Phil Knight facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Knight
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Knight in 2010
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| Born |
Philip Hampson Knight
February 24, 1938 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
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| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) |
Penny Parks
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 2, including Travis Knight |
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| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American businessman and generous giver. He is best known as the co-founder of Nike, Inc., a huge company that makes sports shoes, clothes, and equipment. He used to be the boss (chairman and CEO) of Nike.
Phil Knight has given hundreds of millions of dollars to his old schools, the University of Oregon and Stanford University. He has also given a lot to Oregon Health & Science University. In total, he has donated over $2 billion to these places. He also owns Laika, a company that makes amazing stop-motion movies.
Early Life and Education
Phil Hampson Knight was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 24, 1938. His dad, Bill Knight, was a lawyer who later became a newspaper publisher. Phil grew up in Portland and went to Cleveland High School.
One summer, his dad wanted him to find his own job. So, Phil worked at a different newspaper, the Oregonian. He tabulated sports scores during the morning shift. He would then run seven miles home every morning!
Knight went to the University of Oregon in Eugene. He was a runner on the famous track and field team. He also wrote for the school newspaper, the Oregon Daily Emerald. He earned a business degree in just three years, graduating in 1959.
As a runner, his best time for one mile was 4 minutes and 13 seconds. He earned special awards for his running in 1957, 1958, and 1959. Later, in 1977, Knight helped start an American running team called Athletics West.
Founding Nike
Before starting Nike, Phil Knight worked as an accountant. He worked for companies like Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. He also taught accounting at Portland State University.
The Big Idea
After college, Knight joined the Army for a short time. Then, he went to Stanford Graduate School of Business. For a class, he wrote a paper about how Japanese sports shoes could become popular in America. He thought they could be high-quality and cheaper than German shoes. This paper was basically his plan for starting a shoe company! He earned his master's degree in business in 1962.
After graduating, Knight traveled the world. In November 1962, he stopped in Kobe, Japan. There, he found Tiger brand running shoes. He was very impressed by how good they were and how little they cost. He met with Mr. Onitsuka and got the rights to sell Tiger shoes in the western United States.
Blue Ribbon Sports Begins
It took over a year for the first Tiger shoe samples to arrive. While he waited, Knight worked as an accountant in Portland. When the shoes finally came, he sent two pairs to his old track coach, Bill Bowerman, at the University of Oregon. Knight hoped Bowerman would buy some and say good things about them.
To Knight's surprise, Bowerman not only ordered shoes but also offered to become a partner. Bowerman wanted to help design new shoes. They shook hands on their partnership on January 25, 1964. This was the start of their company, Blue Ribbon Sports.
Knight's first sales were made from his green Plymouth Valiant car. He sold shoes at track meets all over the Pacific Northwest. By 1969, these sales were so good that Knight could leave his accounting job. He started working full-time for Blue Ribbon Sports.
Nike is Born
Jeff Johnson, the first employee of Blue Ribbon Sports, had an idea for a new name. He suggested "Nike," after the Greek winged goddess of victory. So, in 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike.
The famous "swoosh" logo was designed in 1971 by a student named Carolyn Davidson. She was paid $35 for it. Knight once said, "I don't love it, but it will grow on me." Later, in 1983, Davidson received some Nike stock for her important design.
Working with Athletes
At Nike, Phil Knight became friends with some of the world's most famous athletes. These included basketball legend Michael Jordan and golf superstar Tiger Woods. These relationships helped Nike become a global brand.
Laika Animation Studio
Building Laika
In the late 1990s, an animation company called Will Vinton Studios was growing fast. They needed more money, so Phil Knight bought a part of the company in 1998. His son, Travis, who wanted to be an animator, started working there.
Later, Knight bought the whole company and took charge. In 2003, he renamed it Laika. He invested $180 million into the studio. Laika released its first big movie, Coraline, in 2009. It was a stop-motion film and a big success. Travis Knight then became the CEO and president of Laika.
A Sad Loss
In May 2004, Phil Knight's son, Matthew, passed away at age 34. He was scuba diving in Lake Ilopango, El Salvador, while filming a video for a charity. He had an unknown heart problem and died from a heart attack underwater. Laika Studio's short film Moongirl (2005) was made in Matthew's memory.
