From an Oregon waffle iron to global icon: How Nike changed the game

This story is part of the Iconic Brands series, a USA TODAY network project showcasing the companies and brands that helped shape the nation's identity, economy and culture. The series celebrates American ingenuity with a deeply reported examination of how brands intersect with history, community and everyday life in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary. Find more at https://usatoday.

com/usa250/iconic-brands Woven into the fabric of Oregon ’s history is the legacy of a brand born out of a desire to improve the performance of track athletes. Years' worth of tinkering, a few broken waffle irons and decades later, Nike has stamped its footprint on the sports and athletics industry. Before Nike became ubiquitous, it was Blue Ribbon Sports.

And even before then, a track coach at the University of Oregon was hand-stitching custom-made shoes for his runners. Here’s the story of how a staple in modern athletics grew from humble beginnings in the Willamette Valley into a global powerhouse. The origins of Nike as Blue Ribbon Sports In the 1950s, Bill Bowerman was a track coach at the University of Oregon who was obsessed with optimizing running shoes for his athletes.

With co-founder Phil Knight, that obsession led to the establishment of Nike, an athletic apparel giant. But to become Nike, there were years' worth of trial and error. Under Bowerman’s leadership, the University of Oregon earned four NCAA track titles and saw 16 runners achieve sub-4-minute miles.