The big corporation Nike didn't start as Nike. Every brand often has a story behind its creation and Nike is not any different. The birth of Nike began back in 1964. The original name was "Blue Ribbon Sports", and it was founded Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Bill was a track-and-field coach at the Universitory of Oregon which is where the company's headquarters reside even to this day. Phil Knight was Bill's student. Phil initially started off selling imported Japanese shoes from the Japanese brand "Onitsuka". These were running shoes, and to contextualize things... running wasn't something everyone would do. Phil was primarily selling these shoes to student athletes. Money was always an issue for Bill and Phil. It caused a lot friction with Onitsuka, and inevitably Ontisuka cut ties with the team. Sometimes, bridges have to be burned and new bridges must be made. Bill and Phil didn't allow themselves to be discouraged after a broken relation. If they couldn't distribute shoes from a supplier, they would just make their own supply. The rest is history.
The history of "Nike"