Shoe Dog

Phil “Buck” Knight is the founder of Nike and author of Shoe Dog. A native Oregonian, Knight was educated at the University of Oregon, where he ran track under Bill Bowerman, and at Stanford University, where he received a master’s degree in business. While at Stanford, Knight came up with the idea of introducing Japanese running shoes to the American market. Shoe Dog describes the evolution of that idea into the company now known as Nike.

Bill Bowerman was Knight’s former track coach at the University of Oregon and a co-founder of Blue Ribbon. Knight used Bowerman’s legendary status to bolster Blue Ribbon and Nike’s reputation worldwide. Bowerman also created and designed many of Nike’s most popular shoes.

Jeff Johnson was Blue Ribbon’s first full-time employee. Though Knight at first found Johnson’s enthusiasm off-putting, Knight came to rely on Johnson in many of Blue Ribbon’s most demanding early challenges.