Converse. They are more than just shoes, nostalgia, or a fashion statement. The history of Converse shoes spans the history of 20th century America and the evolution of basketball. Converse shoes revolutionized the sport of basketball and witnessed the birth of rock and roll. Sixty percent of all American own or have owned at least one pair of Converse sneakers. In 1908, Marquis M. Converse, in his late 30’s and previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company for business in Malden, Massachusetts and begins providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910 Converse Rubber Company was producing 4,000 pairs of shoes daily, but it wasn’t until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis. Basketball, less than 25 years old, was revolutionized in 1917 when Converse designed and produced the world’s first performance basketball shoes, the Converse All Star.

In 1918, Charles H. “Chuck” Taylor, a basketball player for the Akron Firestones, acquires his first pair of All Star basketball shoes and backed by Converse, he introduces the game of basketball to Americans across the country; all while wearing his Converse All Stars. Chuck Taylor officially joined Converse in 1921 as America’s first player endorser, and in 1923 after publishing a retrospective on the first 60 years of basketball and teaching his first basketball clinic at North Carolina State University, his signature was added to the All Star patch. This decision marks the defining moment in the history of Converse shoes and gives birth to an American icon. Chuck Taylor, known as the “Ambassador of Basketball”, then launched into a 35 year “evangelist tour” to introduce and teach basketball to America. Converse also customizes shoes for the New York Renaissance (the “Rens”), basketball’s first all African American pro basketball team. The “Rens” pioneered a whole new method of playing and won a remarkable 2,588 games with only 539 losses.

Converse steamed ahead through the 1920’s and 1930’s as the nation’s interest in basketball surges. Converse and basketball became synonymous as the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star became the standard issue basketball shoes for professional, college, and high school teams across the country. A few highlights include:

• 1935 Jack Purcell, a world-famous badminton and tennis player, designed a durable performance court shoe with a rubber “Smile” in the middle of the toe. The shoe became known as the Converse Jack Purcell.
• 1935 Chuck Taylor invents the modern basketball - a “stitchless” leather basketball with a truer bounce.
• 1936 Basketball is played as an official Olympic sport for the first time. The U.S. team in Converse All Star shoes defeated Canada 19-8 to win the gold medal.
• 1939 The fist NCAA championship basketball tournament was held. Both teams wore Converse All Stars.
• 1941 December 7, 1941, America enters World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

When America entered World War II in 1941, Converse shifted production to manufacturing footwear, apparel, boots, parkas, rubber protective suits, and ponchos for pilots and troops. In addition to production, Converse company designed the A6 Flying Boot worn by the U.S. Army Air Corps, sponsored scrap rubber drives, the War Savings Bond Tour, Red Cross blood drives, and supported servicemen with their newsletter Converse-ations. Employees at Converse also created a “Victory Garden” to support agricultural production. During the war, all soldiers were outfitted in Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes for basic training, and after the war, All Stars remained the standard government-issue athletic shoes for military and physical training. For its record-breaking production and war efforts, Converse company received a number of honors from the Army, Navy, and U.S. Treasury, including a prestigious “E” for Excellence award from the U.S. War Department. In 1949, the Basketball Association of America and the National League merged to become the NBA. Nearly all professional players wore Chuck Taylor All Star shoes by this time.

The Converse All Star was originally produced only in black, but after World War II, the company came under pressure from basketball teams to add additional colors. Converse yielded and a number of new colors were released in addition to the tradition black and white colorways. Hollywood gave Converse shoes a boost when actors and other celebrities wear them and help Converse All Star to transcend the world of athletic shoes to become an American cultural icon. Sneakers, especially Converse, became the preferred footwear of kids and teenagers and a symbol of youthful rebellion in the 1950’s. These inexpensive shoes are work with jeans and a t-shirt by boys and skirts, sweaters, and ankle socks by girls. Film legend, James Dean officially sanctioned this fashion when he was photographed wearing jeans and white Converse sneakers. By 1955-56, Chucks are the #1 basketball shoe in America, and in 1957, seven year old Julius Erving, better known as “Dr. J,” received his first pair of Chucks for $3.95 after pleading with his mother. This first pair of Chucks would launch the young Julius into a career and into basketball history when he creates a new above-the-rim style of play. Dr. J and his Converse shoes ushered in the game of basketball as we know it today.

During the 1960’s and 70’s, Converse released a parade of performance footwear, apparel, and accessories for basketball, tennis, football, track, and many other sports. Elite athletes lined up to wear Converse shoes and the line between sports and fashion begins to blur.

