Biography"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 – Joe Namath...The breakthrough for Franklin and the batting gloves came when Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt and Irving Franklin teamed up to create the basic design that is still the preferred glove of most major league hitters. Irving Franklin went to Clearwater, Florida, to meet with Schmidt during spring training in 1983." --franklinsports.com
