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William "Bill" J. Bowerman

Born February 19, 1911
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died December 24, 1999
Occupation Track and field coach, co-founder of Nike, Inc.
Spouse Barbara Bowerman
Children Three
Website
Nike Corporation

William J. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. "Bill" Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. He was a very successful track and field coach, training 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions, and 16 sub-4 minute milers. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for In athletics, the four-minute mile is the Running of a Mile (1609 During his 24 years as coach at the University of Oregon, the track and field team had a winning season every season but one, attained 4 NCAA titles, and finished in the top 10 in the nation 16 times. The University of Oregon (UO is a public, Coeducational Research university in Eugene Oregon, United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations

Contents

Early life

Bill Bowerman was born February 19, 1911 in Portland, Oregon. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers His father was former Governor of Oregon Jay Bowerman;[1] his mother had grown up in Fossil. The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U Jay Bowerman ( August 15, 1876 – October 25, 1957) was an American politician a Republican, who served most notably The family returned to Fossil after the parents divorced in 1913. Bill had an older brother and sister, Dan and Mary Elizabeth “Beth. ” Bill also had a twin brother, Thomas, who died in an elevator accident when they were two years old.

Bill attended Fossil Grade School, and Medford and Seattle schools before returning to Medford for high school. Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of 2007 the city had a total population of 75675 and a Metropolitan area population Bill played in the high school band and for the state champion football team his junior and senior years. Bill first met Barbara Young, the woman he would marry, in high school in Medford. Bill came to the University of Oregon in 1929 to play football and study journalism, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. After one year studying journalism, Bill switched to a business major, which he did not like, but he decided to finish the degree anyway. He competed in track while finishing up pre-med courses. After graduation, Bill was set to teach school for two years, and then attend medical school. He taught biology and coached football at Franklin High School in Portland in 1934. In 1935 he moved back to Medford to teach and coach football. In 1936 he added the coaching responsibilities for basketball as well as football. He started a track team at Medford High School in 1937, and gave up his basketball coaching duties to become the track coach.

Bill and Barbara were married on June 22, 1936. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Their first son, Jon, was born June 22, 1938. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. William J. Bowerman Jr. (“Jay”) was born November 17, 1942. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Military career

Bowerman enlisted in the United States Army in the days following the Pearl Harbor attack. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by He was assigned to Fort Lawton in Washington and served a year there before being assigned to the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment at Camp Hale in Leadville, Colorado. Fort Lawton is a United States Army Fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Camp Hale, between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley in Colorado, was a U Leadville is a Statutory City that is the County seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Along with the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, his regiment would become the 10th Mountain Division. [2]

His duty entailed organizing the troops' supplies and maintaining the mules used to carry the supplies in the mountains. On December 23, 1944, the division arrived in Naples, Italy and soon moved north to the mountains of northern Italy. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the [3] During his tour of duty, Bowerman was promoted to commander of the 86th Regiment's First Battalion at the rank of Major. In the Military, a tour of duty is a period of time spent at Sea or assigned to service in a foreign country Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country [4] Bowerman negotiated a stand-down of German forces near the Brenner Pass in the days before the surrender of the German army in all of Italy. Brenner Pass ( Italian: Passo del Brennero; German: Brennerpass; Latin: Brennus Mons) is a Mountain pass through [5] For his service, Bowerman received four Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Silver Star. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. He was honorably discharged in October 1945. [6]

Coaching career

After the war, he returned to his position at Medford High School. Bill and Barbara’s third son, Thomas was born May 20, 1946. The family then moved to Eugene, Oregon for Bill to become the Freshman Football coach. His first day of work with the University of Oregon was July 1, 1948. The University of Oregon (UO is a public, Coeducational Research university in Eugene Oregon, United States. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

University of Oregon

Bill made his biggest mark as a track coach. His ‘Track Men of Oregon’ won 24 NCAA individual titles (with wins in 15 of the 19 events contested) and four NCAA team crowns (1962-1964-1965-1970), and posted 16 top-10 NCAA finishes in 24 years as head coach. His teams also boasted 33 Olympians, 38 conference champions and 64 All-Americans. At the dual level, the Ducks posted a 114-20 record and went undefeated in 10 seasons. In addition Bill coached the world record setting 4-mile relay team in 1962. This team consisted of Archie San Romani, Dyrol Burleson, Vic Reeve and Keith Forman with a time of 16:08. 9. Among athletes that Bill Bowerman coached are: the legendary Steve Prefontaine, Kenny Moore, Bill Dellinger, Mac Wilkins, Jack Hutchins, Dyrol Burleson, Harry Jerome, Siegmar Ohlemann, Les Tipton, Gerry Moro, Wade Bell, Dave Edstrom, Roscoe Divine, Jim Grelle, Bruce Mortenson and Phil Knight. Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25 1951 &ndash May 30 1975 (nicknamed Pre) was an American middle and long-distance runner. Kenneth ("Kenny" Moore (born December 1, 1943 in Eugene Oregon) is an American athlete and journalist William ("Bill" Dellinger (born March 23, 1934 in Grants Pass Oregon) was a three time Olympian. Maurice ("Mac" Wilkins (born November 15, 1950) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw Dyrol Burleson grew up in Cottage Grove Oregon, United States. Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome ( September 30, 1940 &ndash December 7, 1982) was a Canadian Track and field Siegmar ("Sig" Ohlemann (born May 11, 1938) is a retired Middle distance runner, who represented Canada in three Philip H Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American Billionaire, and the co-founder and Chairman of Nike Inc

