Horst Dassler

Horst Dassler (1936 to 1987) was a German businessman, the son of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler and nephew of Puma founder Rudolf Dassler. He joined the family firm in 1960, built an Adidas affiliate in Alsace into the leading sporting goods maker in France, and in 1973 founded the Arena swimwear line. After his father's death in 1978 he returned to Germany to join top management and became chairman of Adidas in 1984, a post he held until he died, by which time the company was the world's largest sporting goods manufacturer. He is often called the father of sports sponsorship: he signed athletes and national federations to exclusive contracts and, with the British executive Patrick Nally, sold corporate sponsorship of FIFA. In 1982 he established ISL Marketing, which went on to manage Olympic sponsorship for the International Olympic Committee, and his methods drew criticism from some journalists. ISL filed for bankruptcy in 2001.