Phil Knight stepped down as Nike's CEO in November 2004, but he stayed on as chairman. In 2011, the Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon was named in Matthew's honor.
Giving Back
Phil Knight is known for being one of the most generous givers in Oregon. By 2016, he had given almost $2 billion to different causes.
Helping Universities
In 2006, Knight gave $105 million to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. This was the largest gift ever to a U.S. business school at the time. The campus was named "The Knight Management Center" because of his gift.
In 2016, Knight gave $400 million to start the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford. This program helps graduate students from all over the world. They learn to solve big global problems like climate change and poverty.
In 2022, Phil and Penny Knight gave Stanford $75 million more. This gift created the Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience. It will study how to keep brains healthy as people get older.
Knight has also given hundreds of millions of dollars to the University of Oregon. He helped pay for the renovation of the Knight Library and the building of the Knight Law Center. In 2016, he announced a $500 million donation for a new science research complex at the university. In 2021, he helped fund the renovation of Hayward Field, a track and field stadium.
Supporting Oregon Ducks Sports
In 2007, Knight and his wife gave $100 million to the University of Oregon's sports programs. This gift helped make the athletic programs strong and self-sufficient.
The Matthew Knight Arena, built in 2010 for the basketball team, was also supported by Knight. It cost over $200 million and replaced an older building.
Knight also paid for the university's $68 million football facility, which opened in 2013. This amazing building has a gym with special floors, iPhone chargers in every player's locker, and a game room.
In 2015, the Knights gave $19.2 million for a new sports complex. This complex, called the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, helps athletes train better. It has special motion capture systems and steam machines for shoes.
Other Important Gifts
In 2008, Knight and his wife gave $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute. This was the largest gift ever to Oregon Health & Science University. Because of this, the institute was renamed the "OHSU Knight Cancer Institute."
In 2013, Knight promised to donate another $500 million for cancer research if OHSU could raise the same amount. By 2015, OHSU met the goal, and Knight gave his $500 million, bringing the total to $1 billion for cancer research.
Phil and Penny Knight also gave money to the Marylhurst Knights Opportunity Scholarship Program at Marylhurst University. A lawn on their campus was named "Knight's Green" in their honor.
Awards and Recognition
In 2000, Phil Knight was added to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. This was for his special help to sports in Oregon. He had given about $230 million to the University of Oregon, mostly for sports.
In 2012, Knight was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was recognized for Nike's huge support of U.S. basketball and its players.
He also received the Golden Plate Award in 1989. In 2015, he was chosen for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his leadership in business and giving.
In 2020, the University of Oregon asked fans who they would put on a "Mount Rushmore" for the university. Phil Knight was one of the four people chosen.
Personal Life
Phil Knight met his wife, Penelope "Penny" Parks, when he was teaching at Portland State University. They got married on September 13, 1968. They have a home in La Quinta, California.
As mentioned, his son, Matthew, passed away in 2004. His other son, Travis Knight, runs the Laika animation studio. Phil Knight is the chairman of Laika.
Knight lives in a rural area outside Hillsboro, Oregon. He owns a personal airplane hangar and two private jets at the Hillsboro Airport.
A movie called Air was made about Nike signing Michael Jordan. Ben Affleck plays Phil Knight in the film.
Phil Knight and Politics
Phil Knight is a registered Republican. He often gives money to Republican political candidates in Oregon. For example, in 2010, he donated $400,000 to Chris Dudley, who was running for Governor of Oregon.
However, Knight has also supported some Democrats. In 1986, he helped fund Neil Goldschmidt's successful campaign. In 2014, he gave $250,000 to John Kitzhaber's re-election campaign.
In 2018, he donated $3.5 million to Republican Knute Buehler. Knight has sometimes criticized how Oregon manages its money, suggesting that Democratic governors were at fault.
Knight was also a big donor in the 2022 Oregon governor's election. He first gave money to independent candidate Betsy Johnson. When her support dropped, he then supported Republican Christine Drazan. He gave her $1 million in October 2022 and another donation later that month. He also donated $2 million to a group trying to elect Republican state lawmakers in Oregon.
