The character arc of Phil Knight
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 24 February 1938 in Portland, Oregon. Between then and now sit varsity letters for running in 1957, 1958 and 1959, a business degree in 1959, a Stanford MBA in 1962, a stop in Kobe in November 1962, the handshake of 25 January 1964, going full time in 1969, the name Nike and the swoosh in 1971, Athletics West in 1977, shares for the designer in September 1983, a resignation on 18 November 2004 and stepping down as chairman in June 2015. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Phil Knight?
He did not love it.
He was born in Portland in 1938 to a lawyer turned newspaper publisher. He ran middle distance at the University of Oregon, where his best mile was four minutes and thirteen seconds, and won varsity letters in 1957, 1958 and 1959. He took a business degree in 1959, in three years, and a master's in business administration at Stanford in 1962. After graduating he set out on a trip around the world, and stopped in Kobe, Japan, in November 1962.
On 25 January 1964 he and Bill Bowerman agreed a partnership by handshake, which is the birth date of Blue Ribbon Sports. He kept his accountant's job until 1969, when the sales were finally enough to work on it full time. In 1971 the company was renamed Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, at the suggestion of its first full time employee Jeff Johnson, and the swoosh was commissioned that year for thirty five dollars from a graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson. He said at the time that he did not love it but it would grow on him. In September 1983 she was given Nike stock and a gold swoosh ring for it.
He founded the running team Athletics West with Bowerman and Geoff Hollister in 1977, and later put a hundred and eighty million dollars into the animation studio Laika, which released its first feature, Coraline, in 2009. In May 2004 his son Matthew, aged thirty four, died in El Salvador while filming a fund-raising video for a Portland charity. Knight resigned as Nike's chief executive on 18 November 2004, several months after the funeral, and kept the chairmanship. Mark Parker became chief executive in 2006, the Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon was named in 2011, and in June 2015 he announced he would step down as chairman.
The moments
Phil Knight's timeline.
The 1950s
Three years, one degree
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A degree in three years, and a four thirteen mile.
The 1960s
An MBA at Stanford
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A business degree, from somebody who mostly wanted to run.
A stop in Kobe
Milestone, and it changed everything. One stop on a round the world trip, and the whole company comes from it.
A handshake
Milestone, and it changed everything. No contract. A handshake, on a date somebody wrote down.
Keep the accountant job
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: go full time on it, taken, or keep accounting. Blue Ribbon Sports was renamed Nike in 1971, and he led the company until 18 November 2004.
He went full time
Milestone, and it changed everything. Five years of doing it in the evenings, before it could pay him.
The 1970s
A name, and a swoosh
Milestone, and it changed everything. Thirty five dollars, and he said he did not love it.
Athletics West
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A running team, from a company that sold running shoes.
The 1980s
Shares for the designer
Milestone, and it changed his direction. The thirty five dollar logo, paid for properly twelve years later.
The 2000s
His son Matthew died
Setback, and it changed everything. Thirty four years old, filming for a charity.
He resigned as chief executive
Milestone, and it changed everything. Several months after the funeral, he stepped out of the job.
Coraline
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A hundred and eighty million dollars, for stop motion animation.
The 2010s
The Matthew Knight Arena
Milestone, and it changed his direction. His son's name, on the university he ran for.
He stepped down as chairman
Milestone, and it changed everything. Fifty one years after the handshake, out of the chair.
The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving cost thirty five dollars: a student drew a shape, the man who paid for it said he did not love it, and it became one of the most valuable marks in the world.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
His started with a handshake and a logo he did not like. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Phil Knight: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Phil Knight's character arc?
How did Phil Knight start Nike?
How much did Phil Knight pay for the Nike swoosh?
Why did Phil Knight resign as Nike CEO?
Was Phil Knight a runner?
When did Phil Knight leave Nike?
Did Phil Knight invest in animation?
Where does this timeline of Phil Knight's life come from?
More character arcs
Lives that rhyme with his.
Sources
- Phil Knight, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- Nike corporate history, including the renaming of Blue Ribbon Sports in 1971 and the commissioning of the swoosh.
- University of Oregon and Stanford degree records, 1959 and 1962.