Chuck Taylor one Star sale - A Shoe for All Ages

The All Star basketball shoe was launched in 1917 by The Converse Rubber Shoe Company, founded just nine years earlier by Marquis Converse in Massachusetts. In 1921, Chuck Taylor, a 20 year old former high school basketball star who had toured the country with several pre-NBA teams was hired by Converse's Chicago sales office. He was a salesman and athlete who suggested many changes to the shoe including the distinctive patch to protect player's ankles. converse one star sale added the Chuck Taylor name to the patch in 1923 and included his signature sometime in the 1930s.

Chuck Taylor All Stars first made an impression on me when I arrived at the USAF Academy. Among all the blue uniforms, green fatigues, combat boots, flight suits and jacket was a pair of black on white Chuck Taylor All Stars with the Chuck Taylor signature ankle patch, one star sole and All-Star label on the heel, just like my old gym shoes back home. They were the only piece of equipment or clothing that looked familiar.

Lately, I've noticed that my old Chuck Taylor All Stars are everywhere. Like so much else from the '60s, I thought they had quietly slipped into the past making way for high-tech running shoes, cross trainers, and any number of pump up, air assisted or spring-loaded basketball shoes. When I got my All Stars at USAFA, I had no idea that they had been around for fifty years and would still be going strong almost fifty years later with over 600 million pairs sold and no end in sight.

Reviews on the shoe are overwhelmingly positive although everyone agrees that Chucks tend to run one-half to a full size large. The only other complaint is that the lack of padding in the canvas version makes them cold in the winter and painful when you wipe out on your skateboard. While I admit the latter is not an issue for me, it did make me think that just maybe the extra size could be for thick socks!