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THB1972 Munich Olympics Puma "Claw" Spikes Worn in 1500 Meters by USA's Bob Wheeler (Duke Legend & '71 NCAA Champ) - Wheeler Family LOA
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About Auction
TimedMar 19, 2025 - Apr 5, 2025
SCP Auctions, Inc. customerservice@scpauctions.com
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- Lot Description
Offered here is a rarely seen pair of Puma “Claw Shoes" worn in the 1500 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Duke middle-distance star and ’71 NCAA champion Bob Wheeler. Few examples of this sanctioned Puma model – limited production for world-class athletes – have survived, and this is the first pair we’ve come across. The response to Puma’s forbidden “Brush Spikes" – banned by the IAAF before the ’68 Olympics – the Claw’s historical significance is not so much who wore them, but what they represent in terms of branding and pop culture at the outset of a revolutionary period in athletic shoe innovation.
The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics brought us everything from tragedy and triumph to scandal and inspiration. While the Munich Massacre of 11 Israeli team members may have initially overshadowed any athletic highlights, even now – more than 50 years later – we still marvel at American Mark Spitz’s dominance in the pool and cringe at the outrageous officiating that led to USSR’s shocking upset over USA on the hardcourt. Munich’s Olympiastadion hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, and it was on that very track where some of the most memorable and influential performances took place. The brand of shoes and style of spikes on each competitor’s foot set the stages for a decades-long market share battle among two endemic giants from Germany and an up-and-comer from Oregon.
While certainly not the flashiest athletes in the world, distance runners carry a certain blue-collar moxie. And in ’72, nobody had more of that than Steve Prefontaine. The University of Oregon legend went to Munich looking to win at any cost, yet his gutsy performance in the 5,000 meters – pushing the pace too early to steal gold from Finland’s Lasse Viren when he could have just sat and kicked for silver or bronze – ended up costing him a medal. During the race, Pre wore “Waffle Trainers” handcrafted by his Oregon coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. Since just about every track athlete at the ’72 Olympics wore either Puma or Adidas, these unofficial Nike prototypes with waffle-ironed soles had a three-striped logo on the sides to appear like Adidas. The reality was the design was identical to Bowerman’s “Moon Shoe” that debuted at the ’72 U.S. Olympic Trials – Nike made 12 pairs to give to qualifiers as a marketing ploy – and became the brand’s first official athletic shoe released to the public. (One of those 12 pairs auctioned for $437,500 in 2019.)
Now, back to Wheeler. The Maryland native had a sensational running career at Duke University. A half century later, he is still the fastest miler in Duke history and is inducted in Duke Athletic Hall of Fame. As a freshman, Bob was ACC champion in cross country, 1971 NCAA champion at 1,000 meters and NCAA runner-up in the mile. As a sophomore, Wheeler again won the ACC cross country title and finished third in the NCAA 1,500 meters. At the ’72 U.S. Olympic Trials, he placed third in the 1,500 to qualify for Munich along with legendary American miler and world record holder Jim Ryun. At the Olympics, Wheeler made it through the qualifying heats – unlike Ryun, who tripped – and advanced to the semifinals where he had the 6th fastest time (3:40.4) out of 30 runners. Unfortunately, he was also sixth in his heat, which was run at the quickest pace. For only the second time ever, no American made the men’s 1,500 Final.
It was during the 1,500 Semifinals (Sept. 9) that Bob Wheeler wore this pair of red Puma Claws (visible in ’72 Munich stock images Getty 1359523846 and 1915829). The outer suede material has aged exceptionally well with no punctures or damage, only some creasing from storage that can easily be amended. All 12 claw-shaped spikes (made of a special plastic called Ultramid) on the outsoles of each shoe remain perfectly intact. The original white laces remain on the right shoe but are missing from the left. A “8 ½” size stamp in blue is still clearly visible within the interior of each. Custom-fitting orange orthotics from the ball of the foot to the toes are both present. The gold embossed Puma logos on the outer mids have not faded in the slightest.
Overall, this pair survives as an ideal exemplar of a scarcely produced, innovative track shoe that saw Olympic action over 50 years ago at one of the most captivating Games in history. Wheeler was not the only track competitor to wear Puma Claws in Munich (most wore Adidas), but we could find no other examples that have surfaced. Coming directly from the Wheeler estate (Bob passed away in 2010 at the age of 58), the lot includes a letter of provenance from the Wheeler family.
Visit https://www.puma-catchup.com/from-the-archive-the-history-of-pumas-claw-shoe/ for more background on the Puma “Claw Shoe”, also known as “München72”.
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