Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach, introduced the activity of running for fitness to the United States, and co-founded Nike, designing many of its shoes and making the brand a household name.
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Join MemoriesMary Carr Bill Bowerman was born in Portland, Oregon, to Jay Bowerman (former Governor of Oregon) and his wife Elizabeth. He was one of four children.
Mary Carr Having played for the state champion football team in his junior and senior years at high school, Bowerman attended the University of Oregon to play football and study journalism.
Mary Carr After graduation, Bowerman started work as a biology teacher and football coach at Franklin High School.
Mary Carr Bowerman moved back to Medford to teach and coach football.
Mary Carr Bowerman married Barbara Young, who he'd first met while in high school. They would have three children, Jon, Jay and Tom.
Mary Carr Bowerman joined the US Army in the days after the Pearl Harbour attack, and on this day, found himself in Naples, Italy, moving supplies for the troops on mule. He achieved the rank of Major in the 86th Regiment's First Battalion before being honourably discharged in 1945.
Mary Carr Bowerman took up a position as Head Track Coach at his old college, University of Oregon — a role which he held for 24 years. His team, the Men of Oregon, won 24 NCAA individual titles, winning 15 of the 19 events contested. They also won four NCAA team crowns, and achieved 16 top-10 NCAA finishes in Bowerman's term. His teams produced 33 Olympians, 38 conference champions and 64 All-Americans.
Mary Carr After a trip to New Zealand, where he was introduced to the idea of running as a fitness practice, Bowerman published a 3-page guide to running called A Jogger's Manual, and began a running program that became a national model for fitness practice.
Mary Carr Bowerman made a "handshake agreement" with athlete and ex-coachee Phil Knight, to create an athletic shoe distribution business called Blue Ribbon Sports. It was the precursor of Nike, and began by importing running shoes from Japan.
Mary Carr Working together with cardiologist W.E. Harris, Bowerman published the 90-page book Jogging, which sold more than 1 million copies. The book is said to have sparked the jogging craze across the country, and the pair published another book in 1967.
Mary Carr Disappointed by the quality of the Japanese running shoes he imported, Bowerman designed what became known as the Nike Cortez. It was a best seller, and remains one of Nike's best-known shoes.
Mary Carr Bowerman masterminded a training program designed to acclimatize athletes to the high altitudes they were set to experience at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Image by Agência Brasil Fotografias, CC BY 2.0.
Mary Carr Experimenting with the idea of creating a "waffle-soled" shoe, Bowerman poured molten latex and rubber into his wife's waffle iron, ruining it in the process. The concept of a lightweight but gripping sole was the product of Bowerman's relentless focus on reducing the weight of running shoes to increase the speed of athletes. The experiment led to the design by Bowerman of the Moon Shoe in 1972, and the Waffle Trainer in 1974. Image by Davide Costanzo on Flickr.
Mary Carr Bowerman stepped back from his role as Head Coach at the University of Oregon to focus on fundraising for the grandstands at Hayward Field, which were needed for the site to be considered for hosting the Montreal Olympic Trials. He retired fully from the role of Head Coach in March, 1973.
Mary Carr Bowerman was selected as the Head Coach for the US Olympic track and field team, and coached team members from Norway, Canada and Australia, as well as the United States. However, he was blamed for the US Track Team's poor performance at the Olympics themselves. That said, Phil Knight claimed that Nike had shod four of the top 10 marathon finishers.
Mary Carr The National Track and Field Hall of Fame inducted Bowerman into their ranks.
Mary Carr Bowerman was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America's Distance Running Hall of Fame.
Mary Carr Bowerman passed away in his sleep at home in Fossil, Oregon at the age of 88.
Mary Carr Bowerman was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.
Mary Carr The National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted Bowerman for his shoe designs, which contributed to the establishment of Nike as a household name.