Phil Knight - Inc, Birthday and Life
Phil Knight's Personal Details
Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, Inc., one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | February 24, 1938 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Philanthropists, University Of Oregon, Business People, Miscellaneous, Co-founder of Nike, Inc |
| Spouses | Penny Knight |
| Siblings | Jeanne Knight, Joanne Knight |
| Known as | Philip H Knight, Philip Hampson Knight |
| Childrens | Matthew Knight |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Founder / Co-Founder |
|
| Birth Place | Portland |
| Height | 180 |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | William W. Knight |
| Mother | Lota Hatfield Knight |
| Net Worth | $24.9 billion as of Jun 25,2017 |
| Sun Sign | Pisces |
| Born in | Portland |
| Famous as | Co-founder of Nike, Inc. |
// Famous Inc
Bill Bowerman
Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach, winner of the Oxford Cup and co-founder of the Nike, Inc. Check out this biography to get detailed information on his life.
Phil Knight's photo
Who is Phil Knight?
Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, Inc., one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel. He had served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the company in the past. Dubbed the “most powerful person in sports” by ‘Sports Illustrated’, Knight is neither a sportsman nor the owner of a sports team, but his influence on the world of sports has been tremendous. He had always had an interest in running and was a middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene where he studied journalism. As a college student, he was confused about his future and tried his hand working at different jobs before realizing what he actually wanted to do. He served in the army for some time and also worked as an assistant professor at Portland State University (PSU). It was only when he enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Business that his life purpose made itself clear to him. While working on a college assignment he came up with the idea for a sports shoe company and realized that he had found his calling. He teamed up with his former track coach, Bill Bowerman and the duo started out by selling Japanese-made running shoes in America. Eventually their business evolved into what is today one of the most famous brands of sports apparel, Nike
// Famous Co-founder of Nike
Bill Bowerman
Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach, winner of the Oxford Cup and co-founder of the Nike, Inc. Check out this biography to get detailed information on his life.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born as Philip Hampson Knight on February 24, 1938, as the son of lawyer turned newspaper publisher William W. Knight, and his wife Lota. His father was a domineering though caring person who encouraged his son to push his limits.
He attended Cleveland High School in Portland. He loved running from a young age and was a key member of the track team.
He went to the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene where he continued running. There he met the legendary track coach Bill Bowerman under whom he trained as a middle-distance runner. Eventually Knight struck up a deep and meaningful friendship with Bowerman. He graduated with a journalism degree in 1959.
Knight was confused about his future even after his graduation and unsure of what he actually wanted to do. He enlisted in the army and completed a year of service.
He decided to enroll in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. One of the courses he studied was Frank Shallenberger’s small business class which he found very interesting.
While working on an assignment in which the students had to invent a new business, Knight came up with the blueprint for a business dealing in sports shoes. He wrote a paper titled ‘Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Sports Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?’ and realized that the purpose of his life was to create a business dealing in shoes. He graduated with a MBA in 1962.
Career
He embarked on a trip around the world following his graduation. He visited Japan in November 1962 where he discovered the Tiger-brand running shoes which were manufactured by Onitsuka Co. Knight was highly impressed by the high quality and low cost of the shoes and quickly secured a distribution contract with the company.
On his return, he took up a job in a Portland-based accounting firm while working on his business plan alongside. He collaborated with his former coach Bowerman to form a partnership to distribute the shoes in America, and thus the company Blue Ribbon Sports was born in 1964.
The duo worked hard to make the business grow and over the next few years they opened retail stores in Santa Monica, California, and Eugene, Oregon. The company performed well and by the late 1960s was generating good profits.
Knight and Bowerman faced some disagreements regarding the contract with Onitsaka in 1971 and decided to start their own company. Jeff Johnson, a friend of Knight and an employee of Blue Ribbon Sports suggested naming the new company “Nike” after the Greek winged goddess of victory.
As a former athlete, Knight aspired to design products that the world’s top athletes would want to use. He made acquaintances with Olympic track athletes, such as the long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine, hoping he would influence others to try his products. Nike’s model of shoe, the Cortez, debuted at the 1972 Olympic trials and proved to be highly profitable.
The company’s profits grew manifold over the ensuing years and by 1980 Nike had captured one-half of the athletic shoe market. Knight offered an endorsement deal to the tennis superstar John McEnroe, and this proved to be one of his best marketing moves. After McEnroe hurt his ankle, he started wearing a particular Nike model and the sales of that model surged in the months to come.
Nike saw steady growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The company’s escalating fame allowed Knight to rope in more world famous sportspeople like Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi, Charles Barkley, and Tiger Woods for endorsements.
Along with tremendous success, Knight also came under the scrutiny of human rights groups over how Nike treated its workers in Asian countries. Nike was accused of paying very low wages to its Asian workers, and there were also accusations of corporal punishment and sexual harassment in Nike facilities. In spite of the criticisms Nike remained one of the world’s largest shoemakers.
In the 1990s, Nike expanded its business and branched out into hockey, golf, and soccer apparel. Their aggressive expansion strategy paid off and the company enjoyed more than $10 billion in yearly sales before 1999.
Phil Knight resigned as the CEO of Nike in November 2004 though he continued as the chairman of the board. He announced in June 2015 that he would step down as the company's chairman though he did not specify a date.
Major Works
Phil Knight co-founded Nike, Inc., a footwear company, in 1971. Today Nike is a multinational with its presence in several countries all over the world and is one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment. It is the most valuable brand among sports businesses.
Awards & Achievements
In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in Oregon.
