Which billionaire co-founded the sportswear company Nike?

Phil Knight co-founded Nike, the sportswear company originally launched as Blue Ribbon Sports.

Knight was a University of Oregon track athlete coached by Bill Bowerman. After earning an MBA at Stanford, he pursued an idea for importing inexpensive, high-quality running shoes from Japan. In 1964, Knight and Bowerman formed Blue Ribbon Sports, initially distributing shoes made by Onitsuka Tiger.

The company began making its own footwear and adopted the Nike name in 1971, inspired by the Greek goddess of victory. Nike became a global sportswear powerhouse, while Knight served for decades as its chief executive and chairman. Bill Bowerman is the key name commonly omitted from the story: Knight was not Nike’s sole founder, but he is the best-known business co-founder and the canonical answer to this question.