Bowerman Changes Athletic Footwear Forever
Corene Feddersen
Upper Iowa University
BA 210-Management Principles
Professor Eugene Jasmin
Famous Business Leader
January 26, 2016 Abstract Bill Bowerman excelled as a student athlete in high school and also at the University of Oregon. He came home from World War II as a decorated war hero, where he served as an Army officer. He was accepted to medical school but instead went to coach high school track and football. He then went back to the University of Oregon to work as a track coach. He was a passionate coach, loved to win and did not overlook any details. Bill Bowerman led the University to four NCAA track titles. (Nike News) He also coached forty four All-Americans and nineteen Olympians. (New York Times) Bowerman was unhappy with the shoes that were made for track at the time. They were heavy and uncomfortable. It became his goal to develop track shoes that were light, comfortable, and could go the distance. (Bowerman) At a time all shoes were pretty much the same, Bowerman carved a path with his new ideas.
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Bowerman then learned from a local shoemaker how to make shoes. Phil Knight was the first student athlete to try Bowerman’s handcrafted shoes. Knight claims that he was chosen to test the shoes because he wasn’t one of the best runners on the team. (Knight) Otis Davis saw Knight with the shoes on at a practice and had to give them a try. Knight never got the shoes back. Davis went on to win a conference championship and a gold medal in the Olympic Games of 1960 in shoes made by Bowerman. He continued working to find the lightest weight, most comfortable shoe. He made custom fit shoes for his runners and adjusted them for differences such as slimmer ankles and extended heels. He used many different materials and created new prototypes