Now, for the first time, he tells his story.

But knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. In an age of start-ups, nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today. Today, nike's annual sales top $30 billion. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, knight grossed $8000 in his first year. In 1962, fresh out of business school, phil knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from japan. Through it all, Knight told himself to “never stop.” The result of his perseverance is Nike, a multibillion-dollar brand worn by many of the world’s best athletes and recognized across the globe.Soft cover. In the years that followed, Nike faced $1 million payments to creditors, dirty tricks played by competitors, the death of Prefontaine (a beloved Oregonian distance runner and Nike celebrity-employee), and many other challenges. Bowerman’s designs influenced many of Nike’s iconic styles, including its waffle trainers. When Onitsuka and Blue Ribbon became bitter rivals and parted ways, Knight was forced to begin producing his own shoes, which he ultimately called Nikes. Over the years Blue Ribbon grew into a thriving company. That year he also partnered with Bob Bowerman, his college track-and-field coach Knight oversaw the managerial and financial end of things, while Bowerman experimented with shoe design. In 1964 Knight began selling Onitsuka shoes in earnest throughout the West Coast. While in Japan, Knight met with executives at Onitsuka Tiger, a Japanese shoe company, which agreed to send Knight shoe samples to sell back in the United States.

In addition to the challenges related to building a company, Knight also reflects on the challenges and triumphs he faced as a son, as a young man searching for his identity, as a husband, and as a father.Īfter completing undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon and business school at Stanford, Knight returned to his parents’ home in Portland, Oregon, in 1962, where he received a loan from his father to travel around the world. Shoe Dog is divided into 20 chapters, each one roughly corresponding to one year in Knight’s life.

Phil knight book shoe dog