These people were: Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, mixed in with a little Steve Prefontaine and Jeff Johnson. Craftiness, commitment, guile and resourcefulness all played a role in how this fledgling idea grew to be the largest sports and fitness equipment company in the world.

Bill Bowerman was the track coach at the University of Oregon and became the architect of one of the USA's most revered college track programs. He has been credited with bringing jogging to America.

Phil Knight was a member of Bowerman's track team, and an unremarkable member at that.

Phil Knight was a student at the U of O studying accounting and was a member of the track team with a specialty in middle-distance running. At the time, the emerging German company, Adidas, was emerging unchallenged in the elite runners' footwear industry. Knight was a gritty and ambitious fellow who saw the opportunity to take a piece of the pie.

Here at Shades of Fun, we simply adore stories like this . . . it's the American story we love!