It all started in 1963 to 1964 when two people, a track coach (Bill Bowerman) and a mid-distance runner (Phil Knight) decided to import and distribute running shoes that are cheap yet high quality from Japan. Back then, German companies dominated the market for sports shoes. They call their small company of two people Blue Ribbon Sports.

In 1965, Jeff Johnson, Knight's former competitor, joined the duo and he became the sales person for the company.

However, around 1970's, Bowerman got tired of just importing and selling shoes. He decided he wanted to do more than just that, he wanted to create his own designs. Luckily, inspiration struck when he accidentally poured rubber into a waffle maker, the very first prototype for the famous Nike Waffle Outsole. This is the start of the revolutionary designs which up to now is still very famous and well-loved among Nike fans and regular buyers.

The current name of the company, Nike, Inc. blossomed when Jeff Johnson dreamt of the goddess of victory in Greek mythology, Nike. Some of the most famous creations of Nike using the waffle outsole are the Waffle Racer, Air Max 93, Max 95, Air Max 97, and Air Force One, to name a few.

Nike shoes and other sporting goods have the Nike logo, the Swoosh. Knight asked a graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson, from Portland State University to create a logo that will be placed on the side of Nike shoes.

Probably the most famous and influential endorser of the Nike shoes, Michael Jordan signed a contract under Nike, Inc. in 1984 to endorse Air Jordan, his very own signature line of shoes under Nike.

Here are other important milestones of the Nike shoe industry.

1979 M. Frank Rudy invented the Air technology for Nike.

1982 Nike Air Force One first used the Air technology.

1984 Air Jordan was launched.

1986 Sales of Nike exceeds $1 billion.

1987 Air Max shoes had been introduced by Nike.

1988 The Just Do It slogan was launched.

1990 Nike opened the famous Niketown shop in Portland, Oregon. This shop received many awards related to business and retail design.

1993 Nike started a project which recycles used sports shoes that can help in constructing courts, tracks and fields. The program is called Reuse-A-Shoe. They will put all the old shoes they have collected into their very own Nike Grind to separate and grind the material.

1994 The company started to have its name in the football fields as well. Nike tied up with a football team from Brazil.

1996 Another effort to popularize Nike golf, they signed up Eldrick Tiger Woods to endorse the Nike line of sporting goods for golf. In this same year, they also opened Niketown in New York specifically in Manhattan.

2000 Nike introduce Shox technology.

2003 Nike acquired Converse Shoes for $305 million. They were also given the title Advertiser of the Year by the Cannes Advertising Festival.

2004 Sales increased up to more than $13 billion.

2005 Nike introduced a line that features eco-friendly merchandise to lessen waste. The line is called Nike Considered.