Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman (February 19, 1911 - December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach at the University of Oregon. Bowerman was born in Portland, Oregon. He went to high school in Medford, Oregon. After high school, he was a student at the University of Oregon where he played football and ran track and field.

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.
Children	Three

Military career

Bowerman joined the United States Army after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was part of the 10th Mountain Division of the army. Bowerman's job was to organize the supplies that the soldiers needed. He received the rank of Major during World War II. Bowerman was given four Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Silver Star. He was honorably discharged in October 1945.

Coaching career

After the war, Bowerman coached track and field at the University of Oregon. He did this for twenty-four years. His teams won four national championships in the NCAA while he was a coach. Some of his most famous athletes were Steve Prefontaine, Kenny Moore, Mac Wilkins, and Phil Knight. Bowerman also coached the United States Olympics team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

He wrote a book that first taught Americans about jogging. With Phil Knight, he started the Nike company. Bowerman helped design many of the first shoes that the company sold. He died on Christmas Eve in 1999 at the age of 88.

Bill Bowerman Media

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  Bowerman (left) conversing with Phil Knight and two other members of the Oregon track team in 1958

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  2013/11/24 Canon EOS KISS X5 & Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM

Sources

• Moore, Kenny (2006). Bowerman and the Men of Oregon. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale. ISBN 978-1594861901.