In 1971 Bill stepped back from day-to-day coaching activities to spearhead the fundraising for renovating the Hayward Field grandstands before the 1972 Olympic Trials. He also ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1970 as a Republican, losing by only 1000 votes in a close race. The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U [1] According to the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper, Bowerman officially retired as the UO head coach on March 23, 1973. Assistant coach Bill Dellinger officially took over the reins.

United States Olympic Track program

Bill created a training program for adjusting athletes for the high altitude that they would experience at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. This successful program led to his selection as the 1972 Munich Olympic Track and Field head coaching position. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Bill coached members of teams from Norway, Canada, Australia, and the United States. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Bill is a member of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Oregon’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998 to honor those who have contributed to the sport of Distance running.

Jogging

During a trip to New Zealand in 1962, Bill was introduced to the concept of jogging as a fitness routine through a jogging club organized by his friend and coaching colleague Arthur Lydiard. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace Arthur Leslie Lydiard, ONZ, OBE, (July 6 1917 &ndash December 11 2004 was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. Bill brought this concept back to the United States, and began to write articles and books about jogging. Bill also created a jogging program in Eugene that became a national model for fitness programs. "A Jogger’s Manual", a three page guide, was published shortly after Bill returned from New Zealand. In 1966, along with cardiologist W. E. Harris, Bill published a 90-page book entitled Jogging. Short and to the point, the book sold over a million copies and was credited with igniting the jogging phenomenon in the USA. Due to the popularity of Jogging, Harris and Bill published a 127 page book in 1967. To this day jogging remains a popular form of exercise for men and women of all ages.

Nike

In 1964, Bowerman entered into a handshake agreement with Phil Knight, who had been a miler under him in the 1950s, to start an athletic footwear distribution company called Blue Ribbon Sports, later known as Nike, Inc.. Philip H Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American Billionaire, and the co-founder and Chairman of Nike Inc Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of Marketing mix. Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. Knight managed the business end of the partnership, while Bowerman experimented with improvements in athletic footwear design.

Bowerman's design ideas led to the creation of a running shoe in 1966 that would ultimately be named 'Cortez' in 1968, which quickly became a top-seller and remains one of Nike's most iconic footwear designs. Bowerman designed several Nike shoes, but is best known for ruining his wife's waffle iron in 1970 or 1971, experimenting with the idea of using waffle-ironed rubber to create a new sole for footwear that would grip but be lightweight. A waffle iron is a Cooking Appliance used to make Waffles It usually consists of two hinged metal plates molded to create the honey comb pattern

Bowerman's design inspiration led to the introduction of the so-called "Moon Shoe" in 1972, so named because the waffle tread was said to resemble the footprints left by astronauts on the moon. Further refinement resulted in the "Waffle Trainer" in 1974, which helped fuel the explosive growth of Blue Ribbon Sports/Nike.

Bowerman's obsession with shaving weight off his athletes' running shoes was legendary. An athletic shoe is a Generic name for footwear designed for Sporting and physical activities, and is different in style and build than a Dress shoe He believed that custom-made shoes would weigh less on the feet of his runners and cut down on blisters, as well as reduce the overall drag on their energy for every ounce he could remove from the shoe. A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin

Today, the headquarters for Nike is located on Bowerman Drive in homage to the company's co-founder.

In 1999, Bill Bowerman died at the age of 88 on Christmas Eve.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Bill Gallagher. Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. Running is a means for an animal to move on Foot. It is defined in Sporting terms as a Gait in which at some point all feet are off the ground "Bowerman: The man, the legend and the new biography by Kenny Moore", Brainstorm NW, June, 2006.  
  2. ^ Moore, p. 67-68
  3. ^ Moore, p. 71
  4. ^ Moore, p. 77
  5. ^ Moore, p. 78-79
  6. ^ Moore, p. 81

Further reading

External links

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