Phil Knight facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Knight
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Knight in 1999
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Philip Hampson Knight
February 24, 1938 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
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| Occupation | Businessman |
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Penny Parks
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 2, including Travis Knight |
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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 gear and clothes. He used to be the boss and chairman of Nike. As of July 2025, his wealth was estimated at over $34 billion. He also owns Laika, a company that makes stop-motion movies.
Phil Knight went to the University of Oregon and Stanford Graduate School of Business. At the University of Oregon, he was part of the track and field team. His coach was Bill Bowerman, who later helped him start Nike. Knight has given hundreds of millions of dollars to his old schools and to Oregon Health & Science University. He has given more than $2 billion to these places.
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Phil Knight's Early Life
Phil Hampson Knight was born on February 24, 1938, in Portland, Oregon. His father, Bill Knight, was a lawyer who became a newspaper publisher. Phil grew up in Portland and went to Cleveland High School. One summer, his father wanted him to find his own job. So, Phil worked at a rival newspaper, the Oregonian. He tabulated sports scores early in the morning and ran seven miles home.
Knight then went to the University of Oregon in Eugene. He ran for the famous Oregon track and field team. He also worked as a sports reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. He earned a business degree in just three years, in 1959. He also joined the Army Reserve that year.
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. In 1977, Knight, Bowerman, and Geoff Hollister started a running team called Athletics West.
Building Nike
Before Nike became famous, Knight worked as an accountant. He worked for companies like Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. He also taught accounting at Portland State University.
The Idea for Nike
After graduating from the University of Oregon, Knight joined the Army. He served for one year and then seven years in the Army Reserve. Next, he went to Stanford Graduate School of Business. For a class, he wrote a paper about selling running shoes. He wondered if Japanese sports shoes could become as popular as Japanese cameras. His goal was to bring good quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan to America. He earned his master's degree in business in 1962.
After graduation, Knight traveled the world. In November 1962, he stopped in Kobe, Japan. There, he found Tiger brand running shoes. These shoes were made by the Onitsuka Co., now known as Asics. He was impressed by how good and affordable they were. Knight met with Mr. Onitsuka and got the rights to sell Tiger shoes in the western United States.
It took over a year for the first Tiger shoes to arrive. During this time, Knight worked as an accountant in Portland. When the shoes finally came, he sent two pairs to his old coach, Bill Bowerman. He hoped Bowerman would buy them and support them. To his surprise, Bowerman not only ordered shoes but also wanted to be a partner. He offered to help design new shoes. They shook hands on January 25, 1964. This was the start of Blue Ribbon Sports, the company that later became Nike.
Nike's Early Days
Knight first sold shoes from his green Plymouth Valiant car. He sold them at track meets across the Pacific Northwest. By 1969, he had sold enough shoes to quit his accounting job. He started working full-time for Blue Ribbon Sports.
Jeff Johnson, Nike's first employee, suggested the name "Nike." It was named after the Greek winged goddess of victory. Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike in 1971.
The famous "swoosh" logo was designed by a student named Carolyn Davidson in 1971. She was paid $35 for it. Knight reportedly said at the time, "I don't love it, but it will grow on me." Years later, in 1983, Davidson received Nike stock for her design. Knight said he gave her "a few hundred shares" when the company went public.
At Nike, Knight became friends with famous athletes. These included basketball legend Michael Jordan and golf star Tiger Woods.
Laika Animation Studio
In the late 1990s, an animation company called Will Vinton Studios needed investors. Knight bought a 15% share in 1998. His son, Travis, who wanted to be an animator, started working there.
Knight later bought Will Vinton Studios and took control. In 2003, he renamed the company Laika. He invested $180 million into it. Laika released its first movie, Coraline, in 2009. It was a stop-motion film and was very successful. Travis Knight then became the CEO and president of Laika.
A Sad Time and Stepping Down
In May 2002, Knight's son, Matthew, passed away. He was 34 years old and died suddenly while scuba diving in El Salvador due to an unexpected health issue. Laika Studio's 2005 short film Moongirl was dedicated to Matthew.
Knight stepped down as Nike's CEO on November 18, 2004. He remained the chairman of the board. In 2011, the Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon was named in Matthew's honor.
Knight officially retired from the Nike board in June 2016.
Phil Knight's Book
Knight's book, Shoe Dog, came out in April 2016. It tells the story of how he built the Nike brand. It talks about everything from importing Japanese shoes to Nike's growth into a global company. The book was a bestseller.
