Early Life
William (Bill) Bowerman was born in Portland Oregon on February 19, 1911
He grew up with his mother in Fossil, Oregon after His parents divorced
He recieved his college degree at the University of Oregon in 1935, where he Played football and Ran track
Instead of pursuing his major to become a doctor, he returned to the University of Oregon and became the track coach in 1948
Why did he do it?
It's 1971 and Bowerman was having breakfast with his wife. They were discussing different ways he could create a lighter shoe that gripped the grass and dirt the way a track spike grips the track.
A lighter shoe would improve a runner's speed by shaving time off of their races
Bowerman was determined to create this shoe
While eating, Bowerman glanced over at his wife's waffle iron and came up with an idea
He would use the waffle iron to create a mold for a new and improved training shoe
He would later test these prototypes out on his runners. One of them being Phil Knight, who became co-founder
Bowerman and Knight would team up in 1964 to form Blue Ribbon Sports, later changed to Nike.
Consumer benefitS
In 1967, Bill Bowerman created the Nike Cortez. It was a lightweight running shoe meant for long distances and became known for being the most comfortable running shoe. When paired along with Bowerman's book, "Jogging", running was becoming more popular.
In 1974, Bowerman created the Nike Waffle Trainers
Running was becoming one of America's pastime activities And the industry was growing quickly
Bowerman's shoes provided the many runners out there with comfort and still do on an even wider scale, since the 1960's
Today, Nike makes $280 billion annually
Selling about 25 pairs of shoes every second
Nike added many different types of apparel to their brand. Including different shoes for different sports and athletic clothing
The Nike swoosh was made by a student of Bowerman for $35 and was meant to represent the wings of a goddess
One of the best sellers in the Nike brand includes the Nike Air Jordans
The biggest competItors of nike include...
Adidas is closest behind Nike, making $18 billion Annually
With Under Armour behind, making $3.96 billion annually
Bibliography
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"Nike, Inc." Nike, Inc. - Just Two Guys Who Like to Run. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
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Oregonian/OregonLive, Allan Brettman | The. "Nike Co-founder Phil Knight Says of Geoff Hollister: 'Greatest Track and Field Promo Man in the History of the Sport'." OregonLive.com. N.p., 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
Presentation Name." Emaze Presentations. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
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Credits:
Created with images by rdmey - "IMG_3698" • bobbi vie - "#dance : #bobbivie + #fancyfootwork #2" • dv_flick - "brand power" • woodleywonderworks - "LOUD nike shoes [regrets]" • Pexels - "feet footwear nike" • ethanhickerson - "6/365" • Firepower23 - "1991"