1908 to PresentMore than shoes, Converse is a story of legends, heroes and innovators tied together by the love of sport. It’s a script that spans nearly a hundred years – the ultimate highlight reel. When Marquis M. Converse opened the doors of the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Mass., in 1908, he had no idea that he was really manufacturing an American icon. Throughout the 20th century, Converse delivered a consistent procession of standout sports performance footwear including the shoe that revolutionized basketball and would later would later become a favorite worldwide, the Chuck Taylor® All Star®. The legacy of Converse – the true soul of American sports – continues to unfold, in sport and in life, in the 21st century. The Early Years: 1908 - 1920A young Marquis M. Converse starts the company with winterized footwear for men, women and children. Converse canvas shoes for the sport of tennis soon follow. And, during basketball’s formative years, Converse invents the All Star® basketball shoe, helping to spark a century-long American love affair with the sport. Marquis Mills Converse opens the doors of the Converse Rubber Shoe Company. Converse canvas tennis shoe business climbs, doubling by 1918. World’s first performance basketball sneaker debuts – the Converse All Star.Charles H. “Chuck” Taylor, an All American high school player who would later suit up with the original Celtics, Buffalo Germans and Akron Firestones, puts on his first pair of All Star shoes. Roaring 1920sThe run on Converse performance tennis shoes proliferates. Meanwhile, backed by Converse, Chuck Taylor, the game’s most inspired, credible and tireless advocate, hits the road to introduce legions of Americans to the sport. Along the way, Converse makes basketball shoes for the nation’s most famous barnstorming teams who are recognized for bringing to the game an improvisational style that showcased speed, competitive play and team spirit. Before there was an “old school,” Converse, and the game’s pioneers who played in our shoes, set the benchmarks against which others aspired to reach. Converse is The First School™, the true owners of the soul of the game. THE pinnacle moment in the history of Converse: Converse adds Chuck Taylor’s signature to the All Star® patch, giving birth to what would become an American icon. Chuck Taylor, the “Ambassador of Basketball,” begins his 35-year “evangelist tour” across America to introduce and teach the game. Converse customizes shoes for the New York Renaissance, the game’s first all African American pro basketball team. Specializing in teamwork, the “Rens” leverage the fast-pivoting All Star shoes to pioneer a whole new level of play, compiling an unprecedented record of 2,588 wins and only 539 losses, and becoming one of the game’s most successful teams of all time. The nation’s interest in basketball surges. Converse and basketball are synonymous as the Chuck Taylor® All Star® becomes standard issue on pro, collegiate and high school courts nationwide. Concurrently, Converse’s record-breaking war manufacturing effort earns it the United States’ “E for Excellence” distinction. Hollywood helps the wildly popular Chuck Taylor All Star (a.k.a. “Chucks”, “Cons”, “Connies”) transcend the sport to become deeply entrenched in popular American culture, like jeans and soda. World famous champion badminton player Jack Purcell designs an innovative and durable performance court shoe, with its telltale toe Smile™, that changed the game and soon became a staple of early Hollywood and boarding school “bad boys”. Chuck Taylor invents the modern-day basketball – the first “stitchless” leather basketball to improve the sport through a more true bounce. 1980s - 1990sConverse invests in athletic biomechanics research, leading to technical advances and a new breed of performance footwear. The roster of legendary male and female athletes – from court and field – who endorse and perform in Converse, continues to grow. Meanwhile, Chuck Taylor All Star shoes continue to be a mainstay in American culture. Converse develops one of the industry’s first biomechanics labs. NCAA championship team is won in White/Carolina Pro Leathers, earning the shoe the nickname, the “Buzzer Beater”. Dr. J, wearing Converse— his footwear of choice throughout his entire career—leads his team to the win the NBA Championship. Converse is the Official Sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games. The U.S. men’s basketball team wins gold while wearing Converse. By this time, Converse shoes had appeared in final medal rounds at every Olympic competition since 1936. Converse’s biomechanics lab delivers the industry’s first high-tech midsole cushioning systems, energy return technology and motion control devices. Converse unveils The Weapon™ with its instant hit, “Choose Your Weapons” ad campaign featuring two of pro basketball’s best squaring off in Converse. |