CHAPTER 01 / THE FOUNDERS
A coach and his former athlete.
Phil Knight ran for the University of Oregon under coach Bill Bowerman. Their relationship combined Knight’s business curiosity with Bowerman’s drive to improve athletic footwear. On 25 January 1964, they met in Portland, Oregon, and agreed to start Blue Ribbon Sports. That partnership became the foundation of Nike.
CHAPTER 02 / THE BEGINNING
An idea that travelled beyond the track.
While studying business at Stanford, Knight explored whether Japanese running shoes could compete with the expensive German shoes popular in the United States. The idea developed into a business importing and selling Japanese-made footwear. Bowerman brought an athlete’s perspective to the partnership: shoes needed to help runners perform.
CHAPTER 03 / THE INNOVATION
Building a better shoe.
Bowerman had been experimenting with footwear since the 1950s. When manufacturers did not take up his suggestions, he learned to make shoes himself. He studied existing designs, tested materials and fitted prototypes to individual runners. Knight was one of his early testers. Those experiments helped establish a lasting principle for Nike: listen to athletes and use their experience to improve the product.