Philanthropy and Giving Back
As of July 2021, Phil Knight's wealth was about $60.8 billion. In 1990, he started the Philip H. Knight Charitable Foundation Trust. He is known as the most generous giver in Oregon's history. By 2016, his total gifts were close to $2 billion. In 2023, he was America's second-largest donor, giving $1.2 billion.
Gifts to Stanford University
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" in his honor.
In 2016, Knight gave $400 million to start the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford. This program helps graduate students from around the world. They are encouraged to work on big global problems like climate change and poverty. The first group of scholars arrived in 2018.
In May 2022, Phil and Penny Knight gave Stanford $75 million. This gift created the Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience. It will study how the brain changes as people get older and diseases like Parkinson's.
Gifts to the University of Oregon
As of 2023, Knight has given over one billion dollars to the University of Oregon. He made his first big gift in the late 1980s. By 2000, he had given over $50 million.
Supporting Academics
Knight's gifts helped renovate the Knight Library and build the Knight Law Center. He also created special teaching positions across the campus. In 2016, he announced a $500 million donation for a new science complex. This complex has three buildings for labs and research.
Supporting Sports (Oregon Ducks)
Knight has given a lot to the University of Oregon's sports teams, known as the Oregon Ducks. He helped build the Moshofsky Center, which opened in 1998.
In 2007, Knight and his wife gave $100 million to start the UO Athletics Legacy Fund. This fund helps all sports programs at the university. This was the largest gift in the university's history at the time.
The Matthew Knight Arena, built in 2010, was named after Knight's son. It cost over $200 million to build. Knight also paid for the UO's $68 million football facility, which opened in 2013. This facility has a gym, meeting rooms, and a game room for players.
In 2015, Knight and his wife gave $19.2 million for a new sports complex. This complex, called the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, helps athletes train better. In 2021, Knight also helped fund the renovation of Hayward Field, a track and field stadium.
Some Challenges
Knight's gifts to the athletic department have sometimes caused discussions. In 2000, students wanted the university to support fair labor practices for workers who make products for universities. Knight disagreed with some of their ideas. He then withdrew a $30 million gift for a stadium project. Later, the university changed its rules, and Knight reinstated his donation, increasing it to over $50 million.
Another discussion was about Pat Kilkenny becoming the athletic director. Kilkenny did not have a college degree or experience in sports management. However, he was a successful businessman.
Other Important Projects
In 2008, Knight and his wife promised $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute. This was the largest gift in the history of Oregon Health & Science University. The institute was renamed the "OHSU Knight Cancer Institute."
In 2010, Knight gave money to the Catlin Gabel School for a scholarship program.
In 2013, Knight announced he would donate $500 million for cancer research if OHSU could raise another $500 million. By 2015, OHSU met the goal, and Knight made his $500 million donation, bringing the total to $1 billion for cancer research.
Knight and his wife also gave to the Marylhurst Knights Opportunity Scholarship Program. As a result, a lawn at Marylhurst University was named "Knight's Green" in their honor. In 2016, Knight also gave $112 million in Nike stock to charity.
Awards and Honors
In 2000, 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 big support of U.S. basketball and its players.
In 1989, he received the Golden Plate Award. In 2015, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his leadership in business and giving.
In 2020, the University of Oregon asked fans which four alumni they would put on a "Mount Rushmore" for the university. Knight was one of the four chosen. The others were track legend Steve Prefontaine, NFL player Marcus Mariota, and basketball star Sabrina Ionescu. In 2024, Knight received an award from World Athletics.
Phil Knight's Family Life
Knight met his wife, Penelope "Penny" Parks, when he was working 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 and creating the Air Jordan brand. Actor Ben Affleck plays Phil Knight in the film.
Politics and Views
Knight is a registered Republican. He often gives money to Republican political candidates in Oregon. For example, in 2010, he donated to Chris Dudley, a Republican running for Governor of Oregon.
However, Knight has also supported some Democrats. In 1986, he helped Neil Goldschmidt's campaign. In 2014, he donated to the re-election campaign of Democrat John Kitzhaber.
He gave a large amount of money to Republican Knute Buehler in the 2018 Oregon governor's election. Knight has expressed concerns about Oregon's financial situation.
In the 2022 Oregon governor's election, Knight was again a major donor. He first supported independent candidate Betsy Johnson. When her support dropped, he switched to backing Republican Christine Drazan. He also donated to a group trying to elect Republican state lawmakers in Oregon.
Knight usually doesn't give many interviews. But in October 2022, he spoke to the New York Times about supporting Republican candidates. He said Oregon's government had moved too far to the left. He described himself as "more conservative than Nike."
See also
In Spanish: Phil Knight para niños
- Philip H. Knight Chairs and Professorships
