|
| |
By
the time he graduated in 1959 with a degree in business administration,
Knight understood the importance of
innovation,
not just in
product design but
also in
marketing. |
|
|
He was well aware of Bowerman's attempts to
create a better running shoe, and Knight possessed the drive and enthusiasm
to bring those concepts to reality. After obtaining his M.B.A. from Stanford
University in 1962, Knight returned to Eugene to found Blue Ribbon Sports,
Inc. with Bowerman. Knight soon began selling shoes at track meets out of
the back of his Plymouth Valiant station wagon, eventually making enough
money to quit his job as an accountant. |
|
| |
By 1972, Blue Ribbon Sports was renamed Nike,
Inc., after the Greek goddess of victory. Under Knight's leadership, Nike
quickly became the world's largest sports and fitness company – thanks to a
constant pursuit of innovation and
ingenious marketing and
advertising.
Having retired from the CEO position at Nike in
2004, Knight continued to serve as the company's chairman. But he
has always been much more than a corporate executive. Knight is the father
of sports marketing, an industry he almost single-handedly created. He is a
visionary and a
leader. And he
embodies everything that is Nike – excellence,
integrity, and
passion.
|
 |
Have faith in yourself, but also have faith in faith. Not faith as
others define it. Faith as you define it. Faith as faith defines itself in
your heart. |
Philip H.
Knight |
 |
You've got to
find what you love. If you
haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of
the heart, you'll know when you find it. |
Steve Jobs
Apple |
|
|
