Nike Hat Buying Guide- Golf Hats

History Of Nike

Whether you’re into footwear, music, fashion, or sports, Nike is a name you’re likely to recognize. Nike has dominated the sneaker and trainer industry with an abundance of designs, functional items, and clothing styles since its beginning in 1964, but where did it come from and how did it grow into the world’s largest footwear company?

There’s no doubt that if you’re looking for the history of Nike, you’ll have a million questions, therefore we’ve made it our aim at The Sole Supplier to present you the authoritative guide to the Nike brand’s history. We’re taking a look at a timeline of some of Nike’s historic milestones that helped build the brand into the force it is today, from humble origins to the name decision to some of its most iconic products.

From The Beginning

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight are the protagonists of our story. Bill Bowerman was a track and field coach at the University of Oregon who reconnected with a former student, Phil Knight, after a brief time at Stanford. Bowerman was enthralled by the prospect of improving the performance of sports footwear and running shoes, so he began experimenting with several models after learning some tactics and ideas from a local cobbler. The two decided to start Blue Ribbon Sports on January 25, 1964, a Eugene, Oregon-based footwear firm that for many years operated out of the back of a car during track meets.

The business began as a distributor of imported shoes, specifically Onitsuka Tiger. Knight was blown away by the quality of Onitsuka Co.’s trainers, which he described as “a breath of new air” in comparison to the heavily controlled German sneaker market. While the rest of the world was debating whether Puma or adidas was the better brand, Phil Knight looked to Onitsuka Tiger and Japan for a new premium running shoe.

After a few years as Onitsuka’s sole distributor in the United States, Knight and Bowerman began to consider how they might approach things differently. As Blue Ribbon Sports became Nike in 1971 and prepared to develop their own trainer, the firms grew apart.

For the players he coaches, Bowerman had always designed prototype trainers. He began work on what would become the first Nike sneaker after dismantling pairs of Onitsuka Tiger running shoes and imagining how he would do things differently.

What Is The Origin Of Nike’s Name?

Jess Johnson, the company’s first employee, proposed changing the name of Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike. Carolyn Davidson, a student at Portland University, had already designed the brand’s famous Swoosh emblem, but the company had yet to be given a name. Johnson suggested the name Nike, which was inspired by the Swoosh’s design and was named after the winged Greek goddess of triumph. After that, the rest is history.

What Was Nike’s First Shoe?

Bowerman’s waffle iron produced the first Nike shoe, dubbed the ‘Moon Shoe.’ Bill Bowerman was eating breakfast when he realized that the grooves in his waffle could be used for extra grip when playing sports. The Waffle Trainer was conceived after a few test runs with the waffle iron and was almost immediately successful due to its gripping and performance-driven design. This first prototype model was the first Nike shoe, and it sold for about $450,000 at Sotheby’s.

The first Nike shoe to be sold commercially was a perfected version of the ‘Moon Shoe.’ The Nike Waffle Racer was the first shoe to be given out to athletes competing in US track events.

Despite being well-designed and a small hit, the Waffle Racer did not propel Nike to the same heights as adidas or Puma. A new design, on the other hand, helped them get back on track.

The ‘Aztec,’ as the design was initially known, was a hit for the partnership. The name had to be altered because adidas already had a sneaker with the same name, therefore the shoe was renamed the Nike Cortez to honor history and the fall of the Aztecs. Because of its innovative design and technology, the Cortez was a huge hit after its debut at the Mexico Games, and it helped Nike become the sneaker behemoth we know today.

The Cortez has a muddled history, as it was designed and manufactured by Onitsuka Co. before Knight and Bowerman opted to make their own version under the Nike name. When Onitsuka Co. learned that Nike was selling the Cortez model, the situation became heated and resulted in a legal battle. The dispute was resolved in court, with the judge deciding that each brand could sell its own Cortez under their own name.

Getting A Leg Up

Nike was poised to expand by 1976, so they recruited John Brown and Partners, a Seattle-based advertising firm, to assist them in acquiring more visibility. The agency created the first Nike brand ad, “There Is No Finish Line,” a year later. Despite the fact that the ad didn’t feature any actual Nike sneakers up close, it appeared to be a success and helped catapult the company even farther into the stratosphere. Nike achieved a 50 percent market share in the United States’ sports shoe market by 1980, and the business went public later that year.

