ARTICLES

1991: NIKE increases its leadership to become the world抯 first sports and fitness company to surpass $3 billion in total revenues. In the U.S., revenues top $2 billion, despite tough economic conditions. According to plan, it is innovation that leads the way. The revolutionary Air Huarache running shoe introduces Huarache Fit technology, the greatest breakthrough in shoe design since NIKE-AIR technology. Cross-training, first defined by NIKE in 1987, goes outdoors with the Air Mowabb shoe and NIKE F.I.T. apparel leaders in the responsive, environmentally tuned ALL CONDITIONS GEAR Collection. Continuation of the women抯 print campaign makes national news throughout the year and is hailed as the most insightful advertising of its kind. Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA Championship. Also in Chicago, Bo Jackson makes a dramatic comeback at the end of the White Sox season. Mike Powell breaks the world long jump record, which had stood for 23 years, in Tokyo. The sheer variety of achievements mirrors the breadth of NIKE抯 growth around the world, as international revenues increase 80 percent, topping $860 million.

1992: What began in Eugene, Oregon, two decades before as a plan to help athletes run faster is now a $3.4 billion paradigm of sports and fitness innovation. Much of the drama is taking place on the international stage. Revenues from international markets increase 32 percent to more than $1 billion for the first time, making up 33 percent of total NIKE revenues. A major reason is the simple fact that athletes are winning championships in NIKE gear. Andre Agassi defies 50-1 odds to conquer Wimbledon. Lynn Jennings wins an unprecedented third consecutive World Cross-Country Championship and an Olympic medal. Six NIKE basketball superstars lead the Dream Team to a flawless Olympic performance. Mike Conley triple jumps to a gold medal in Barcelona wearing NIKE apparel. Quincy Watts wins the 400 meters. In fact, every medalist on the USA track-and-field team at the Olympics wears NIKE apparel. And, they will do so at every major track-and-field event into the next century as a result of an exclusive agreement between NIKE and The Athletic Congress. In the United States, Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to a second straight NBA Championship before the home fans. These same fans visit NIKETOWN Chicago-60,000 square feet of retail innovation highlighting product advances that have become industry standards, such as NIKE-AIR and Huarache Fit technologies. As NIKE continues an aggressive plan for international expansion through product excellence, one thing remains constant: We抮e still helping athletes run faster.

1993: It is a year of memorable moments for NIKE athletes. Michael Jordan leads the Bulls to their third consecutive world championship, then retires. Jim Courier wins his fourth Grand Slam in Australia. Kenyan running sensation Cosmas N扗ETI wins his first Boston Marathon. Joe Carter leaps into World Series history. Troy Aikman wins the Super Bowl and the MVP honors that go with it. Bo Jackson comes back from hip replacement surgery to hit a home run in his first official at-bat. And the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball, Nolan Ryan, leaves the mound after 27 years. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley stirs the pot by saying "I am not a role model" in another groundbreaking ad. He also continues his battle with Godzilla in a TV campaign that proves very popular throughout the Asian market. Consumers get a good look at RunWalk, Total Body Conditioning, and two new NIKETOWN stores, one in Orange County and one in Atlanta. NIKE forms N.E.A.T.(NIKE Environmental Action Team) to pursue innovative technologies such as the process that reconstitutes old athletic footwear into recycled materials, NIKE REGRIND, used in sports courts and running tracks. And Air Max technology is more cushioned, more responsive and more visible than ever before. All this pushes NIKE to its sixth consecutive record year with revenues reaching $3.9 billion.

1994: NIKE launches P.L.A.Y., Participate in the Lives of America抯 Youth, a multi-million dollar effort aimed at encouraging activism on the part of kids and adults to promote healthy, active lifestyles among our nation抯 youth. Meanwhile, Troy Aikman wins another Super Bowl, Cosmas N扗ETI wins another Boston Marathon, and Michael Jordan spends his summer living out a boyhood baseball dream. Riding the success of outdoor boots, sandals and the performance fabric of NIKE F.I.T., All Conditions Gear becomes its own NIKE division. Air Max shoes introduce dual-pressure cushioning and stability. Globalization continues with the formation of a new Eastern European region based in Vienna. In the Asia-Pacific region, NIKE assumes distribution rights in Japan and Korea, adding approximately $270 million in revenues. In Latin America, Chile and Argentina join the NIKE-owned family, while the top 10 players on the flamboyant Brazilian soccer team sign with NIKE as the World Cup comes to America.

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