Converse CT- Hollis Hi in Chocolate 11 UK

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Despite the cultural cache these musicians provided, for years Converse fought against any association to any genres or subculture. The company no doubt felt the relationships diluted the brand, and fought to maintain itself as a performance shoe designer, despite all the evidence to the contrary. More than 60 years after its flagship model was introduced, the sneaker was vastly outdated, a relic of a bygone time. While it had outlived its reign as a performance sneaker, the shoe found new life as a casual lifestyle sneaker, a reto favorite. By the '90s, when Nike and adidas sales dwarfed Converse, the All Star was still favorite among artists and musicians, and Converse finally began to cave, embracing its newfound cultural standing. By the shoes' 80th anniversary, Converse had sold more than 600 million pairs. That kind of success seemed impossible in 1969 when Converse pulled Taylor out of retirement to visit his friend and fellow Indiana native John Wooden. Scott Freeman (April 2006). "The Shoes Make The Man". Indianapolis Monthly. Indianapolis, Indiana: Emmis Communications: 32 . Retrieved 2018-08-08. In 1917, while Taylor was still in high school, Converse began manufacturing one of the first basketball shoes. At least one source indicates that in 1918 Taylor wore Converse Non-Skids, the canvas and rubber shoe that was the forerunner to the Converse All Stars. [9] [10] Converse salesman [ edit ]

As the United States entered the Second World War in 1941, the vast majority of Converse’s production became focused on supporting the war effort. Only a small quantity of All Stars were available to the public during WWII. Made with ‘wartime construction techniques’ that used minimally rationed materials, they did not last long under the stress of basketball. Because of this, Converse has yet to find a single example from this period for their official archive. a b Margo DeMello (2009). Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: Macmillan. pp.80–82. ISBN 9780313357152. In the 1920s and '30s, Taylor played on Converse’s own team and generated publicity in local newspapers with countless basketball clinics. The self-promotion paid off. The All Star sneaker had debuted in 1917 and Converse added Taylor’s name 15 years later, but Aamidor says customers had already made the switch. By the end of the 60’s and the beginning of the 70’s, the whole punk subculture had started forming and fermenting, led by bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Ramones. The punks concerned their lifestyle and their music around one thing: going against the “Establishment”, violently rejecting Capitalism in all its forms, and going against the grain of “polite” society in every turn. Photo from beautifulrecovery – Pixabay Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Members" (PDF). National Sporting Goods Association . Retrieved August 8, 2018.I don’t allow expectations and limitations set by others to define or stop me from what I can do,” Gaston shares. One such culture where the shoe has had a profound presence has definitely been music and for 22-year-old up and coming artist Timmy Albert, it’s one that holds great significance. Taylor never asked for a royalty for having his name on the shoe. Air Jordans have earned Michael Jordan far more money than he ever made as a player, but Converse gave Taylor a full expense account and commission. By the time he retired in the mid-1960s, Taylor had been out on the road selling for more than 40 years. He married and divorced then married again later in life, but had no children. Dean says Taylor had no regrets. a b "Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Members" (PDF). National Sporting Goods Association . Retrieved August 8, 2018.

Taylor's first wife was Ruth Adler (Actress), a former Hollywood actress who appeared in films such as Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Design for Scandal (1941). They married on May 26, 1950, in Carson City, Nevada, and settled in Los Angeles, California. The couple separated in 1955 and divorced in 1957. [5] By the mid-60’s, 90% of basketball players, from Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West to Bailey Howell and Bob Pettit, wore the All-Stars to all their games. He loved the game [of basketball]. He loved being a part of it. He put on clinics all over the country, helping kids learn how to play a little bit better," said Dean, who later served as the athletic director at Louisiana State University and is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Breaking barriers 