• 1962 Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia warriors set the record for most points scored by one player in a single NBA game. The record of 100 points, established in Chucks, has never been broken.
• 1962 Converse releases a low-cut version of the popular All Star called the Converse All Star Oxford. The oxford soon made a relaxed, “west-coast” lifestyle statement and quickly became the shoe of choice for pro players.
• 1966 Converse adds seven new colors to the All Star line to coordinate with team uniforms.
• 1968 Chuck Taylor earned a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
• 1969 Long time champion of Converse, Chuck Taylor died.
• 1974 Converse introduced the “One Star,” a low-cut performance shoe for basketball that was later adopted by surfers and skaters a statement for their alternative lifestyle.
• 1976 Dr. J endorsed Converse, putting his stamp on Converse’s Pro Leather shoe. This shoe later became known as “The Dr. J.”

Converse remained wildly popular during the 70’s and 80’s as they continued to be a symbol of counter-culture. This tradition of rebellion started with greasers and the rebel without a cause. White t-shirt, jeans, leather jacket, and sneakers were the traditional uniform of the youth rebellion. The tradition continued in the 60’s with hippies and their often colorful and mismatched Converse, in the 70’s with punk rock culture and the Ramones, in the 80’s with kids everywhere. Musicians like Green Day and Pearl Jam donned Chucks as well as a huge number of other musicians, actors, and celebrities. Even with their mass popularity, Converse company was on the decline by the late 80’s and into the 90’s. The era of the 80’s saw a rise in fancy air soles, gels, pumps and other high technology for sneakers. Converse, in a moment of foresight, invests in the industry’s first biomechanics research lab. The company soon introduced several performance technologies to compete with the surge of new competitors in the athletic shoe arena, but found that in spite of their long history of tradition and performance, they couldn’t compete. Here is brief overview of Converse during the 1980’s and early 90’s:

• 1982 NCAA championship was won by North Carolina in white/carolina blue Pro Leathers when freshman Michael Jordan sinks a game-saving basket with 17 seconds to go, thus earning the Converse Pro Leather shoe the nickname the “Buzzer Beater”
• 1983 Dr. J led his team to an NBA Championship while wearing Converse - his footwear of choice throughout his career.
• 1984 Converse was the Official Sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games and the U.S. men’s basketball team wins gold with Converse shoes on their feet.
• 1985 Converse’s biomechanics investment paid off when the lab delivered the industry’s first high-tech midsole cushioning systems.
• 1986 Converse unveiled The Weapon, with the ad campaign “Choose Your Weapons,” featuring two pro basketball players facing off in Converse shoes.
• 1992 Converse introduced the state-of-the-art REACT custom-fit technology, increasing basketball shoe cushioning, stability, and support.

Converse and the demand for its rubber-toed shoes began to decline in the 70’s and continued to decline through the next 20 years through a combination of poor business decisions, lack of money to compete in technology and marketing, and simple bad luck. Despite its investment in the biomechanics lab, Converse simply could not keep up with the technologies released by their younger competitors and soon Converse was dropped as the official shoe of the NBA.. A disastrous acquisition of apparel maker ApexOne in 1995 left the company drowning in debt. Nike signed Michael Jordan whose personality, playing ability, and overall good image brought Nike fame and success. Converse signed Latrell Sprewell who was later dropped after he tried to choke his coach. Sales declined and the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2001. The company closed its last U.S. factory and moved manufacturing to Asia when the company changed hands, and in July 2003, Converse accepted an offer from Nike to buy out the company for $305 million. Nike’s acquisition of this American institution raced many questions and much controversy with fans of the classic Converse Chuck Taylors. To date, Converse remains a Swoosh-free zone and many old styles have been re-released, but for some people the appeal of Chucks has faded since sportswear giant Nike came into the picture.

Converse is an American legend. You’ve probably owned a pair. Take a stroll to your local coffee shop or better yet, drive by a local high school and you’re guaranteed to see at least one pair of Chucks or probably more than one pair. These classic shoes are available in the original form and in a variety of new materials, colors, prints, and special features, and the Chucks continue to make numerous appearances on the celebrity feet, with rock stars and musicians, just about everywhere else. Owning a pair of Chucks is like owning a piece of history with all the prestige that implies, and n a time when things change so rapidly in the sneaker industry, you can always count on Converse to be exactly like you remember them from last year, the last decade, or from your childhood.