Nike Timeline

The Timeline Evolution of Nike Inc

1. niketimeline HIGHLIGHTS
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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.
1947
Knight's first shipment of Tiger shoes arrives in December, 200 pairs in all.
1963
The first BRS West retail store was opened in Eugene, Oregon, by future veteran employee Geoff Hollister and future
company president Bob Woodell.
1968
Knight resigns his position as Assistant
Professor of Business Administration at
Portland State University to devote himself
full time to the company.
1969
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.
1970
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.
1971
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."
1971
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.
1964
Jeff Johnson, a former track competitor of Phil Knight at Stanford, agrees to work on commission as BRS' first full-time employee.
1965
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
1967
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.
1948
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.
1955
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.
1962
1966
Jeff Johnson opens the first BRS retail
outlet in Santa Monica, Calif.

2. niketimeline HIGHLIGHTS
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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.
1971
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.
1975
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.
1976
Nike starts the first U.S. track-and-field training club for elite athletes, calling it Athletics West.
1977
Tennis great John McEnroe signs a deal with the company. Nike recognizes itself in
McEnroe's colorful character and feisty
personality.
1978
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.
1979
Nike introduces the TAILWIND, the first running shoe with Nike Air, the technologi- cally advanced, patented Air-Sole
cushioning system.
1979
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.
1980
Nike completes an initial public offering of
2,377,000 shares of Class B common
stock.
1980
BRS, Inc., the subsidiary of Nike, Inc., is
merged into Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is the
surviving corporation.
1981
Nike opens a footwear distribution center
in Memphis, Tennessee.
1982
A distribution dispute leads to litigation and an eventual break in business relations between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger.
1972
BRS launches Nike for athletes competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.
1972
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.
1973
The WAFFLE TRAINER is introduced
featuring Coach Bowerman's famous
Waffle outsole. It quickly becomes the
best-selling training shoe in the country.
1974

3. niketimeline HIGHLIGHTS
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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.
1983
58 Nike-supported athletes from around the globe take home 65 medals at the L.A.
Games.
1984
Chicago Bulls basketball rookie Michael
Jordan endorses a Nike line of AIR
JORDAN court shoes and specialized
apparel.
1985
Revenues top the landmark billion-dollar mark. Nike begins producing apparel collections, beginning with John McEnroe for tennis, followed by Michael Jordan for basketball.
1986
The Air Max shoe, giving athletes their first look at Nike-AIR cushioning, is introduced by the controversial "Revolution" ad
campaign
1987
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.
1988
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.
1988
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.
1990
The first NikeTown opens in Portland,
Oregon. The store invents pure sports
retail with 23,095 sq. ft. of athlete-driven
award-winning design.
1990
Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to
their first NBA Championship.
1991
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.
1992
Nike introduces an innovative sustainabil- ity 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.
1993
Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's record
streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.
1995
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).
1995
In November 1996, NIKETOWN New York
opens its 85,000 sq. ft. of innovative retail
design and sports heritage.
1996
Carl Lewis, Gail Devers and the golden- spiked Michael Johnson win gold in the Atlanta Games.
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.
1987

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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.
1999
Nike mourns the passing of its co-founder,
Bill Bowerman in December.
1999
Nike Golf sales surge after Tiger Woods switches to Nike Precision Tour Accuracy golf balls and wins three majors during the season.
2000
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.
2000
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.
2001
Speedskaters wearing Nike Swift Skin suits set 8 world records and earn gold medals
at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
2002
Nike acquires premium teen lifestyle brand
Hurley International.
2002
Nike celebrates 30th anniversary by
restoring nearly 90 Portland Parks &
Recreation outdoor basketball courts.
2002
NikeGO launches - nationwide community program to increase physical activity in American youth.
2002
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.
2002
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.
2003
Lance Armstrong wins his fifth consecutive
Tour de France.
2003
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.
1998
Bauer Nike Hockey is formed. Former
Canstar brands are consolidated under the
Bauer brand name.
1998
Tiger Woods wins his first Masters by an
unprecedented 12 strokes, becomes
Augusta's youngest champion and
officially begins his reign over golf.
1997
For the first time in Nike’s History,
International sales exceed U.S. sales.
2003
International sales
exceed U.S. sales

5. niketimeline HIGHLIGHTS
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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 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.
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.
2004
Converse Inc. joins the growing Nike portfolio.
2003