As a Converse employee, Taylor helped redesign the shoes and also became an advocate for basketball in America. He was a player and coach for the Converse All-Stars, the company’s industrial league basketball team, and created something called the Converse Basketball Yearbook, in which the sport’s best players, trainers, teams and greatest moments were commemorated. He also conducted basketball clinics all over the country. He was a loveable guy and fun to be around and a nice guy, and he, at one point, knew every college basketball coach in the country. And if you wanted to hire a coach, you went through him. He’d recommend somebody." Charles Hollis Taylor was born on July 24, 1901, and raised in southern Indiana. Basketball—the brand-new sport invented by James Naismith in 1891—was beginning to take the Hoosier State by storm. Taylor joined his high school team, the Columbus High School Bull Dogs, and was named captain. retired from Converse in 1968. [3] [23] He was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968 [3] and inducted in 1969. [1] [11] Death and legacy [ edit ]

He went years without having a house or an apartment or anything. He lived out of a hotel 365 days a year. And that was happy for him. Christmas Day was just another day to him. Converse paid for Christmas. They were just glad he didn’t ask for a little extra change for his name," Dean said, laughing. After leaving the All-Stars, Taylor continued to publicize his shoe—and own personal brand—by hobnobbing with customers at small-town sporting goods stores and making “special appearances” at local basketball games. There, he’d be included in the starting lineup of a local team during a pivotal game. A Player In Basketball's Early Days Taylor, shown in the mid-1920s, played on Converse's basketball team. (Courtesy of Abraham Aamidor) The Converse All Star sneaker first came out in 1917 and did not initially bear Taylor’s name. That came about years later, well after Taylor joined Converse in 1921 and became a professional sneaker salesman. A basketball player turned salesman may sound unthinkable for today’s hoop stars, but this was years before the NBA was founded in 1949 and well before basketball stars were being paid millions of dollars to play the sport.Taylor made his debut as a semi-professional basketball player on March 19, 1919, playing for the Columbus Commercials when he was seventeen years old. (Taylor played as a substitute for another of the team's players during the final three minutes of the game, but he scored no points.) [2] After the Columbus Commercials disbanded the following season, Taylor continued to pursue a career in professional basketball, which included playing for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids, a semi-professional team, as well as other semi-professional teams in Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. [6] Although Taylor played on professional and semi-professional teams for eleven seasons, no records have been located that confirm Taylor's link to playing for the Buffalo Germans and Original Celtics as some have claimed. Taylor did not clarify the assertions. [7] a b c "Converse timeline" (PDF). Converse.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-14 . Retrieved 2012-03-13. Charles Taylor was born in 1901, just ten years after Dr. James Naismith is credited with inventing the game of basketball. Taylor grew up in Columbus, Indiana and played for the Columbus High Bull Dogs. He graduated in 1919 and eventually landed in Akron, Ohio where he played for the Firestone Non-Skids, a semi-pro team owned by the tire manufacturer. But in 1922, he accepted a job as a salesman at Converse, and basketball was a critical part of his position.

a b The Dallas Morning News (2001-01-23). "Bob Ford". Apse.dallasnews.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28 . Retrieved 2012-03-13. Despite the visit, Wooden’s Bruins –- like many other teams — switched to Adidas leather sneakers in the fall of 1969. But in the same year, Taylor also enjoyed a moment of glory. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. as a contributor to the sport. He died before year’s end. Taylor’s groundwork prepared the All-Stars for their iconic second act as a fashion item, but to Aamidor his self-made-man story represents something larger. In 1950 Taylor moved to Los Angeles, California. He also continued to travel to military bases and in 1957 made a trip to South America on behalf of the U.S. State Department. [21] In 1958 he was inducted into the Sporting Goods Hall of Fame. [22] Later years [ edit ] In addition to selling Converse All Star shoes and conducting basketball clinics, Taylor contributed to the development of the sport in other ways. In 1935 he invented a "stitchless" basketball that was easier to control. [4] Taylor also promoted basketball internationally. When basketball became an Olympic sport in 1936, he designed a white high-top model with blue and red trim for the 1936 Olympic Games. [ citation needed] The Converse All Star shoe remained the official shoe of the Olympics team from 1936 to 1968. [1] World War II military service [ edit ]Meanwhile, 23-year-old volleyball star Ponggay Gaston is another one who refuses to be boxed in. Playing for the blue and white, her infectious energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win has endeared her to fans throughout her college career. We all saw how the young athlete was tasked to adjust to a variety of positions, which she had to learn to play. And she did so remarkably well.