I’m not sure how graduate Phil Knight used to get to school, but these days, he arrives on this jazzy jet.
Phil Knight is a very dedicated alum to the U of O, read on to learn a few interesting details on how Nike and why his loyalty is so strong.
After an exciting and victorious match on Thursday evening, we visited the beautiful new alumni center to take a tour of the campus. The center is a peaceful construction of clean lines and natural elements. Pillars in the center are vertical vitrines, featuring information and keepsakes from accomplished alums.
The display that really caught my eye was the original waffle iron used to create the foundation for nike running shoes. U of O coach Bill Bowerman was an accomplished runner on his own, and actually introduced the theory of jogging to the US. During his 24 years of coaching at the U his runners include Steve Prefontaine and Phil Knight.
According to Wikipedia “Bowerman was obsessed with shaving weight off his athletes’ running shoes. He believed that custom-made shoes would weigh less on the feet of his runners and cut down on blisters, as well as reduce the overall drag on their energy for every ounce he could remove from the shoe. By his estimation, removing one ounce from a shoe, based on a six-foot gait for a runner, would translate in a reduction of 55 pounds of lift over a one-mile span.”
Bill Bowerman passed away on Christmas Eve, 1999. Phil Knight is alive and well and has been a tremendously generous and ardent fan to the ducks.
Fun info!! I considered U of O for graduate school – sounds like you enjoyed your visit.