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Apr 1, 2021
Franklin Sports got its start in 1946 as a regional brand of sporting goods products. Irving H. Franklin, who co-founded...
/ Franklin Sports got its start in 1946 as a regional brand of sporting goods products. Irving H. Franklin, who co-founded Franklin Sports in 1946 with his brother Sydney Franklin, brought the innovative idea of centering a complete line of products on a single athlete.
Irving Franklin was first employed at a shoe factory in Brockton, and later joined his grandfather in the scrap leather business, which he took over when his grandfather passed away. When the Korean War began, Mr. Franklin obtained a variety of government contracts, and produced gloves, trigger finger mittens, and a variety of other products. In 1962, Irving Franklin went to Japan and began to import baseball gloves. Irving was a “leather” man at heart, and became an expert on leather manufacturing. He worked with Pittards to create the first batting glove leather. He then partnered with a start-up factory to produce the gloves with a unique tri-curve design for superior fit and feel. The same factory is still manufacturing our batting gloves. Larry Franklin took over the reigns as President in 1986.