1948
Knight's first shipment of Tiger shoes
arrives in December, 200 pairs in all.
1968
The first BRS West retail store was opened
in Eugene, Oregon, by future veteran
employee Geoff Hollister and future
company president Bob Woodell.
1969
Knight and Bowerman join together in the
new enterprise, each contributing $500 to
the partnership. Knight works for an
accounting firm and in his spare time
distributes the shoes from his father's
basement, and out of the back of his car at
local and regional track meets. Runners
don BRS shoes -- many prototypes
designed by Bowerman -- and provide
feedback to the company on concepts for
future footwear development.
Knight resigns his position as Assistant
Professor of Business Administration at
Portland State University to devote himself
full time to the company.
Phil Knight's research paper at Stanford
asserts that low-priced, high-performance
well-merchandised exports from Japan
could replace Germany's domination of
the U.S. athletic shoe industry. After
receiving his MBA, Knight takes a world
tour. Stopping in Japan, he contacts the
Onitsuka Tiger company, manufacturers of
quality athletic shoes, and convinces it of
great marketing opportunities for its
product in the U.S. Put on the spot to
appear as though he owns a company,
Knight makes up a company name, giving
birth to "Blue Ribbon Sports," the
forerunner of Nike.
page 1
For a fee of $35, the Swoosh trademark is
created by a graphic design student
named Carolyn Davidson whom Phil
Knight had met at Portland State
University.
1967
1962
Jeff Johnson opens the first BRS retail
outlet in Santa Monica, Calif.
1971
Jeff Johnson, a former track competitor of
Phil Knight at Stanford, agrees to work on
commission as BRS' first full-time
employee.
1966
The future co-founders of Nike meet at
the University of Oregon in Eugene,
America's running citadel. Bill Bowerman,
already one of the top U.S. track coaches,
and Phil Knight, a middle distance runner
on Bowerman's track team, begin their
relationship.
Bowerman begins experimenting with
rubber spikes by pouring a liquid rubber
compound into his wife's waffle iron,
creating a sole that forever changes the
design of running shoes.
Knight and Bowerman incorporate BRS,
Inc., an Oregon corporation, as successor
to their partnership known as Blue Ribbon
Sports. BRS, Inc. (doing business as Blue
Ribbon Sports) is the exclusive marketer,
distributor, and seller of Onitsuka Tiger
running shoes imported from Japan. The
shoes are based on a foam cushion heel
wedge design proposed by Bill
Bowerman. Dec. 26, 1967
1971
1957
1965
1970
Bill Bowerman - Olympian, Olympic coach,
innovator and inspirational mentor - took
over as head track coach at the University
of Oregon in 1948, a job he held until
1973.
1963
Before there was Nike, there was Bill
Bowerman, Nike's future co-founder. And
before Bowerman there was Bill Hayward,
the first track director at the University of
Oregon. Hayward led Oregon athletics
from 1904 to 1947. Named in his honor,
the University's historic track & field venue
has hosted three Olympic Trials, and a
variety of National, NCAA, and Masters
championships. A claim could be made
that Hayward Field was Nike's unofficial
birthplace.
HIGHLIGHTS
1964
1947
niketimeline
Jeff Johnson, Nike's first employee, makes
his most enduring contribution to the
company. While sleeping he dreams of
Nike, the Greek goddess of victory -giving the company its new name. Nike
won out over Knight's idea of calling the
company "Dimension 6."
nikebiz.com
BRS launches Nike for athletes competing
at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.
At the Olympic Trials, Nike shoes are seen
in abundance for the first time -- worn by
young, rising stars in both middle- and
long-distance events.The Eugene-based
trials signal a promising future for the
company's promotional activities.
1979
Nike introduces the TAILWIND, the first
running shoe with Nike Air, the technologically advanced, patented Air-Sole
cushioning system.
The first athlete to win an Olympic medal
wearing Nike shoes is British runner, Steve
Ovett. Though a U.S. boycott of the 1980
Moscow Games denied America's best
distance runners a chance at glory, it gave
Ovett a golden opportunity. Competing
in the 800m, Ovett clinched a gold medal
in 1:45.4. For the first time, Nike shoes
graced the highest podium beneath the
flame.
