On December 13th 2009 a legend died!

Frank Rudy, who at the age of 84 at his home in California, is best known as the mind behind the invention known as Nike Air. Originally an aerospace engineer after spending time in the military, Rudy left his job at the end of the 1960’s with the hopes of becoming an independent inventor for a variety of industries. His career, filled with over 250 patents to his name, could most certainly be deemed a tremendous success.

For the Nike Air, Rudy drew inspiration from his experience as an aerospace engineer. Working at NASA, Rudy had been introduced to a process known as "blow rubber moulding." Rudy used this moulding process to create hollowed soles for athletic shoes. He then filled the hollowed cavities with highly dense gases, sealed in by rubber membranes. The result was a gas-filled, shock-absorbing cushion.

In a history of Nike titled "Just Do It," author Donald Katz wrote that Rudy brought his idea for small air bags to be placed on a shoe's sole to Nike in 1977. To test the technology, Nike co-founder Phil Knight  took a pair of air-cushioned shoes out for a run.

"He set out in one of the prototypes and was amazed at the 'ride' the cushioning offered," Katz wrote. "Rudy and Nike's early Air Sole technology was first built into a running shoe in 1979, and the bags were laid into a basketball and tennis shoe three years later." Although it was used in a variety of shoes, the Air Sole didn't catch on with consumers until 1987, when Nike used television ads featuring the Beatles' "Revolution" to promote the Air Max, which made the gas-filled urethane pouch visible.

Quick Timeline:

1979: Nike's Air technology patented by Frank Rudy is introduced in the Tailwind running shoe. Gas-filled plastic membranes are inserted into the sole of running shoes to provide cushioning.

1982: The Air Force 1 basketball shoe becomes the first Nike court shoe to make use of the Air technology.

1984: Nike signs Michael Jordan to an endorsement contract. The first model of his signature shoe, the Air Jordan, originally is banned by the NBA, drawing a tremendous amount of publicity.

1987: The Nike Air Max shoe is introduced, which for the first time makes visible the Nike air bag. A television ad featuring the Beatles song "Revolution" is the first time that a song performed by the Beatles is used in a TV ad.

Nike CEO Mark Parker said in a statement:

“His relentless creativity and focus on solving problems was, in many ways, the template for how Nike pursues performance to this very day.”

Recently, Rudy worked with doctors in both Ohio and New York to fund and help with cancer research, a cause he was intensely committed to serving throughout his life.

Ben Walby, a family friend, said Rudy was a hands-on philanthropist who used his analytic engineering skills to consult with doctors on their work.

"He liked medicine and that was the ultimate puzzle for him," said Walby

"He wasn't one to shy away from the ultimate challenge. The bigger the problem the more complex the problem, the deeper he dug in."

With Nike launching its “Fresh Air” campaign we can only hope that the memory of Frank Rudy will be well preserved and his legacy celebrated on a grand scale.