Stan Smith turns 75 today. To millions around the globe, that might simply be a fashion statement. Various reports state that anywhere from 20 million to 70 million pairs of the shoes that bear Smith’s name have been sold—a product popular not just among tennis players.
A 2014 re-release of the adidas Stan Smith shoes generated publicity from such pop culture figures as Pharrell and Ellen DeGeneres. Models, actors, singers and many more have worn these shoes, a tale told in depth by Smith and others in his 2019 book, Some People Think I’m A Shoe!
Smith first met adidas CEO Horst Dassler during the 1972 French Open, an 11:00 p.m. chat in a Paris nightclub arranged by Smith’s agent and former Davis Cup captain, Donald Dell. By the time their meeting was over, Smith was in business with adidas.
The timing was propitious. A month later, Smith enjoyed one of his finest moments, winning the Wimbledon singles title. The pinnacle of the fortnight came in the finals, Smith beating Ilie Nastase, 7-5 in the fifth set. Having also won the 1971 US Open, at this point in the pre-computer rankings era, Smith was clearly the No. 1 player in the world.