Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
11 Things Hardly Anyone Knows About Nike
Nov. 4, 2014
Nike recently turned 50-years-old. To celebrate, a UK gym, My Fitness Boutique, created this
infographic to celebrate the shoe and apparel company's five decades in business.
We've picked out some of the most interesting factlets from the infographic, and a few snippets from
around the web, that many people may never have known about the world's most famous sports
brand.
1. Nike was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports and
initially operated as a distributor for the Japanese
shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger (now known as Asics). It officially
became Nike Inc. in 1971.
2. The company was founded with just $1,200 in the bank. It
was created by Bill Bowerman — a track-and-field coach —
and Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner from Portland
who was enrolled in the University of Oregon.
NikeNike cofounder and chairman Phil Knight.
3. Knight had originally wanted to call the company
"Dimension 6." The Nike name comes from the Greek
goddess of victory, and it’s pronounced "ny'-kee." Nike's first
employee, Jeff Johnson, came up with the name.
Wikimedia Creative Commons
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
4. The first Nike shoes were made inside a
waffle iron. Bowerman’s first eureka moment
for footwear innovation came in 1971, when
he and his wife were making waffles for
breakfast: It sparked an idea for a grooved
pattern on the sole of trainers to help athletes
grip running tracks. It spawned the “Nike
Waffle Trainer,” patented in 1974 (at the
expense of his wife Barbara's waffle
iron), Nike explains on its press site.
NikeNike cofounder Bill Bowerman, inventing.
5. The Nike swoosh was designed by Portland
State University student Carolyn Davidson, for
just $35 (just over $200 in today's currency).
At a later stage she was given stock that is
now worth more than $640,000.
YouTube/Fast Company
6. The slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by serial
killer Gary Gilmore, who said “let’s do it” just
before he was executed by a firing squad in
1977. The revelation was made in a 2009
documentary about advertising called “Art &
Copy.”
WikipediaGary Gilmore mugshot.
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
7. The first “Just Do It” campaign launched in 1988. The ad
featured Walt Stack, a then 80-year-old running icon,
plodding across the Golden Gate Bridge.
"I run 17 miles every morning. People ask me how I
keep my teeth from chattering in the wintertime.
...I leave them in my locker."
Just do it!
Walt Stack from a Nike Commercial
8. Despite the fact that he hasn’t
played basketball professionally since
2003, Michael Jordan still reportedly
earns $60 million annually in royalties
from Nike, according to Forbes. That
makes him the athlete with — by far —
the biggest Nike endorsement deal.
AP ImagesMichael Jordan.
9. Romanian tennis professional Llie
Nastase, "the Bucharest Buffoon," was
first athlete to sign an endorsement
contract with Nike, in 1972. Nastase
was a gifted tennis player but also
became infamous for his erratic
temperament and was lumped
with several fines, suspensions, and
disqualifications throughout his career.
Tony Duffy/Gareth Cattermole/Getty
ImagesIlie Nastase, pictured here
wearing rival Adidas.
the
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
10. Nike’s 1987 ad for the Air Max shoes was soundtracked by The Beatles’ “Revolution” — the first
time a Beatles song had ever been used in a TV commercial, according to the Career in Sports book.
11. The world’s largest Nike store is not in its US homeland but on London’s Oxford Street. It cost
£10.5 million to build the store, which spans three levels and roughly 42,000 feet. It was constructed
around the theme of a town square.
FlickrCC/James TempleNikeTown London's "boot room."
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
Things Hardly Anyone Knows About Nike
1. In your own words explain Nike’s foundation. _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Who founded the company and how much money did they have to start with?______________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Where did the name nike come from and what was it almost named instead? ______________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. The first Nike shoes were madehow and by whom? __________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Who created the Nike logo? What was her payment for her creation? ____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. Where did the Nike saying “Do It” come from? ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. How was the first “Just Do It” campaign launched in 1988? ___________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Explain the importance of Michael Jordan to the Nike Company? _______________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Who was the first athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Nike? ____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
10. What is the significance of the Nike’s 1987 ad for the Air Max shoes soundtrack by The
Beatles’ “Revolution”? _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
11. Where is the world’s largest Nike store? ___________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
DIRECTIONS:
Design your own original (do not use someone else’s design) Tennis shoes. Come up with
three very different ideas and images for each shoe. Think of something simple that would catch the view of
consumers like you.
Keep the ideas appropriate and clean please.
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
DIRECTIONS:
Design your own original (do not use someone else’s design) Tennis shoes. Come up with
three very different ideas and images for each shoe. Think of something simple that would catch the view of
consumers like you.
Keep the ideas appropriate and clean please.
Name: _____________________________________________________ Grade: ___ Hour: ___ Date: ________________
DIRECTIONS:
Design your own original (do not use someone else’s design) Tennis shoes. Come up with
three very different ideas and images for each shoe. Think of something simple that would catch the view of
consumers like you.
Keep the ideas appropriate and clean please.