History of Nike Air        

 

Philip H. Knight, Nike Owner

 

 

Nike was founded in the year of 1968 by Philip H. Knight, who is currently the Owner, Chairman, and CEO of the company.  Phil Knight completed his education from the University of Oregon and the Stanford Business School by 1962.  As an aspiring young business man, he decided to travel to Japan and speak to the president of "Tiger shoes". He presented himself as an American distributor of athletic equipment when he actually had nothing.  

 

He was pretty sneaky, however, he got what he wanted and began selling running shoes under the name of Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). Once he became bored with selling shoes at sporting events from the back of his truck, he began producing his own athletic apparel. He renamed his so-called company Nike and hoped for the best to happen.  Within the first year, he sold $8000.00 worth of shoes and only received a $250.00 profit.  After some time, Knight turned to his old coach from school, Bill Bowerman, for advice on what to do next.  Phil Knight wanted Nike to stand out above the rest.  

 

Once Bill Bowerman came up with the idea for having traction on the bottom of shoes, Nike had finally made its mark.  The Nike Waffle Trainer stood out and made Nike the most unique shoe company of the 1970s.   By the year of 1979, Nike was the most well-known shoe company in the world.  They no longer just sold shoes but sporting equipment as well.  However, the joy of being on top came crashing down when Reebok surpassed Nike with the aerobic phase in athletics.  In order to maintain the reputation of Nike, the worlds best shoe corporation, Nike struck back by diversifying their shoes for different kinds of sports activities.  

 

Nike continued to rise in success throughout its prosperity by signing famous sports players (ex. Michael Jordan) and using intelligent advertising tactics.  Today, Nike is a four billion dollar business that has had its ups and downs.  As of now, Nike is having difficulties with the publicity it is receiving about its labor practices in China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

 

 

                                               

 

  • 1971 Nike's Swoosh design logo was created by Portland State University graphic design student Carolyn Davidson when asked by Knight. He needed a logo to put on the side of his company's shoes. At the time she was paid $35 (US), and also worked for Nike for a few years until they needed a full ad agency. Twelve years later, in 1983, Ms. Davidson received a gold Swoosh ring with an embedded diamond at a luncheon honoring her, along with a certificate and an undisclosed amount of Nike stock, in recognition of the Swoosh design logo.
  • 1982 The Air Force 1 basketball shoe becomes the first Nike court shoe to make use of the Air technology.
  • 1984 Nike signs Michael Jordan to an endorsement contract and releases the first model of his signature shoe. Originally, the NBA banned this new shoe, drawing a tremendous amount of publicity. The introduction of the Air Jordan shoe was a key event in Nike's successful development.
  • 1986 Nike revenues surpass $1 billion for the first time.
  • 1987 The Nike Air Max shoe is introduced, which uses a much larger Air cushioning unit, and for the first time is visible at the side of the midsole. This was the first of many generations of Air Max-branded technologies. A television ad featuring the Beatles' song "Revolution" was the first and only time that a song performed by the Beatles was used in a TV ad.
  • 1988 Nike introduces its "Just Do It" slogan.
  • 1994 Nike signs a long-term partnership with the Brazilian national football (soccer) team, launching a company-wide effort to become the world's leading football brand.
  • 1996 Nike signs Eldrick "Tiger" Woods soon after the young golfing phenomenon gives up his amateur status. Woods becomes the standard bearer for Nike Golf as that division gains market share.
  • 1999 Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike, dies on Dec. 24 at age 88.
  • 2000 Introduction of the Shox athletic shoe technology.
  • 2002 Rap Star Nelly releases a chart topping song about Air Force Ones.
  • 2003 Nike makes a successful bid to buy bankrupt rival Converse Shoes for $305 million.
  • 2003 High school basketball star LeBron James signs with Nike, while Syracuse University star Carmelo Anthony signs with Jordan Brand. James and Anthony finish 1-2, respectively, in rookie-of-the-year balloting.
  • 2004 Annual revenues exceed $13 billion.
  • 2005 Nike launches the Air Jordan XX, the 20th edition of the iconic Air Jordan basketball shoe series.
  • 2005 Nike launches the Nike Considered line, an effort to reduce waste and introduce eco-friendly products.
  • 2005 Business Week Magazine features an article about the enduring popularity of the Nike Air Force One.