."As Bill Bowerman helped define the sport of running as we know it today, this honor is extremely appropriate. His legend lives on through the runners he coached, the product innovators he taught and through all who participate in the sport itself."

-- Philip H. Knight,
Nike Chairman and CEO

He was the co-founder and ultra-innovator of Nike, Inc., but the late Bill Bowerman was always a running man first. From the very beginning, everything that he did for the company had their roots in trying to improve performance in the sport of running.

A legendary coach at the University of Oregon, he developed and guided 24 NCAA individual champions, won four national team titles and coached the U.S. track and field team in the 1972 Olympic Games. In 16 of his 24 years at Oregon his track teams finished in the top ten in the NCAA championships, and they had a dual-meet record of 114-20, a winning percentage of .843. He is credited with turning the college town of Eugene, Oregon, into the running capital of the world.

It all stems from his life-long quest for better performances and from his association with entrepreneur Phil Knight, a former competitor he had coached at Oregon. Bowerman, of course, is credited with creating the first lightweight outsole shoe from some latex, leather, glue and his wife’s waffle iron. He and Knight each put up $500 and made and sold 330 pairs of the shoes. From those early successes, of course, Nike was born and both Bowerman and Knight became larger than life.

Additional innovations came along after the waffle sole, including the wedged heel, the cushioned mid-sole and lightweight nylon uppers. In addition, he was also instrumental in developing rubberized asphalt runways. A true innovator, beloved coach, educator and benefactor, Bowerman will always be considered a giant in not just running but in the entire world of athletics.