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Footnotes Converse still holds All Star status in fashion, celebrates sports past

Posted on Nov 30, 2009 in Sports

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Chuck Taylor — it’s not just the name of that guy you know from school.

It’s a shoe.

You have most likely seen or worn a pair of Converse All-Star Chuck Taylors at some point in your life.

The shoes were originally introduced in 1908, and for decades, these canvas kicks have outfitted feet everywhere.

Although Chucks don’t offer much in the way of arch support or padding, their timeless silhouette has enticed style-savvy students and people who simply want to look awesome.

Skylar Davis, a senior at UAB, wore Chucks for years.

“I started wearing them when I was 13,” he said. “I wanted to be punk as hell.”

However, his affinity for Chucks didn’t last long.

“They’re terrible shoes,” Davis said. “I only wear them because I have them. They remind me of miniature combat clown shoes.”

Although Davis isn’t fond of the canvas kicks nowadays, there are plenty of people who are. Just take a look around campus — students don them daily.

The thing about Chucks is that they’re appropriate for all kinds of weather.

The rubber tips of the shoes wick away rain, the canvas upper and side grommets allow your feet to breathe in hot temperatures, and you can wear them with warm socks when it gets cold.

Not only that, but they come in both high-top and low-top styles.

The low-tops are perfect for wearing with cut-off shorts in the summer, and the high-tops go well with jeans in the fall.
What’s more, they come in practically every color known to man.

Journey’s and Delia’s are a few stores that carry Chucks in just about every color.

From athletic jocks in the ’70s, to punk rockers in the ’80s, to “scene” kids nowadays, Chuck Taylors have spanned the generations, providing both boys and girls with a comfy casual canvas shoe to wear in almost any occasion.
Your dad wore them in high school. The members of your favorite band probably wear them. Converse All-Star sneakers have withstood the test of time.

Throw on a pair of signature black Chucks with a tuxedo for an off-kilter formal look, and convince your date to wear a pair that coordinates with the color of her dress — there’s bound to be one that matches, since they come in more than 20 colors.

Revive the ’70s athletic fashion aesthetic by wearing a pair of high-top Chucks with those really short cotton shorts and a ringer T-shirt.

Or simply use them to add a bit of an edge to drab jeans and a T-shirt. The possibilities are endless.

1908
       Converse starts making a shoe called the “All Star”
1918
       Charles “Chuck” Taylor puts on his first pair of All Star shoes
1921
       Chuck Taylor joins Converse, improves the All Star shoe’s traction and ankle support
1936
       Basketball played for the first time as an official Olympic sport
1962
       Converse develops the low cut version of its All Star, called an “oxford,” which started a new and relaxed west 
       coast lifestyle statement that quickly spread eastward
1974
        In every major college and junior college tournament this year, eight out of ten players wear Converse All Star
        shoes
1977
        Gene Bartow hired as first athletic director and head basketball coach
March 13, 1981
        Blazers beat Western Kentucky 93-68 for first NCAA Tournament
March 1982
        Blazers fall to Louisville 75-68 in the NCAA Elite Eight (insert)
April 1982
        First signed basketball player Oliver Robinson becomes UAB’s first All-American
Dec. 3, 1988
        Blazers beat Vanderbilt 85-79 before a crowd 8,397 in the first game at the newly named Bartow Arena
March 18, 1993
        Blazers beat Alabama 58-56 in the NIT
March 26, 1996
       Gene Bartow steps down as head coach as his son Murray takes the position
April 4, 2002
        Mike Anderson becomes head coach
March 2004
        Blazers beat top-seeded Kentucky 76-75 adn end the season 22-10 and ranked 23 in the country, Anderson
        named Conference USA Coach of the Year
Feb. 5, 2005
        Blazers fall to ninth-ranked Louisville 77-73 before a record setting crowd of 9,354 fans
April 7, 2006
        Mike Davis announced as head coach

Email: features@insideuab.com

 




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