 Sep 2009

References

External links

Brozzas.de
– biography – Rudolf Dassler *
Which two brands were founded by rival brothers?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dassler, Rudolf 1898 births 1974 deaths Rudolf People from Herzogenaurach German billionaires German company founders 20th-century German businesspeople German fashion designers Shoe designers German military personnel of World War II People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Deaths from lung cancer in Germany Adidas people Puma (brand) Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German military personnel of World War I National Socialist Motor Corps members

Life

Death

See also

References

External links