William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 4-27-15
The first sponsorship given to a black American athlete was by Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) to Jesse Owens. The Dasslers were Nazis but they still wanted to sell shoes. The brothers had a falling out during the war. When the shooting stopped, Rudolf Dassler would go on to start Puma sportswear and Adolf Dassler would begin Adidas.