Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Nike began in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports, a business built around Phil Knight’s idea of distributing Japanese running shoes in the United States. It became a maker of its own branded footwear in 1971, when its first Nike shoe—a football boot—debuted with Carolyn Davidson’s Swoosh. That short path from distributor to branded shoe company is the clearest documented starting point for Nike’s history; the company’s present-day business now spans athletic footwear, apparel and equipment.
1964: Blue Ribbon Sports starts with a distribution idea
Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman started Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) in 1964. Knight had been a runner and Bowerman his coach. In Nike’s account of their founding, Knight’s business hypothesis was that Japanese sports shoes might compete with established German sports shoes in the U.S. market. The idea was to bring those shoes to American runners, not to launch a Nike-branded product from the outset. Nike’s archive recounts the handshake that began Blue Ribbon Sports.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE | $14.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
A History of Basketball in Fifteen Sneakers | $19.38 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Shoe Dog: Young Readers Edition | $9.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
From an Idea to Nike: How Marketing Made Nike a Global Success – The Illustrated Business Story... | $6.39 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Nike: Better is Temporary | $49.82 | Buy on Amazon |
Knight’s connection to Bowerman grew out of his running career. In the archive’s account, Knight recalled being cut from baseball and his mother telling him, “You are not going to mope around the house. You’re either going to get a paper route or go out for track.” Knight said he became aware of Bowerman after a headline in The Oregonian about Bowerman’s track program. These are Knight’s recollections as presented by Nike, rather than an independent account of the founding.
1971: Nike makes a shoe of its own
As its arrangements with its Japanese supplier were winding down, the company needed a product and identity of its own. Nike’s Department of Nike Archives says that in February 1971, Knight contracted a factory in Mexico to produce a black soccer cleat with a white sole. He also asked Portland State University design student Carolyn Davidson to create a stripe for the side of the shoe. Nike identifies the resulting football boot, called “the Nike,” as its first Nike-branded shoe and the first shoe to feature the Swoosh. Nike’s archive traces the Swoosh and the first Nike shoe.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
Davidson had met Knight while he was teaching accounting at Portland State, and had previously made charts and graphics for his business. Nike’s archive says she received $35 for creating the mark. It gives the boot’s retail price as $16.95. Those are historical figures published by Nike’s Department of Nike Archives in 2025—not current prices, an inflation-adjusted comparison or a valuation of the Swoosh.
Nike’s archive captures how modest the launch was against the events of the era: “In 1971, Watergate was just a hotel, NASA was preparing Apollo 15, and a small Oregon company had just sold its first pair of shoes.” The passage is Nike’s retrospective framing, not evidence of how widely known the company was at the time.
Rank #2
1976: a second logo variation appears
The Swoosh was not Nike’s only early mark. The company’s archive dates the first appearance of its “Pinwheel” logo on products to the 1976 Olympic Track and Field Trials. Nike says employee Jeff Johnson created the circular design by arranging multiple Swooshes like a fan, in response to the mark’s awkward appearance on shirts and bags. The Pinwheel was therefore a product-design variation, not a replacement for the Swoosh.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.From an early shoe company to a broader business
Nike’s founding story is about distributing Japanese running shoes, followed by the move into a Nike-branded football boot. That early history should not be confused with the scope of the company today. In its FY2026 Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026, NIKE, Inc. describes the NIKE Brand business as designing, developing, marketing and selling athletic footwear, apparel and equipment. Its listed performance equipment and accessories include bags, socks, sport balls, eyewear, timepieces, digital devices, bats, gloves and protective equipment. The filing is available through the SEC’s NIKE, Inc. filings.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
The filing describes the breadth of the current business; it does not establish when each category was added or provide a complete chronology of Nike’s later growth. The documented milestones here show the basic transition: BRS began with distribution, Nike introduced its own branded shoe and mark in 1971, and the modern company operates across a much wider range of athletic products.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
