Kirk Johannesen

The Republic

COLUMBUS, Ind. — One of the best-known brands in athletic footwear is getting a custom design made specifically for Columbus.

A limited-edition style of Chuck Taylor Converse All Star basketball shoes will come in royal blue and the other in orange, the colors for Columbus North and Columbus East.

Potential shoe buyers will only have a few weeks to get in on the onetime offer, in time for the December rivalry basketball games between East and North boys and girls teams.

Why Columbus? Taylor was from the city. Before gaining fame through the athletic footwear bearing his name, Taylor graduated from Columbus High School in 1919.

The custom shoe features a logo on the side that incorporates a basketball lane, the state of Indiana, a star to show Columbus' location, the city's "dancing C" logo and Taylor's signature. Columbus is spelled out on the back heel stripe.

Converse is taking a bulk order for the shoe, to be handled through Hoosier Sporting Goods in downtown Columbus. Deadline to order is Nov. 9, and the shoes are expected to arrive in Columbus in early December. Cost is $57.99 plus tax for adult sizes and $38.99 plus tax for youth sizes. Custom Chucks typically cost about $75.

Buyers can use a sizing mat at Hoosier Sporting Goods to determine what size shoe they need, or they are encouraged to try on Chucks at stores that sell them to find the right size before ordering. They also can order Chucks through wearyourchucks.com, a city-created website that tells the history of Taylor, explains the custom design and provides a link for ordering. The website also says these shoes run about a half size larger than other athletic footwear, so someone who normally buys size 10.5 for other brands could comfortably wear a size 10 in Chucks.

Backers hope the shoe promotion, which originated with Mayor Kristen Brown, will strike a chord with an audience roaming Columbus school hallways nearly 100 years after Taylor did.

About 800 million pairs of the Converse footwear commonly known as "Chucks" have been sold worldwide. For his efforts promoting the game of basketball and the shoe, Taylor was elected a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also was elected to the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

People will be encouraged to wear the special shoes — or any Chucks they own — to the North and East games as a two-day celebration of Taylor. The girls play Dec. 18 at East, while the boys play Dec. 19 at North. Brown will read proclamations at both games, Dec. 18 for "Chuck Taylor Day" and Dec. 19 for "Wear Your Chucks Day."

"This should be a source of pride with Chuck Taylor growing up here and playing for Columbus High. And, I think those days will build a lot of community spirit and be a lot of fun," Brown said.

Brown said she had been thinking of a way to honor Taylor, in part because Chucks are fashionable to wear in non-basketball settings, and because of his historical significance, of which some Columbus residents are unaware.

The mayor said she thought about having a Wear Your Chucks Day, so people could wear whatever Chucks they have or buy new ones. The idea gained momentum when someone suggested that the celebration should be tied in with North-East basketball games, Brown said.

As the concept progressed, Brown contacted Jason Wells, product development manager at Converse, in early May and asked if the company could work with the city. She knew that Converse makes custom graphics on Chucks for companies.

Converse liked the idea and is making the custom shoes for Columbus for free, charging the wholesale price instead of retail, the mayor said.

Official website: WearYourChucks.com.