Nike

BLUE RIBBON SPORTS (1964 – 1971)

1964 — Blue Ribbon Sports Founded

Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon, and his coach Bill Bowerman found Blue Ribbon Sports with a handshake deal and $500 each. Their initial business model is to import high-quality Japanese running shoes from Onitsuka Tiger and sell them out of Knight’s car trunk at track meets.

1966 — First Retail Store

Blue Ribbon Sports opens its first retail store on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, selling imported Onitsuka Tiger shoes.

1971 — The Swoosh

Portland State University graphic design student Carolyn Davidson designs the Swoosh logo for $35. Phil Knight reportedly says he doesn’t love it but it will “grow on him.” It goes on to become one of the most recognized logos in the world.

1971 — Nike Is Born

Blue Ribbon Sports renames itself Nike—after the Greek goddess of victory—and launches its first line of shoes under the Nike name, severing its relationship with Onitsuka Tiger.

EARLY GROWTH (1972 – 1984)

1972 — Waffle Trainer

Bill Bowerman pours rubber into a waffle iron to experiment with sole designs, creating the Waffle Trainer—Nike’s first hit product. Runners at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials wear the experimental shoes.

1978 — Nike Apparel

Nike launches its first apparel line, expanding beyond footwear and beginning its transformation into a full sporting goods brand.

1980 — Nike Goes Public

Nike completes its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $22 million. The company has grown from a startup to a $270 million business in just sixteen years.

1982 — Air Force 1

Nike releases the Air Force 1, designed by Bruce Kilgore—the first basketball shoe to use Nike Air cushioning technology. It becomes one of the best-selling sneakers in history, particularly in urban markets.

1983 — Nike Stumbles

A shift in consumer preferences from running shoes toward aerobics footwear—dominated by Reebok—causes Nike’s sales to collapse. The company lays off hundreds of employees, a humbling crisis for the market leader.

THE JORDAN ERA (1984 – 2000)

1984 — Air Jordan

Nike signs 21-year-old NBA rookie Michael Jordan to an unprecedented endorsement deal reportedly worth $500,000 per year plus royalties. The Air Jordan I is released in 1985 in red and black—the NBA fines Jordan $5,000 per game for violating the league’s uniform color policy, and Nike pays the fines. The controversy generates enormous publicity.

1988 — Just Do It

Nike debuts its “Just Do It” campaign, created by advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. The three-word slogan instantly becomes one of the most recognizable slogans in advertising history and dramatically reframes athletic shoes as lifestyle products.

1990 — Nike Town

Nike opens its flagship retail concept, NikeTown, in Portland, Oregon—part retail experience, part brand museum. The stores later expand to major cities worldwide.

1991 — Indonesia Labor Controversy

Journalist Jeff Ballinger publishes a report exposing poor working conditions in Nike’s Indonesian contract factories, beginning a decade of labor rights controversy that forces the company to confront its supply chain practices.

1995 — Tiger Woods

Nike signs golf prodigy Tiger Woods to a five-year, $40 million endorsement deal before he has won a single major championship. The partnership transforms golf marketing and proves enormously lucrative for both parties.

1998 — Nike Restructures

Faced with labor controversies, currency crises in Asia, and sluggish sales, Nike announces a restructuring that eliminates 1,600 jobs. Phil Knight publicly acknowledges the company has been slow to address manufacturing conditions.

1999 — Nike Acquires Converse

Nike begins a series of acquisitions that eventually include Converse, Hurley, and Cole Haan, expanding its portfolio beyond performance athletic gear into lifestyle and fashion.

GLOBAL DOMINANCE (2000 – PRESENT)

2003 — LeBron James

Nike signs 18-year-old LeBron James before he plays his first NBA game, paying a reported $90 million for the right to launch the LeBron signature shoe line.

2012 — FuelBand

Nike launches the FuelBand, a wristband that tracks physical activity and gamifies fitness. Though later discontinued, it establishes Nike in the wearable technology space and presages the Apple Watch era.

2018 — Kaepernick Campaign

Nike features Colin Kaepernick—who had been blacklisted by NFL teams for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality—in its thirtieth anniversary “Just Do It” campaign with the tagline “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The ad sparks boycotts and enormous praise in equal measure. Nike’s online sales rise 31% in the days following the campaign’s launch.

2020 — Play New Campaign

Nike releases its “Play New” campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging people to try sports for the first time and positioning the brand as an inclusive, accessible athletic identity rather than an elite performance one.

Present Day

Nike remains the world’s largest athletic footwear and apparel company, with revenues exceeding $50 billion annually. The Jordan Brand alone generates over $5 billion in annual revenue. Nike designs are produced in over 40 countries and sold in more than 190 nations.