Phil Knight

Phil Knight
Born	Philip Hampson Knight 24 2, 1938
Birthplace	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, philanthropist
Known for	Co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc.
Education	Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA)
Children	2
Awards	Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2012), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015)
Website	[[nikeinc.com nikeinc.com] Official site]

Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman who co-founded Nike, Inc., one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Knight's journey from a middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon to the head of a global athletic empire is rooted in a partnership with his college track coach, Bill Bowerman, and a Stanford business school paper that envisioned importing high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. What began as a modest venture selling shoes out of the trunk of a car evolved into a corporation that transformed the athletic footwear industry and redefined sports marketing. Knight served as Nike's chairman and chief executive officer for decades, building the company from a small distributor into a brand recognized across the globe. Beyond the business world, Knight has become one of the most significant philanthropists in the Pacific Northwest, directing hundreds of millions of dollars to his alma maters—the University of Oregon and Stanford University—as well as to Oregon Health & Science University. He is also the owner of Laika, the stop motion animation film production company. Knight was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015.

Early Life

Philip Hampson Knight was born on February 24, 1938, in Portland, Oregon. His father, William W. Knight, was a newspaper publisher in Portland. Growing up in Oregon, Knight developed an early interest in athletics, particularly in running. He attended Cleveland High School in Portland, where he competed on the track team.

Knight's formative years in Portland shaped many of the relationships and sensibilities that would later define his career. Oregon's deep culture of distance running and outdoor recreation provided a natural environment for his athletic pursuits. As a young runner, Knight was not a star athlete, but he was dedicated and competitive—qualities that would carry over into his business life. His experiences as a middle-distance runner instilled in him a deep appreciation for the relationship between athletic performance and equipment, a perspective that would become foundational to the creation of Nike.

After high school, Knight enrolled at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he joined the track and field team under the coaching of Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was already well known as an innovative coach who constantly experimented with running shoe designs to improve the performance of his athletes. Knight ran as a miler on Bowerman's team, and though he was not among the squad's top performers, the experience forged a lasting bond between coach and athlete. Bowerman's relentless tinkering with shoe construction—his experiments with different materials, sole designs, and weight reductions—left a lasting impression on Knight and planted the seeds for their future business collaboration.

Education

Knight earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon, where his time on Bowerman's track team proved as influential as his classroom education. After completing his undergraduate studies, Knight went on to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

It was during his time at Stanford that Knight wrote a seminal term paper for Frank Shallenberger's small business class. The paper, titled "Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Sports Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?", outlined a business strategy for importing affordable, high-quality athletic shoes from Japan to compete with the dominant German brands such as Adidas and Puma that controlled the American market at the time. This academic exercise became the intellectual foundation for the company that would eventually become Nike, Inc. Knight's MBA from Stanford equipped him with the business acumen and strategic thinking necessary to transform his vision into a viable enterprise.

Career

Blue Ribbon Sports

After completing his MBA at Stanford in 1962, Knight traveled to Japan, where he met with executives at the Onitsuka Tiger shoe company (now known as ASICS). Presenting himself as a representative of an American distribution company, Knight secured an agreement to import and distribute Onitsuka Tiger running shoes in the United States. Upon returning to Oregon, Knight formalized the arrangement and, in 1964, partnered with his former coach Bill Bowerman to establish Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). Each partner contributed $500 to the venture, for a total initial investment of $1,000.

In the early years, Knight sold the imported Japanese running shoes at track meets out of the back of his green Plymouth Valiant. While building the business, he also worked as an accountant at the Portland office of Coopers & Lybrand, and later as an assistant professor of accounting at Portland State University. Bowerman, meanwhile, continued coaching at the University of Oregon while also serving as the company's product innovator, experimenting with shoe designs and sending prototypes to Onitsuka for production. The partnership leveraged each man's strengths: Knight handled the business operations and sales, while Bowerman contributed his deep understanding of athletic performance and shoe design.

Blue Ribbon Sports grew steadily throughout the 1960s, expanding from selling shoes at track meets to opening a retail storefront. The company's first employee, Jeff Johnson, joined in 1965 and helped expand distribution on the East Coast. By the end of the decade, BRS had established a small but growing presence in the American running shoe market.

