The inside story of how nike marketed the culture of running by geoff hollister. Winner of numerous track and football state championships as a high school coach, he won four ncaa team titles and produced team members for six consecutive olympic games. His most successful jogging book was published in 1966 containing ninety pages only. Tanaka s approach is a throwback to what bill bowerman wrote about in his bestselling book jogging, which came out nearly a halfcentury ago. On first partnering with his mentor and former coach bill bowerman. Bill bowerman leadership and legacy athletics and the. He was cofounder of nike and the author of jogging, which launched the running. Athletics west is an american running team formed by bill bowerman, phil knight and geoff hollister in 1977.
Bowerman talked about easy running as the best way to train the cardiac, respiratory, and circulatory systems. Bill bowerman interesting stories about famous people. Who was accredited with starting the jogging craze and. Back in the s, jogging was something only athletes and boxers really credit for introducing the concept probably goes to bill bowerman. No man has affected more runners in more ways than bill bowerman. But as bowerman noted in a letter to bill boni, sports editor of the st. Form, footwear, and the quest for injuryfree running, by peter larson and bill katovsky nrc. If you love oregon running, then this is a must have book or kindle edition. The book sold over a million copies and was credited with igniting the jogging phenomenon in the united states. William squires is an american track and field coach. Nikes breakthrough shoe was invented when coach bill bowerman used his waffle iron to create a new kind of sole. Lydiard, suggested it as a conditioning activity for retired olympic runners.
Since they would be jogging, the newspaper suggested that the club may be called the auckland joggers clubwhich is thought to be the first use of the noun jogger. The 5 most powerful quotes from phil knights nike memoir. In 1966, nike cofounder bill bowerman cowrote jogging, a howto manual that introduced running as a fitness routine accessible to everybody. In bowerman and the men of oregon, kenny moore tells the story of famed oregon track and field coach bill bowerman. Bowerman and the men of oregon details the story of bill bowerman, the legendary coach of the university of oregon. The popularity of this activity was given substantial impetus by the publication of the book jogging 1967 by bill bowerman, a university of oregon track coach, and w. Bowerman created a running dynasty at the u of o, and coached such runners as olympians steve prefontaine and kenny moore, among many many others. A legendary running coach at the university of oregon and a future cofounder of. The new crop of older athletic people contributed to the evolution of the sport of track and field to create a new division for these masters athletes. Bill bowerman, 88, a former high school, university and olympic track coach whose quest for a better running shoe led him to cofound what became the. Bill bowerman, his wifes waffle iron, nikes early days. The book sold over a million copies and was credited with igniting the jogging phenomenon in the. Bill bowerman bowerman by kenny moore, rodale, 2006. Bill bowerman, a renowned track coach at the university of oregon who spawned a revolution in athletic footwear and americas jogging boom while helping build a worldwide marketing powerhouse as.
Bill bowerman biography childhood, life achievements. The demand was so great that the pamphlet was expanded to a 127page book called, simply, jogging. Bowerman also helped inspire the jogging boom in the u. These sources cover these important topics in the running world that contributed to the popularization of running that really took off with s. Harris, bowerman published a 90page book titled jogging. Bowerman, the author of the joggers manual mentioned above. I think it was bill bowerman, who published the book jogging in 1966 and a reissue in 1967. Bill bowerman training system bill bowerman was the legendary coach at the university of oregon, producer of many national champions and olympians during his 25season tenure. Not long ago i read a book by kenny moore entitled bowerman and the men of oregon. Bowerman saw first what others didnt that anyone could lose weight and improve their health by jogging wrote a book about it that sold 1 million copies, invented a shoe that could help them do it, and cofounded nike, a company that sold those shoes and the active lifestyle behind them. University of oregon track coach bill bowerman, after jogging with lydiard in new zealand in 1962, started a joggers club in eugene in early 1963. He is well known for coaching the greater boston track club at the height of its marathon success, including marathoners bill rodgers, alberto salazar, dick beardsley and greg meyer squires is originally from arlington, massachusetts and competed in track and field events for arlington high school.
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. Posts about bill bowerman written by running bibliophile. An oregonian through and through, bowerman was born in portland. Bowerman coauthored an eighteen page pamphlet and the next year a book called jogging. I read a lot of business books and listen to podcasts about entrepreneurs. Bill also created to jogging program in eugene that. Bill bowerman was an oregonian through and through. Unless you are a fan of running, you probably never even heard of bill bowerman or realize the impact hes had on american society. February 3rd, 50 years ago to the day, jogging was born. Bowerman co authored an eighteen page pamphlet and the next year a book called jogging. Bill s half came from a savings account barbara had accumulated without his knowledge. In addition, bowermans book jogging, published in 1967, helped spur a running boom in the u. Jay lindsay illustrations for bill bowerman s jogging byron whizzer white nice compact book on jogging. During a trip to new zealand in the 1960s with the oregon track team, bowerman witnessed the jogging boom in that country, which led him to write a book on jogging and to start a jogging running club in eugene.
Bill bowerman jogging pdf february 3rd, 50 years ago to the day, jogging was born. Bill bowerman 19111999 is considered one of the greatest track and. In 1966, after getting influenced with the concept of jogging, bowermans 90page book was published under the title jogging, which he wrote along with a famous cardiologist w. Bill bowerman strived to test the boundaries, once saying, if there are limits to what we can do, i dont know what they are. Due to the popularity of jogging, harris and bowerman published a 127page book in 1967. The book was responsible for sensationalizing jogging in america.
Happy birthday, bill bowerman, track coach and nike cofounder. The story of oregons legendary coach and nikes cofounder by kenny moore out of nowhere. Bill bowerman, the man behind the waffle iron show, began preaching this idea he brought. The other reasons are that they really feel bad and also have no time to visit the book store to search guide jogging. This was i believe bill bowermans first book published about general running and jogging. The practice of jogging originated in new zealand when an olympic track coach, one dr. Half of the book includes various plans for jogging depending on physical level. Bill bowerman, ustfccca coaches hall of fame class of 1995.
Credit for introducing the concept probably goes to bill bowerman. From his book bill bowerman s highperformance training for track and field. The terrible alternative company names that were floated before they settled on the name of the greek goddess of. Bill brought this concept back to the united states, and began to write articles and books about jogging. Moore, a former bowerman athlete, could have repackaged his story as a history of american track and field such was bowerman s importance to. Bill bowerman s highperformance training for track and field third edition by bill bowerman, bill freeman bowerman and the men of oregon. Bill bowermans highperformance training for track and field. This book is a great account of one of the greatest coaches ever. Born in portland, he attended the nearby university of oregon, where he initially entered as a football player not a.