ARTICLES

1973: American record-holder Steve Prefontaine becomes the first major track athlete to wear NIKE brand shoes. He converts many of his fellow competitors to the young brand. Other top talents joining NIKE include Olympian Jon Anderson, who wins the Boston Marathon, and Ilie Nastase, who is ranked the top tennis professional in the world. The "Futures" booking program is introduced, allowing production forecasters to "make to order" and pre-finance while reducing risks of over inventory. Revenues reach $3.2 million.

1974: The Waffle Trainer is introduced featuring Coach Bowerman抯 famous Waffle outsole. It quickly becomes the best-selling training shoe in the country. Jimmy Connors, without an endorsement contract, wins the Wimbledon and U.S. Open Championships wearing NIKE shoes and is ranked No. 1 in the world. BRS opens its first American manufacturing facility at Exeter, New Hampshire, and expands its operations to include Australia. The company now employs 250. Worldwide revenues reach $4.8 million.

1975: Track-and-field spike development leads to the creation of the Elite, one of NIKE抯 best-fitting and best-selling racing and training shoes. Continued innovative research and development yields a rapidly growing line of athletic shoes designed and built to NIKE specifications. The bright future is dimmed when Steve Prefontaine dies before his time.

1976: At the Olympic Trials, NIKE shoes are seen in abundance for the first time, worn by young, rising stars in both middle- and long-distance events. The Eugene-based trials signal a promising future for the company抯 promotional activities. Total revenues are $14.1 million.

1977: BRS starts Athletics West, the first U.S. track-and-field training club for Olympic contenders. BRS expands its manufacturing operations to factories in Taiwan and Korea. For the first time NIKE shoes are sold in Asia. Revenues increase to $28.7 million.

1978: Henry Rono of Kenya sets four world track records while wearing NIKE shoes, and tennis great John McEnroe signs an endorsement with the company. BRS changes its corporate name to NIKE, Inc. and opens a second American manufacturing plant at Saco, Maine. NIKE抯 first children抯 shoes, the popular Wally Waffle, Burt Bruin and Robbie Road Racer, are introduced. NIKE shoes are sold in South America, and agreements are signed with distributors in Europe. Revenues hit $71 million.

1979: NIKE introduces the Tailwind, the first running shoe with the technologically advanced, patented AIR-SOLE cushioning system. The manufacturing and marketing of the NIKE Apparel line begins. World headquarters are opened at 3900 S.W. Murray Blvd. in Beaverton, Oregon. World revenues reach $149 million, and NIKE becomes the most popular running shoe in America with nearly 50 percent of the running shoe market revenues. NIKE shod-runners hold every distance track record from 800 to 10,000 meters.

1980: NIKE offers 2 million shares of common stock to the public. The NIKE Sport Research and Development Lab opens in Exeter, N.H., and an East Coast footwear sales and distribution center begins operations in Greenland, N.H. Negotiations start with the People抯 Republic of China for production of NIKE shoes there. While Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton brings NIKE baseball shoes to the fore, NIKE shoes become the No. 1 seller in Canada. Employees number 2,700 and revenues top $269 million.

1981: NIKE International Ltd. is formed to service a growing foreign market that reaches into more than 40 countries. The Swoosh Design trademark accompanies Alberto Salazar to a world record in the New York Marathon. Nissho Iwai and NIKE combine forces to form NIKE-Japan, while NIKE-England becomes the company抯 first wholly owned foreign distributorship. Eager to provide retailers with the same personalized, technical assistance that marked the early years, the rapidly growing company appoints regional EKIN (NIKE spelled backward) representatives throughout the U.S. NIKE shoes are manufactured in 11 countries and with 3,000 employees, the company watches revenues soar to $457 million.

1982: Shoe development makes new strides as a NIKE-AIR basketball shoe, the Air Force I, and NIKE-AIR tennis shoe, the Air Ace, are introduced, bringing the number of models in the NIKE line to more than 200. England抯 Aston Villa soccer team wins the English and European Cup championships in NIKE抯 new soccer shoe. The Apparel line grows to nearly 200 styles and $70 million with the help of inventive, functional designs. NIKE抯 total revenues are $693.6 million. The are 3,600 employees worldwide.

1983: Building murals and billboards of NIKE-endorsed athletes pop up throughout Los Angeles as part of the Cities Campaign, a pre-Olympic push coordinating product, advertising and merchandising, NIKE-shod Joan Benoit shatters the women抯 world marathon record just four months before 23 NIKE-supported athletes capture medals in the inaugural World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki. The Destiny, the first high-tech running shoe for children, hits the market. Alberto Salazar becomes NIKE抯 first apparel endorsee with his own high-tech athletic line. Revenues are at $867.2 million for FY ?3, and there are 4,300 employees internationally.

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