1977
1972
A distribution dispute leads to litigation
and an eventual break in business relations
between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger.
HIGHLIGHTS
1980
Steve Prefontaine dies in a car accident in
Eugene, Oregon. At the time of his death,
Pre held the American records at every
distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters -seven in all. It is a feat never
accomplished before or since. The loss of
America's best runner has an enormous
impact on Nike and the running world.
1976
1972
Frustrated with the inability to secure loans
at local banks, Knight finds a new method
of creative financing. Through the Bank of
Tokyo, a trading company called Nissho
Iwai introduces BRS to import letters of
credit and lays the foundation for future
rapid growth.
1975
1971
niketimeline
Nike starts the first U.S. track-and-field
training club for elite athletes, calling it
Athletics West.
1980
s
American record-holder Steve Prefontaine
becomes the first major track athlete to
wear Nike brand shoes. He converts many
of his fellow competitors to the young
brand.
Tennis great John McEnroe signs a deal
with the company. Nike recognizes itself in
McEnroe's colorful character and feisty
personality.
1981
1973
1978
Nike completes an initial public offering of
2,377,000 shares of Class B common
stock.
The WAFFLE TRAINER is introduced
featuring Coach Bowerman's famous
Waffle outsole. It quickly becomes the
best-selling training shoe in the country.
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Frank Rudy, former NASA employee, came
to Nike with an idea which Nike helped
refine to create a better shoe. Together,
Nike and Rudy engineered the first Air-Sole
units: durable bags filled with pressurized
gas that compress under impact, then
spring back. The result is Nike Air
cushioning, the single greatest footwear
cushioning innovation ever developed.
1982
1974
1979
BRS, Inc., the subsidiary of Nike, Inc., is
merged into Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is the
surviving corporation.
Nike opens a footwear distribution center
in Memphis, Tennessee.
Just Do It ad -- It became both universal
and intensely personal. It spoke of sports.
It invited dreams. It was a call to action, a
refusal to hear excuses, and a license to be
eccentric, courageous and exceptional. It
was Nike. This campaign is now
ensconced in the Americana exhibit at the
Smithsonian National Museum -- it truly
became part of America's history.
1992
Every medallist on the USA track and field
team at the Barcelona Games wears Nike
apparel. And they will do so for every
event into the next century as a result of
an exclusive agreement between Nike and
The Athletics Congress.
Nike breaks new ground with the
acquisition of Cole Haan. The American
luxury brand, Cole Haan, makes men's and
women's footwear, accessories and
outerwear focusing on craftsmanship,
design innovation and character.
Nike introduces an innovative sustainability program, Reuse-A-Shoe which collects
athletic shoes, separates and grinds them
up into Nike Grind which is used in the
making of athletic courts, tracks and fields.
1995
1985
1988
58 Nike-supported athletes from around
the globe take home 65 medals at the L.A.
Games.
Chicago Bulls basketball rookie Michael
Jordan endorses a Nike line of AIR
JORDAN court shoes and specialized
apparel.
HIGHLIGHTS
1993
1984
Nike-shod Joan Benoit shatters the
women's world marathon record just four
months before 23 Nike-supported athletes
capture medals in the inaugural World
Track and Field Championships in Helsinki,
Finland.
1988
1983
niketimeline
Nike enters the hockey arena with the
acquisition of Canstar Sports Inc. which
includes Bauer, and introduces its first
skate, Air Eccel Elite. All Canstar brands
were later consolidated under the Bauer
brand name (1998).
The first NikeTown opens in Portland,
Oregon. The store invents pure sports
retail with 23,095 sq. ft. of athlete-driven
award-winning design.
In November 1996, NIKETOWN New York
opens its 85,000 sq. ft. of innovative retail
design and sports heritage.
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Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to
their first NBA Championship.
1996
Cross-Training emerges as the natural
evolution of the fitness revolution, led by
the Air Cross Trainer High shoe -cushioned enough for court sports and
aerobics.
