The company's first factory was founded in 1898 at Kutztown, Pennsylvania, on the high banks of the Saucony Creek. In 1910, Russian immigrant Abraham Hyde started a shoe company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, called Hyde Athletic Industries. Over the years, Hyde became known for making athletic footwear including brands such as SpotBilt and PF Flyers; Hyde Athletic Industries bought Saucony in the late 1960s, and moved it to Cambridge.
In 1979 two of Saucony's running shoes were selected in the top 10 by Runner's World magazine (the Hornet was chosen best value) and by the following spring the demand for the product had gone up 20 fold. In the late 1980s, when Saucony became Hyde's dominant brand, the name of the company was officially changed from Hyde Athletic Industries to Saucony.
Saucony's shoe boxes once had the phrase "sock a knee" printed on them.[4] The Saucony brand logo represents the Saucony Creek's constant flow, and the boulders lining its creek bed.
The Saucony team doing a demo of running shoes at a Boston running store
The Saucony team doing a demo of running shoes at a Boston running store.
The company is a popular racing shoe producer, making track spikes and cross country racing flats. Saucony also makes shoes for specific track and field athletics events.
In 2012, Saucony, along with Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry Top-Sider, became part of Wolverine World Wide after a joint agreement with Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital acquired the Performance Lifestyle Group of Collective Brands for US$1.23 billion.[5] Wolverine World Wide sources a majority of its footwear from numerous third party manufacturers in Asia Pacific and South America.