Founding and Growth of Nike

By the early 1970s, tensions between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger had escalated over distribution rights and business control. Knight and Bowerman decided to launch their own brand of athletic footwear. In 1971, BRS introduced the Nike brand, named after the Greek goddess of victory. The now-iconic "Swoosh" logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University, for a fee of $35.

One of Bowerman's most celebrated innovations came in 1972 when he used his wife's waffle iron to create a new type of shoe sole with a waffle-pattern tread, providing better traction and cushioning for runners. The resulting "Waffle Trainer" became one of Nike's first breakthrough products and helped establish the brand's reputation for innovation.

Blue Ribbon Sports officially changed its name to Nike, Inc. in 1978. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Knight oversaw a period of explosive growth. Nike signed endorsement deals with high-profile athletes, a strategy that proved transformative for sports marketing. The signing of basketball player Michael Jordan in 1984 and the subsequent launch of the Air Jordan line of sneakers in 1985 marked a turning point not only for Nike but for the entire sports apparel industry. The Air Jordan brand became a cultural phenomenon, driving Nike's revenues to unprecedented levels and establishing the template for athlete-endorsed product lines that continues to dominate the industry.

Under Knight's leadership, Nike went public in December 1980, providing the capital for further expansion. The company invested heavily in research and development, marketing, and global distribution. Nike's "Just Do It" advertising campaign, launched in 1988, became one of the most recognized slogans in advertising history and cemented the brand's identity as a symbol of athletic aspiration and determination.

Leadership at Nike

Knight served as Nike's CEO from the company's founding through 2004, with a brief interruption in 2000 when he stepped down and handed the reins to Thomas Clarke. Knight resumed the CEO role in 2000 after Clarke's brief tenure. In 2004, Knight again stepped down as CEO, and William Perez was appointed as his successor. Perez's tenure was short-lived, and Mark Parker took over as CEO in 2006. Knight continued to serve as chairman of the board, maintaining significant influence over the company's strategic direction.

Throughout his time leading Nike, Knight built a corporate culture that valued innovation, competitive intensity, and loyalty. Nike's corporate campus in Beaverton, Oregon, reflected Knight's personality—informal yet fiercely competitive, with buildings named after the athletes who had become synonymous with the brand.

Labor Controversies

Nike's rapid global expansion during the 1990s brought increased scrutiny regarding labor conditions in the overseas factories that manufactured the company's products. Reports of low wages, poor working conditions, and the use of child labor in factories in Southeast Asia and other developing regions led to widespread criticism from labor rights organizations, student groups, and the media.

The controversy had a direct impact on Knight's relationship with the University of Oregon. In 2000, the university's decision to join the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), a labor monitoring organization, led Knight to withdraw a planned $30 million donation to the university. Knight issued a public statement explaining his position, stating his concerns about the WRC's methodology and its adversarial approach toward companies.

The dispute drew national attention and highlighted the tensions between university governance, corporate philanthropy, and labor rights advocacy. Students at the University of Oregon organized demonstrations calling for fair labor practices, reflecting a broader movement on college campuses across the country. The debate between the WRC and the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which Nike supported, became a significant issue in university and corporate circles during this period. Local media in Eugene also covered the controversy extensively, examining the implications for the university's relationship with its most prominent benefactor.

Knight and Nike eventually took steps to address the labor criticisms, including increasing transparency regarding factory conditions, adopting new labor standards, and submitting to third-party monitoring. Knight later reconciled with the University of Oregon and resumed his philanthropic support of the institution.

Laika Entertainment

Beyond Nike, Knight is the owner of Laika, a stop motion animation film production company based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Laika, which was formerly known as Will Vinton Studios before Knight's investment and his son Travis Knight's involvement, has produced several critically acclaimed animated films. Travis Knight serves as CEO and president of Laika, and has also directed films for the studio. The studio has earned multiple Academy Award nominations for its productions.

Political Involvement

Knight has been involved in political activities in Oregon, primarily in the area of higher education policy. Records from the Oregon Secretary of State's office document his contributions to political action committees focused on education issues. Knight was among the donors who supported a political action committee focused on higher education in Oregon, alongside other prominent Oregon business figures such as Tim Boyle of Columbia Sportswear and Pat Kilkenny.

