Converse history

Marquis Converse started the Converse Rubber Company locally in 1908.

By 1910, the company had expanded its plant to produce 4,000 pairs of boots and rubbers daily.

In 1915, the company started making athletic shoes especially made for tennis.

In 1916 they were looking to expand their company and while basketball was on the cusp of becoming as big as football or tennis, there was still a lack of specific footwear choices for its players.

In 1917, the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced and began to be worn by Chuck Taylor.

In 1918, the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced.

All Star's rapid success was spurred by the reputation and marketing savvy of basketball star Charles 'Chuck' H. Taylor, who joined the Converse sales force in 1921 to become the brand's first player endorser.

However, in 1929 financial troubles hit Converse and the company went bankrupt.

Because he was so successful in promoting Converse All Stars, as well as making important changes in the design of the All Star shoe, in 1932, his name “Chuck Taylor” was added to the ankle patch.

In 1933 the Stone family bought Converse and operated it for 39 years, watching it grow into a major footwear contender.

The first white model was introduced at the 1936 Olympics, a predecessor to today's optical white high top.

In 1946 the company's Granite State Division in New Hampshire began operating two large plants.

The classic black and white high top was introduced in 1949.

In 1953 Converse established the Coastal Footwear Corporation in Canovanas, Puerto Rico.

In 1957 the low cut All Star was introduced and became popular as a more casual alternative to the high top.

In 1962, center Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points in an NBA game while wearing a pair of Chucks, taking a 169–147 victory over the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 2.

Because of his tireless efforts promoting the sport, Taylor was called the “Ambassador to Basketball” and in 1968, Charles H. ‘Chuck’ Taylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1972 Converse changed hands again when Eltra Corporation purchased the company from the Stone family.

Converse was also a sponsor of USA Basketball beginning with its inception in 1975.

Converse lost popularity as a basketball shoe and Tree Rollins was the last NBA player to wear them in 1979.

In 1982, however, the giant chemical conglomerate underwent a restructuring and moved out of the consumer products business.

By 1983, Converse stock was available on the NASDAQ national market.

1984: The company signs agreements with Moon-Star Chemical Corp., Mizuno Corp., and Zett Corp. to handle the manufacture, distribution, and sale of Converse footwear in Japan.

1985: The company is named the official shoe of the National Basketball Association.

By January 1986, the New York Times reported that 'Nike of Beaverton, Ore., maker of Air Jordan basketball shoes, appears to be outrunning such competitors as Reebok International Ltd., Converse Inc. and Hyde Athletic Industries.'

After Converse filed suit against the player for failing to comply with his long-term endorsement contract in 1987, matters were resolved temporarily.

The Rolling Stones made the Chuck Taylor the official trainer of the Steel Wheels Tour in 1989.

By 1990, the brand had contracted endorsements with more than 14 pros representing 11 different teams across the United States.

However, its new parent company suffered from a series of financial problems and filed for bankruptcy in 1991.

Until it emerged from bankruptcy proceedings in the autumn of 1992, support for rapidly slipping Converse brands was limited to a dangerously low budget.

'Converse and `Grandmama' Hoop-It-Up for the First Time in Boston,' PR Newswire, July 16, 1993.

By year's end, Converse posted a loss of $71.7 million, compared with profits of $17.6 million in 1994.

But the second half of 1995 unfolded in a fiasco for Converse, with layoffs, leaky shoes, and trouble at its new subsidiary.

Together with President Michael 'Mickey' Bell, who would resign abruptly in August 1996, Rupp undertook a restructuring of the nation's No.

Converse remains well below Nike and Reebok, which in 1997 held 47 and 15 percent of the United States athletic shoe market, respectively.

Converse Inc. is the largest manufacturer of athletic footwear in the United States, producing approximately 8.4 million pairs of shoes domestically in 1998.

In this way, despite the ongoing layoffs and losses that continued to plague Converse into the first half 1999, the company aimed to position itself to take advantage of the anticipated improvement in industry conditions.

Converse introduces the All Star 2000 in an effort to increase new product offerings

In July 2003, Nike paid $309 million to acquire Converse.

By November 2012, Converse had disappeared completely from the NBA, as the last dozen players wearing the brand either left the NBA or switched shoes over a period of a year and a half.

In January 2013, Converse announced plans for a new headquarters building.

The Chuck Taylor II's were released on July 28, 2015.