Born in 1938, Knight had a passion for sports from a young age. Excelling in athletics at the University of Oregon, he formed a strong bond with coach Bill Bowerman, together later founding Nike. Post-studies, Knight imported Japanese running shoes to the US. The first pairs arrived in 1963, branded as “Blue Ribbon Sports.” While Knight pursued profit, Jeff Johnson coined the name “Nike.”

What does the history of Nike look like?

Its iconic logo, designed by Caroline Davidson for $35, became a symbol. Phil Knight, somewhat reluctantly, ultimately accepted the swoosh design, expressing his initial reservation with the words, “Well, I don’t love it, but maybe it will grow on me.” Davidson was compensated at a rate of $2 per hour for her work.

Fast forward to 1983, it appears that Phil Knight had a change of heart about the logo. He hosted a celebration in honor of Davidson and presented her with 500 shares of stock. That is estimated to be valued at approximately $1 million today.

Popular Nike models

Today, the company is renowned for numerous sneaker silhouettes, always recognizable by the famous ‘Swoosh’ adorning each model. The most popular include the Air Force 1, Air Max 1, Dunk, Air Max 90, Air Max 95, Air Max 97, Air Max 270, Air Max Plus, Blazer, SB Dunk and Vapormax.

Are my Nike sneakers true to size?

Generally, the sneakers run true to size, though some models may run slightly smaller.