Personal Life

Phil Knight is married to Penny Knight. The couple has two children, including Travis Knight, who serves as CEO of Laika and has established himself as a filmmaker and animator. Knight's other son, Matthew Knight, died in a scuba diving accident in 2004 at the age of 34. The University of Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena, a basketball facility that opened in 2011, was named in his memory.

The Knights reside in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Knight is known for his reserved and private demeanor, particularly relative to other business figures of comparable stature. He is frequently seen wearing sunglasses, a personal trademark that has contributed to his reputation as a somewhat enigmatic figure.

Knight's connection to the University of Oregon extends well beyond philanthropy. He has maintained a lifelong relationship with the university's athletic programs, particularly the track and field and football programs. His financial contributions have helped transform the university's athletic facilities into some of the most modern in collegiate sports.

Philanthropy

Knight has made substantial philanthropic contributions to education and healthcare institutions, primarily in Oregon and at his alma maters. His donations have had a transformative impact on the institutions he has supported.

In September 2013, Phil and Penny Knight announced a challenge grant of $500 million to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) for cancer research, contingent on OHSU raising an additional $500 million in matching funds. The gift, if fully matched, would represent one of the largest philanthropic contributions to cancer research in history. Knight had previously made a significant donation to OHSU's cancer research efforts in 2008.

Knight has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the University of Oregon over the course of his lifetime, funding athletic facilities, academic buildings, and scholarship programs. His contributions to the university's athletic programs, in particular, have helped the Oregon Ducks achieve national prominence in football, track and field, and other sports. Despite the temporary rift caused by the WRC controversy in 2000, Knight resumed and expanded his giving to the university in subsequent years.

Knight has also made major contributions to Stanford University, his graduate school alma mater, supporting various academic and research initiatives. His combined philanthropic contributions to the University of Oregon, Stanford, and OHSU amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, placing him among the most significant higher education donors in the United States.

Recognition

Knight has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of his business achievements and philanthropic contributions.

In 2012, Knight was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport, in recognition of Nike's transformative impact on basketball through its athlete endorsement deals, particularly the Air Jordan brand.

In 2015, Knight was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious honorary societies in the United States, recognizing his contributions to business and philanthropy.

Knight is also a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, honoring his contributions to sports in the state of Oregon through both his personal athletic career and his role in building Nike.

The University of Oregon has recognized Knight on multiple occasions for his business achievements and philanthropic support of the institution. His contributions to the university's athletic and academic programs have been acknowledged as among the most significant in the institution's history.

Legacy

Phil Knight's legacy is most closely associated with the creation and growth of Nike, Inc., which under his leadership became one of the most recognizable and valuable brands in the world. From its origins as a small shoe importing operation run out of the back of a car, Nike grew into a multinational corporation with tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue and a presence in virtually every country on earth.

Knight's approach to business—combining product innovation with aggressive marketing and high-profile athlete endorsements—fundamentally changed the sports apparel industry. The model he pioneered, in which athletic footwear and apparel companies derive much of their brand value from associations with elite athletes, has been widely emulated across the industry. The Air Jordan partnership with Michael Jordan, in particular, set a standard for athlete endorsement deals that persists decades later.

Knight's philanthropic contributions have had a lasting impact on the institutions he has supported. His donations to the University of Oregon helped transform the school's athletic programs and facilities, contributing to the rise of Oregon as a nationally competitive athletic program. His gifts to Oregon Health & Science University have supported cancer research efforts with the potential for significant medical impact. His contributions to Stanford University have supported academic and research programs at one of the world's leading universities.

At the same time, Knight's legacy is not without complexity. The labor controversies that surrounded Nike in the 1990s and early 2000s raised important questions about corporate responsibility in global supply chains, and the public debate over Nike's labor practices contributed to broader changes in how multinational corporations monitor and report on factory conditions.

Knight's ownership of Laika has also added a cultural dimension to his legacy, as the studio has earned recognition for its artistry and its contributions to the animation industry.

As chairman emeritus of Nike, Knight remains connected to the company he co-founded, and his influence on the global sports industry, on philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest, and on the culture of athletic branding continues to be felt.