1991
1987
The Air Max shoe, giving athletes their first
look at Nike-AIR cushioning, is introduced
by the controversial "Revolution" ad
campaign
1996
1990
1987
Revenues top the landmark billion-dollar
mark. Nike begins producing apparel
collections, beginning with John McEnroe
for tennis, followed by Michael Jordan for
basketball.
The doors open to the Nike World
Campus located in Beaverton, Oregon.
The Campus sits on 74 acres and offers
570,000 square feet of breathtaking work
space throughout seven buildings, each
named after a special athlete.
1995
1986
1990
Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's record
streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.
Carl Lewis, Gail Devers and the goldenspiked Michael Johnson win gold in the
Atlanta Games.
nikebiz.com
Phil Knight formally commits Nike to strict
standards for manufacturing facilities used
by Nike, including: minimum age; air
quality; mandatory education programs;
expansion of microloan program; factory
monitoring; and enhanced transparency of
Nike's corporate responsibility practices.
Nike designs uniforms for over 2,000
athletes at the Sydney Games for 25 sports.
The Games give Nike the perfect
opportunity to introduce high-performance,
innovative products to the world, including
revealing the lightest track spike ever made,
the aerodynamic and thermo-regulatory
Swift Suit, the recyclable Marathon Singlet
and a new standard in responsive
cushioning systems called Nike Shox.
2002
HIGHLIGHTS
2002
Nike celebrates 30th anniversary by
restoring nearly 90 Portland Parks &
Recreation outdoor basketball courts.
NikeGO launches - nationwide community
program to increase physical activity in
American youth.
2002
Nike Golf sales surge after Tiger Woods
switches to Nike Precision Tour Accuracy
golf balls and wins three majors during the
season.
2000
1998
Tiger Woods wins his first Masters by an
unprecedented 12 strokes, becomes
Augusta's youngest champion and
officially begins his reign over golf.
2000
1997
niketimeline
Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de
France. The Nike athlete and cancer
survivor made world headlines in Paris on
July 25, 1999, with one of the most
stunning comebacks ever in the history of
sport.
2002
1999
Following the tragedy of September 11,
Nike remembers the victims and families
touched by this event and honors
America's firefighters by running. Some
265 employee runners participate in a
7-week fundraiser, Run Across America,
starting in Astoria, OR stopping at 44
firehouses along the way and ending in
New York City.
Nike is again named “advertiser of the
year” by the Cannes Advertising Festival,
the first two-time recipient in the
prestigious award's 50-year history.
Lance Armstrong wins his fifth consecutive
Tour de France.
Nike acquires premium teen lifestyle brand
Hurley International.
page 4
2003
Nike mourns the passing of its co-founder,
Bill Bowerman in December.
2002
1999
Speedskaters wearing Nike Swift Skin suits
set 8 world records and earn gold medals
at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
2003
Bauer Nike Hockey is formed. Former
Canstar brands are consolidated under the
Bauer brand name.
2001
1998
Soccer fans worldwide embrace the “Secret
Tournament” campaign, which features
three-on-three contests between the world's
elite soccer players in a “secret tournament”
on an ocean tanker offshore; millions
participate on the integrated web site.
2003
s
International sales
exceed U.S. sales
For the first time in Nike’s History,
International sales exceed U.S. sales.
s
nikebiz.com
2003
niketimeline
2004
Converse Inc. joins the growing Nike
portfolio.
2004
In August, Nike created the Exeter Brands
Group, a wholly owned subsidiary,
dedicated to building athletic footwear
and apparel brands for the value retail
channel.
2004
Nike Acquired Official Starter Properties LLC
and Official Starter LLC which are the sole
owners and licensors of the Starter, Team
Starter and Asphalt brand names as well as
master licensee of the Shaq and Dunkman
brands, a line of athletic apparel, footwear
and accessory products for the value retail
channel.
Nike announced the appointment of William
D. Perez as President, Chief Executive Officer,
and Director effective December 28, 2004.
Mr. Perez succeeds Nike, Inc. co-founder,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Philip
H. Knight. Mr. Perez, 57, had been President
and Chief Executive Officer of S.C. Johnson &
Son, Inc. since 1996 wrapping up his 34-year
career with the company.
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HIGHLIGHTS