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“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” These words were spoken by Nike’s co-founder Bill Bowerman, Olympian, innovator and head track coach at the University of Oregon from 1948 to 1973. Joining with Phil Knight, a middle distance runner on his track team, the beginnings of this huge enterprise were formed. In 1962 after completing his MBA, Knight makes the company name “Blue Ribbon Sports,” and begins importing ‘Tiger’ brand shoes, after taking a tour of Japan and realizing the huge marketing opportunity. Hoping to replace the domination of German athletic shoes in the United States, the pair simply put $500 each into the partnership two years later. As the first Blue Ribbon Sports retail outlet opened in Santa Monica California in 1966 they became the exclusive marketer, distributor and seller of the Onitsuka Tiger running shoes from Japan after only a year. Providing concepts for footwear development, Bill Bowerman proposed using a foam cushion heel wedge design, and this began to be incorporated into the shoe