History of The Nike Shoe

Nike is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, near the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes.

Bill Bowerman was not only the brains behind the Nike shoe, he was an athlete in his own right, who took that knowledge and training with him when he turned to coaching.A star in track and field, as well as football, Bowerman returned from WWII to join the athletic staff of the University of Oregon, where he was known for his innovative ways of inspiring and improving the performance of his runners.

On a trip to New Zealand with his track stars in the 1960s, he saw townspeople who ran just for the fun of it. The idea stuck with him, and he returned to America to form the first running club, afterwards penning the book Jogging, about the fun and fitness of the sport.

Bowerman went on to an amazing record at the university, turning out four NCAA team championships, 19 Olympians, and 44 All-Americans. His talents brought him the honor of coaching the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. But even that, was not the highlight of his creative life.

One morning in 1971, he sat down to breakfast and stared at the waffles on his plate. As if he was seeing them for the first time, his eyes went over and in, and out of the ridges and recessed sections. He had just discovered a new way to increase traction on the outer soles of running shoes, one that would revolutionize athletic footwear. Before long, he was pouring rubber into his wife's waffle iron, still on his perennial quest to give his runners that extra edge. The rest, as they say, is history.