I actually grew up playing sports in canvas low cut sneakers with thick slabs of rubber as soles.

Played HS basketball in them.  Each team had them in whatever color their uniforms were.  They were state of the art!  I will never forget the sound of ten guys clomping up and down a court on Chuck T's.

Yes, I'm showing my age.  Thing about growing old--it beats the alternative.

Anyway, anybody else play in these things?  If so, are you still able to walk?  How did we do it?

Between Converse and Combat boots, my back has hurt like hell since.

Grew up wearing the canvas high top Chuck Taylors myself.

Remember my mother taking me to Sears and they were just tied together and thrown in a garbage can bin looking thing for $10 each.

Had to root through hoping to find your size, ah the good old days.

But will say was wearing leather Converse by HS (78-81), but wore the "Chucks" right up until that time though.

Had a regular leather basketball then but usually opted for my red, white, and blue "Dr J" ABA ball that was easier to palm as youngster whilst wearing my "Chucks".

I grew up wearing what we referred to as "Bargain Barn Specials". If you looked at them in a really dark room at night wearing sunglasses they looked just like Convers.. Think hard plastic soles with absolutely zero grip..
They really were terrible shoes, but to my mom's defense she was raised during the great depression so kids didn't get a lot of special shoes unless a doctor said you had to have them ..even then my legs would have to fall off first .. I can still remember my dad buying me a good pair of Puma track shoes and my mom had a cow over spending $20 for a pair of shoes I only wore to run track in..they argued all night over those damned shoes.. lol She thought the cheap plastic track shoes the school provided were just fine even if they never fit right and had zero padding..
My mom, god bless her, was the original skin flint.. Tighter than bark on a tree as the saying goes..
Man, I got in more fights over my shoes than anything else. 

I wore them but I never remember calling them Chuck Taylors.

(07-11-2018, 12:22 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I wore them but I never remember calling them Chuck Taylors.

I think his signature was on the label or inside the shoe. Cant remember.

It was in the circle on the inner ankle area. They were the best there was at one time.

Shoes guaranteed to make a kid run faster and jump higher...PF Flyers


are PF Flyers the same thing as Chuck Taylors?

(07-11-2018, 02:48 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Shoes guaranteed to make a kid run faster and jump higher...PF Flyers


are PF Flyers the same thing as Chuck Taylors?

Ahh jeez.. Now you're showing your age even more so than Bargain Barn Specials.. lol  I remember those . My dad would splurge,, mom not so much .. I remember being really disappointed that I couldn't really run faster in them. I was a short chubby kid when PF Flyers were popular.. 

(07-11-2018, 12:22 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I wore them but I never remember calling them Chuck Taylors.

(07-11-2018, 12:30 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I think his signature was on the label or inside the shoe. Cant remember.

(07-11-2018, 12:37 PM)masonbengals fan Wrote: It was in the circle on the inner ankle area. They were the best there was at one time.

The more I think about it the more I believe I was wearing Bargain Barn specials instead of Converse.

I know we got a lot of clothes from Rinks in Middleton.  Don't know if that was a chain or not.

(07-11-2018, 02:48 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Shoes guaranteed to make a kid run faster and jump higher...PF Flyers


are PF Flyers the same thing as Chuck Taylors?

No.  They were a Converse competitor.  I also remember Keds.

(07-11-2018, 12:22 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I wore them but I never remember calling them Chuck Taylors.

I believe they were actually called Converse All Stars.  The little rubber stars gave a guy tremendous ankle support.