illiam J. W Bowerman Oregon ’33 • Oxford Cup Roll No. 068

In 1964, William J. (Bill) Bowerman, Oregon ’33 entered into a handshake agreement with , a runner he had coached in the 1950s, to start an athletic footwear distribution company called Blue Ribbon Sports, which was to become Nike, Inc.. Knight managed the business end of the partnership, while Bowerman experimented with improvements in Blue Ribbon Sports/Nike, and which athletic footwear design. helped athletes worldwide to achieve maximum performances. His design ideas led to the creation of a running in 1966 that would His obsession with shaving weight ultimately be named “Cortez” in 1968, off his athletes’ running was which quickly became a top-seller legendary. He believed that custom- and remains one of Nike’s most iconic made shoes would weigh less on the footwear designs. Bowerman’s design feet of his runners and cut down on ideas were incorporated into many blisters, as well as reduce the overall Nike shoes, but he is best known for drag on their energy for every ounce ruining his wife’s waffle iron in 1970 he could remove from the shoe. Today, or 1971, experimenting with the idea Nike’s headquarters is located on of using waffle-ironed rubber ripples Bowerman Drive in homage to the to create a new sole for footwear that company’s co-founder. would provide increased traction and After graduation from the University be lightweight. of Oregon, Bowerman was set to teach Bowerman’s design inspiration led to school for two years, and then attend the introduction of the so-called “Moon medical school. He taught biology Shoe” in 1972, so named because while coaching football and basketball the waffle tread was said to resemble in Portland and Medford. His track the footprints left by astronauts on the teams at Medford High School won moon. Further refinement resulted in numerous state championships the “Waffle Trainer” in 1974, which and developed many outstanding helped fuel the explosive growth of young men. Bowerman enlisted in the United During a trip to New Zealand in 1962, States Army in the days following was introduced to the Pearl Harbor attack, and his legendary concept of jogging as a fitness routine Tenth Mountain Division was assigned through a jogging club organized by to Naples, Italy. He negotiated a his friend and coaching colleague stand-down of German forces near the Arthur Lydiard. He brought this Brenner Pass in Italy. Bowerman was concept back to the , awarded a total of four Bronze Stars and began to write articles and books and a Silver Star. about jogging. Bowerman also created a jogging program in Eugene that After the war, Bowerman returned became a national model for fitness to his position at Medford High programs. “A Jogger’s Manual,” School. The family then moved to a three-page guide, was published Eugene, Oregon, where his “hero,” shortly after he returned from , asked him to return New Zealand. to the in 1948. Bowerman’s “Track Men of Oregon” In 1966, along with cardiologist won 24 NCAA individual titles (with W.E. Harris, Bowerman published a wins in 15 of the 19 events contested) 90-page book entitled Jogging. Short and four NCAA team crowns (1962, and to the point, the book sold more 1964, 1965 and 1970) and posted than a million copies and was credited 16 top-10 NCAA finishes in 24 years with igniting the jogging phenomenon as head coach. His teams also in the USA. To this day, jogging boasted 33 Olympians, 38 conference remains a popular form of exercise champions and 64 All-Americans. for men and women of all ages. Bowerman always considered himself a “teacher” rather than a “coach.” In 1971, Bowerman stepped back from day-to-day coaching activities At the dual track meet level, Oregon to spearhead the fundraising for posted a 114-20 record and went the renovation of undefeated in 10 seasons. In addition, grandstands before the 1972 Bowerman coached the world record Olympic Trials. setting 4-mile relay team in 1962. Among athletes that he coached was Bowerman is a member of the National the legendary . Distance Running Hall of Fame, the USA Hall of Fame, Bowerman created a training program the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and for adjusting athletes to the high Oregon’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He altitude they would experience at the passed away in 1999, at the age of 88. 1968 Mexico City . Bill and his wife Barbara have three He was the 1972 Olympic sons: Jon, Thomas and William J. Track and Field head coach, and (Jay) Jr., Oregon ’65. coached members of teams from Norway, Canada, Australia and the United States.