What university did Nike co-founder Phil Knight attend?

Nike co-founder Phil Knight attended the University of Oregon.

Knight studied at Oregon in Eugene and earned a business degree in 1959. He was also a middle-distance runner on the university’s track team, coached by Bill Bowerman. Bowerman’s interest in improving athletic footwear later became central to the company the two men built together.

Knight’s connection to Oregon was more than an education credential. After graduating, he wrote a Stanford business-school paper proposing that Japanese manufacturers could challenge established German sports-shoe brands. That idea led him to approach Onitsuka, the Japanese maker of Tiger running shoes. Knight and Bowerman eventually formed Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, the company that became Nike.

Knight later attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned an MBA in 1962. That second degree is the source of a common mix-up: Stanford was part of his education, but it was not the university where he developed his running background or first met Bowerman as a coach. Knight’s long association with Oregon continued through extensive donations to the university, including support for academic, athletic and research facilities.