Adolf "Adi" Dassler (born 3 November 1900 in Herzogenaurach, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire; died 6 September 1978 in Herzogenaurach, West Germany) was the founder of the German sportswear company Adidas and the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler, founder of Puma.Trained as a cobbler, Adi Dassler started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother's laundry after his return from World War I.