In 2012, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for being the driving force behind Nike's huge financial support of U.S. basketball and its players.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married Penelope "Penny" Parks in September 1968. They had four children, of whom one son, Matthew, died in a diving accident in 2004.
Philanthropic Works
Knight donated US $105 million to the Stanford GSB in 2006, which was at that time the largest ever individual donation to an American business school.
Along with his wife, he pledged US $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute in 2008 which was later renamed "OHSU Knight Cancer Institute" in his honor.
In 2012, Knight contributed US $65,000 to the higher education Political Action Committee (PAC) which aims to facilitate an increase in the autonomy of schools in the Oregon University System.
Net Worth
As of 2015, Phil Knight has a net worth of US $23.8 billion
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Phil Knight biography timelines
- // 24th Feb 1938He was born as Philip Hampson Knight on February 24, 1938, as the son of lawyer turned newspaper publisher William W. Knight, and his wife Lota. His father was a domineering though caring person who encouraged his son to push his limits.
- // 1959He went to the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene where he continued running. There he met the legendary track coach Bill Bowerman under whom he trained as a middle-distance runner. Eventually Knight struck up a deep and meaningful friendship with Bowerman. He graduated with a journalism degree in 1959.
- // 1962While working on an assignment in which the students had to invent a new business, Knight came up with the blueprint for a business dealing in sports shoes. He wrote a paper titled ‘Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Sports Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?’ and realized that the purpose of his life was to create a business dealing in shoes. He graduated with a MBA in 1962.
- // Nov 1962He embarked on a trip around the world following his graduation. He visited Japan in November 1962 where he discovered the Tiger-brand running shoes which were manufactured by Onitsuka Co. Knight was highly impressed by the high quality and low cost of the shoes and quickly secured a distribution contract with the company.
- // 1964On his return, he took up a job in a Portland-based accounting firm while working on his business plan alongside. He collaborated with his former coach Bowerman to form a partnership to distribute the shoes in America, and thus the company Blue Ribbon Sports was born in 1964.
- // Sep 1968 To 2004He married Penelope "Penny" Parks in September 1968. They had four children, of whom one son, Matthew, died in a diving accident in 2004.
- // 1971Knight and Bowerman faced some disagreements regarding the contract with Onitsaka in 1971 and decided to start their own company. Jeff Johnson, a friend of Knight and an employee of Blue Ribbon Sports suggested naming the new company “Nike” after the Greek winged goddess of victory.
- // 1971Phil Knight co-founded Nike, Inc., a footwear company, in 1971. Today Nike is a multinational with its presence in several countries all over the world and is one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment. It is the most valuable brand among sports businesses.
- // 1972As a former athlete, Knight aspired to design products that the world’s top athletes would want to use. He made acquaintances with Olympic track athletes, such as the long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine, hoping he would influence others to try his products. Nike’s model of shoe, the Cortez, debuted at the 1972 Olympic trials and proved to be highly profitable.
- // 1980The company’s profits grew manifold over the ensuing years and by 1980 Nike had captured one-half of the athletic shoe market. Knight offered an endorsement deal to the tennis superstar John McEnroe, and this proved to be one of his best marketing moves. After McEnroe hurt his ankle, he started wearing a particular Nike model and the sales of that model surged in the months to come.
- // 1999In the 1990s, Nike expanded its business and branched out into hockey, golf, and soccer apparel. Their aggressive expansion strategy paid off and the company enjoyed more than $10 billion in yearly sales before 1999.
- // 2000In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in Oregon.
- // Nov 2004 To Jun 2015Phil Knight resigned as the CEO of Nike in November 2004 though he continued as the chairman of the board. He announced in June 2015 that he would step down as the company's chairman though he did not specify a date.
- // 2006Knight donated US $105 million to the Stanford GSB in 2006, which was at that time the largest ever individual donation to an American business school.
- // 2008Along with his wife, he pledged US $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute in 2008 which was later renamed "OHSU Knight Cancer Institute" in his honor.
- // 2012In 2012, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for being the driving force behind Nike's huge financial support of U.S. basketball and its players.
- // 2012In 2012, Knight contributed US $65,000 to the higher education Political Action Committee (PAC) which aims to facilitate an increase in the autonomy of schools in the Oregon University System.
- // 2015As of 2015, Phil Knight has a net worth of US $23.8 billion
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Phil Knight's FAQ
What is Phil Knight birthday?
Phil Knight was born at 1938-02-24
Where is Phil Knight's birth place?
Phil Knight was born in Portland
What is Phil Knight nationalities?
Phil Knight's nationalities is American
Who is Phil Knight spouses?
Phil Knight's spouses is Penny Knight
Who is Phil Knight siblings?
Phil Knight's siblings is Jeanne Knight, Joanne Knight
Who is Phil Knight childrens?
Phil Knight's childrens is Matthew Knight
What was Phil Knight universities?
Phil Knight studied at University Of Oregon, 1962 - Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1959 - University of Oregon, Cleveland High School
What was Phil Knight notable alumnis?
Phil Knight's notable alumnis is University Of Oregon
Which company or organization was founded by Phil Knight?
Phil Knight was the founder/co-founder of Nike, Inc., Laika
How tall is Phil Knight?
Phil Knight's height is 180
Who is Phil Knight's father?
Phil Knight's father is William W. Knight
Who is Phil Knight's mother?
Phil Knight's mother is Lota Hatfield Knight
What is Phil Knight's sun sign?
Phil Knight is Pisces
How famous is Phil Knight?
Phil Knight is famouse as Co-founder of Nike, Inc.