Nike decided to expand into the apparel market in 1979, following the success of its sneakers, and created a line of athletic clothing and sportswear. The Windrunner was one of the company’s initial products, a lightweight jacket with a trendy chevron style design that rapidly became a favorite on the street and on the track.

Nike hired Weiden+Kennedy as its worldwide advertising agency in 1982 to help it expand into new markets. Dan Weiden, the group’s co-founder, came up with the renowned tagline “Just Do It” for a 1988 campaign while designing several print and television advertising during the 1980s. Weiden, oddly enough, credited murderer Gary Gilmore with coining the phrase, citing his legendary words “Lets do it” prior to his execution. Advertising Age would later name this phrase as one of the top five slogans of the twentieth century.

Jordan’s Era

A few years later, in 1984, Nike signed Michael Jordan, a 21-year-old up-and-coming basketball player. Jordan turned down the opportunity to sign with direct competitors Reebok or Converse, despite being a rookie in the NBA, and instead chose to deal with Nike for a fee of $500,000 per year.

The promise that Nike would offer MJ his own signature line prompted the signing, and so Air Jordan was born. Jordan would play a few games in the Nike Air Ship sneaker before to signing, but the colorway would eventually be outlawed due to it not adhering to NBA regulations at the time. Instead, Nike designers Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore opted to concentrate their efforts elsewhere, giving birth to the Air Jordan 1.

In late 1984, Michael Jordan had the Air Jordan 1 sneakers made expressly for him, and they went on general sale in April of 1985. The shoe was constructed with a high-top design, the Nike Swoosh, and a black/red “Bred” colorway.

Nike introduced a new line of sneakers in 1987, beginning with the Air Max 1. Tinker Hatfield was principally responsible for the design of these sneakers, which featured the first physical encapsulation of air within their cushioned midsoles. The original colorway was University Red/White, and it is still a silhouette sought for by sneakerheads all over the world today.

Nike’s eight-building world headquarters site in Beaverton, Oregon, opened in 1990. The Beaverton headquarters’ sprawling 400-acre campus housed 11,000 employees as well as a Nike Sports Research lab for developing cutting-edge technology, a Nike Museum to display historical artifacts, three fitness centers and facilities for sponsored athletes, and a variety of sports fields, tracks, and running paths.

In addition, the Nike Air Max 90, the third Nike Air Max, was released. This model has a chunkier design and style, as well as a more futuristic design and style.

World Dominence In The Industry

In order to continue its efforts in the 1990s, Nike launched its first Niketown chain stores, the first of which debuted in Portland, Oregon. These unique stores paid tribute to some of Nike’s sponsored stars, such as Michael Jordan, while also stocking a wide choice of exclusive Nike merchandise for a variety of sports. Tiger Woods, the world’s most famous golfer, joined Nike’s roster in 1996. This decision allowed Nike to expand into new golf territory and sparked a new generation of followers throughout the world.

Nike entered the skateboarding market in 1997 with a new range of sneakers that featured additional cushioning, Zoom Air insoles, and improved materials that were designed to handle strong impacts and skating wear and tear. Nike decided to double down on its entry into skateboarding and produced the Nike SB brand in 2001 as a result of the line’s success. Nike SB quickly opted to release a series of signature Dunks for each of its elite skaters after its premiere. This latest Dunk SB edition started out as a basketball sneaker, but it was upgraded to include a padded tongue, thicker laces, and a more durable construction for optimal comfort and durability.

Nike opted to sign basketball legend LeBron James and the late and great Kobe Bryant to their roster in 2003, with the goal of furthering their expansion and making Michael Jordan a household name. This foray into basketball would cement the brand’s position as the NBA’s top shoe sponsor. The following year, Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight stepped down as chairman but remained on the board of directors. He was succeeded by an American businessman named William Perez, although Perez only lasted two years in the position owing to ongoing differences with Knight about how the company was run. Rafael Nadal, a tennis star, was signed by Nike in 2005 for sponsorship and subsequently his own clothing line.

In 2008, Nike paid $580 million for the English firm Umbro, which is best known for their legendary football outfits. Nike’s domination of the football industry would be aided by this initiative, which would enhance the company’s existing offering of football apparel and sports equipment. Nike would become the official supplier of both the NFL and the NBA between 2012 and 2015, ensuring all kits and jerseys worn by players, officials, and staff.

Nike, Inc. is the world’s largest and most profitable provider of athletic shoes, apparel, and other sporting equipment as of 2021. Other well-known brands owned by the firm include Jordan and Converse.

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