The Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc. paid thirty-five dollars for a 'swoosh' logo designed by Carolyn Davidson who at that time was a graphic design student at Portland State University. Twelve years later, she was gifted with a diamond ring engraved with the 'swoosh' and undisclosed amount of stock in one of the most recognised companies in the world.
William Jay Bowerman was a track and field coach who has trained an impressive number of Olympic athletes as well as numerous other American record holders. Prior to that, he was a teacher and later was a Lieutenant in the US Army. He is also credited for the jogging phenomenon after his book entitled Jogging became a bestseller and people caught on with the activity. So, it's not surprising that he was always looking for ways to design better athletic shoes, especially lightweight ones. He is behind the creation of "Cortez" - an iconic Nike design - as well as the "Moon Shoe".
Skechers Cortex
Philip Hampson Knight ran track for Bowerman. He was also a business studies graduate student when he realized he had a good business model. While on a trip to Japan, he discovered Tiger shoes.
Together with Bowerman, they sold many Tiger shoes under the company called Blue Sports Ribbon. With Bowerman's dedication towards the track field, it was only natural that he then began to design sports shoes. The company grew and later changed it's name to Nike, after the winged Greek Goddess.
Though initially Nike was rifed with controversies and problems, it perservered and in 1985, the great basketball star Michael Jordan lifted up the Nike name with the very popular "Air Jordan" shoe and apparel series. Many famous athletes teamed up with Nike soon after and the rest is history.
Initially, all Nike shoes were made of leather. The first designs were the Nike Bruin and Blazer. The Blazer was Nike's first entry into the basketball shoes arena. In 1973, the Bruin was offered in suede. In 1981, the first leather and canvas design called the Nike Gamebreaker Low was sold. At the same time the Nike Dynasty which was made of leather and mesh also made its appearance. Nike Challenge Cortu made of nylon mesh was introduced followed by the smashingly popular Nike Air Jordan in 1985. But before that, in 1983 Nike's Air Force 1 debuts. It is a significant achievement because it was the first shoe to have an air sole. This technology propelled Nike to become the industry's leader and Nike has remained one until today.
In 2003, Nike bought the ailing almost-century old Converse and roped in NBA's newest start then, Le Bron James.
Over the years, the research and development arm of Nike has introduced to us countless designs with all kinds of improvements each time. The Air Jordan like alone has a dozen models in many, many different shades of colors.The latest buzz is around the soon-to-be-released Air Jordan VI Retro Infrared Pack. The scheduled release date for this already legendary package is June 19th, 2010.
There are also so many different types of Nike shoes suitable for the many types of training required and activity involved, and formulated with the specific traits of a sportsman and sportswoman. With Nike, feel assured - you can... just do it!
How Nike Came About
High performance meets high style in this amazing trainer from Skechers. The upper keeps a casual look as strips and bolts zip across and around the foot. Traditional laces, a padded collar, supportive insole, and treaded rubber sole all offer maximum cushioning and support so you can exercise with ease.
