Nike was founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman established the company on January 25, 1964, beginning a partnership that would become one of the world’s most recognizable sports brands.
Knight, a University of Oregon track athlete, handled much of the business while Bowerman, his former coach, contributed ideas about improving athletic footwear. Blue Ribbon Sports initially imported Japanese Onitsuka Tiger running shoes and sold them at track meets, often from Knight’s automobile. Its first-year sales reached 1,300 pairs and $8,000.
The company gradually moved from distribution into designing and selling shoes under its own identity. In 1971, it adopted the Nike name, inspired by the Greek goddess of victory, and introduced the Swoosh logo designed by Carolyn Davidson. The legal name officially changed to Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971.
A common mix-up is confusing Nike’s founding year with the year it became Nike. The business began in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports; Nike became the corporate name seven years later.