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Phil Knight is born
Phil Knight Birth -
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Phil Knight
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Phil and Bill Bowerman
Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner on the U of O track team, begins a relationship with Bowerman that will change sports and fitness. -
Phil Knight recieves his journalism degree
Knight attended Cleveland High School in Portland, and then the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta ("FIJI") fraternity and earned a journalism degree in 1959. -
Phil Knight and Tiger running shoes make a deal
Knight set out on a trip around the world after graduation, during which he made a stop in Kobe, Japan in November 1962. It was there he discovered Tiger brand running shoes, manufactured in Kobe by the Onitsuka Co. So impressed with the quality and low cost, Knight made a cold call on Mr. Onitsuka, who agreed to meet with him. By the end of the meeting, Knight had secured distribution rights for the western United States for Tiger running shoes. -
Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman make a deal
Phil and Bill Bowerman shook hands on a partnership on January 25, 1964, the birthdate of Blue Ribbon Sports, forerunner to Nike. -
Phil's marriage
Phil and Penny get married in 1968 -
Phil's first sales
Knight's first sales were made out of a now legendary green Plymouth Valiant at track meets across the Pacific Northwest. By 1969, these early sales allowed Knight to leave his accountant job and work full time for Blue Ribbon Sports. -
Knight pledges
In 1998, Knight pledged to impose more stringent standards for the factories that Nike engages to manufacture its goods, including minimum age standards, factory monitoring, and greater external access to Nike's practices. -
Knight is inducted
In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in Oregon.[7] Knight is believed to have contributed approximately $230 million to the University of Oregon, the majority of which was for athletics. -
Knight resigns
Knight resigned as the company's CEO November 18, 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board. -
Phil Knight donation
Knight gave the largest donation in history at the time to Stanford's business school in 2006. -
Phil Knight additional donations
On August 18, 2007, Knight announced that he and his wife, Penny, would be donating an additional $100 million to the University of Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund. This donation is reportedly the largest in the University's history. -
Phil Knight becomes the 60th richest person in the world
As of 2011, Knight's stake in Nike gives him an estimated net worth of US$13.1 billion, making him the 60th richest person in the world and the 22nd richest American.