Phil Knight By wj2 Feb 24, 1938 Phil Knight was Born in Portland, Oregon. 1959 Phil Knight graduated from Oregon University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration. 1962 Phil Knight graduates from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Jan 25, 1964 Phil Knight makes a deal with a Japanese factory creating Blue Ribbon Sports. 1971 Nike gets that iconic swoosh logo for $35 from a graphic designstudent. May 30, 1971 Phil Knight renames Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike after the Greek Goddess of victory. 1972 Nike signs first athlete to an endorsement deal, Romanian Tennis player Ilie Nastase. 1978 Nike first implements air technology in their running shoes. Oct 26, 1984 Nike signs Michael Jordan to a signature shoe deal. Sep 5, 1988 Nike first implements their famous "Just Do It" ad campaign. 1989 Nike first introduces the "Bo Knows" ads to market their multiple use sport show. 1996 Tiger woods is signed to an endorsement deal with Nike. 1997 Nike made the first shoe with full length exposed air in the sole. Sep 4, 2003 Nike acquires Converse which is the shoe brand famous for their Chuck Taylor model. Nov 18, 2004 Phil Knight steps down as the Nike CEO.
