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Archive14 October 2026

The Adidas Stan Smith began as the Robert Haillet: Horst Dassler's leather tennis shoe named for the French player, who retired in 1971; Smith's face on the tongue, officially renamed in 1978

Adidas's Stan Smith, first named the Robert Haillet. (@adidas) Photos: HI 622, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Henk Lindeboom / Anefo, Nationaal Archief, CC0; Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection, UCLA Library, CC BY 4.0 Photos: HI 622, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Henk Lindeboom / Anefo, Nationaal Archief, CC0; Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection, UCLA Library, CC BY 4.0

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The post, as it ran

01THE ADIDAS STAN SMITH WAS FIRST NAMED AFTER A DIFFERENT PLAYER, THE FRENCHMAN ROBERT HAILLET.
02THE LEATHER TENNIS SHOE WAS THE IDEA OF HORST DASSLER, SON OF THE ADIDAS FOUNDER ADI DASSLER.
03HAILLET RETIRED IN 1971.
04STAN SMITH'S FACE WENT ONTO THE TONGUE BEFORE HIS NAME DID.
05THE SHOE WAS OFFICIALLY RENAMED THE STAN SMITH IN 1978.
06BY 1988, ABOUT 22 MILLION PAIRS HAD BEEN SOLD, A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD.
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