Comment by Valentino Martinez on June 22, 2012 at 8:59am

Chuck Taylor: Basketball player turned master shoe salesman

 

The story of Charles H. ("Chuck") Taylor, Hoosier,  basketball player, and master shoe salesman:

• 1901 - Born in Indiana.
• 1908 - Marquis M. Converse started the "Converse Rubber Company."
• 1917 - Converse Rubber Company brought out a shoe very much like today's "All Star."
• 1921 - Converse hired Chuck Taylor from the Akron Firestone Non-Skids basketball team. Chuck Taylor conducted basketball clinics for Converse.
• 1932 - Chuck Taylor got his signature on the basketball shoe now associated with his name.
• World War II - Chuck coaches the Army Air Forces "Air-Tecs" basketball team at Wright Field, Ohio.
• 1958 - Inducted into the National Sporting Goods Hall of Fame.
• 1968 - Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• 1969 - Passed away, probably as his namesake basketball shoe reached the height of its popularity.

http://sneakers.pair.com/taylor.htm

Comment by Valentino Martinez on June 22, 2012 at 9:05am

Wearing your "CHUCKS" back in the day meant you had an advantage over those who wore Brand X basketball shoes.

The psychology of having an "enabler"on your side could mean the difference between "winning" and the "agony of defeet" (literally).

NIKE and others capitalize on such branding today.

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