Born in Portland, Oregon in 1938, Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike and was the corporation’s CEO until 2015. Knight was a track athlete at the University of Oregon under legendary coach Bill Bowerman from 1957 to 1959. After graduating from Oregon, he earned a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and served a year in the US Army. After returning to Oregon in 1962, Knight decided to travel the world for a year, centered around a visit to a Japanese shoe manufacturer. He began importing Onitsuka athletic shoes the following year under the company name Blue Ribbon Sports while also working as an accountant. Knight’s 2016 memoir Shoe Dog examines the years 1962 through 1980, during which time Blue Ribbon grew into a million-dollar company and later became Nike when they began manufacturing their own shoes. 

Bill Bowerman was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1911. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Bowerman became a teacher and coach and later served in the US Army, where he was the recipient of a Silver Star and four Bronze Stars during World War II.