Q: Can you give us a history of Nike and how the Swoosh became associated with it? Is most of Nike equipment manufactured in China or other countries? Do leagues have contracts with Nike or individual teams?
—Martha Hunt, Hoschton
A: Bill Bowerman, the track coach at the University of Oregon, and Phil Knight, a runner who graduated from Oregon and earned his MBA from Stanford, formed Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 and began selling Tiger running shoes made by Japan's Onitsuka Co. Bowerman took apart the shoes to see how he could improve them and began testing them on his runners. They brought in Jeff Johnson, who came up with the name Nike in 1971, and designed several early shoes. Portland State student Carolyn Davidson was hired to do design work and came up with several "stripes" for the shoes. They picked the one "which was the least awful," Davidson told Salon.com in 2011, and it became the familiar Swoosh. The new footwear, with the Swoosh, debuted at the 1972 U.S. Track & Field Trials, where it was a hit. Bowerman died in 1999, and Knight is the Chairman of the Board of the Directors for Nike.
- Most Nike shoes and apparel are made in China, Vietnam and Indonesia, The (Portland) Oregonian reported last year.
- Some leagues, like the NFL, have exclusive contracts with Nike. The company replaced Reebok as the NFL's supplier for licensed on-field apparel before the 2012 season. Nike also has deals with the athletic departments of many universities and colleges, and supplies uniforms and apparel to those schools.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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