Phil Knight

"Phillip Knight" redirects here. For the footballer, see Phillip Knight (footballer).
Phil Knight
Born Philip Hampson Knight
February 24, 1938
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Residence Hillsboro, Oregon
Alma mater University of Oregon
Stanford University
Occupation Co-founder and Chairman Nike, Inc.
Net worth US$22.9 Billion(April 2015)[1]
Spouse(s) Penelope "Penny" Knight
Children Matthew Knight
Travis Knight
Christina Knight
Alexis Knight
Parent(s) William W. Knight
Lota Hatfield Knight
Website
Nike Corporation

Philip Hampson "Phil" Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American business magnate. A native of Oregon, he is the co-founder and chairman of Nike, Inc., and previously served as the chief executive officer of Nike. In 2014, Forbes named Knight the 43rd richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$22.3 billion.[2] He is also the owner of the stop motion film production company Laika.

A graduate of the University of Oregon and Stanford Graduate School of Business (Stanford GSB), he has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to both schools; Knight gave the largest donation in history at the time to Stanford's business school in 2006. A native Oregonian, he ran track under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon, with whom he would co-found Nike.

Early years

Knight is the son of lawyer turned newspaper publisher William W. Knight, and his wife Lota (Hatfield) Knight.[3][4] Growing up in the Portland neighborhood of Eastmoreland, he attended Cleveland High School in Portland. According to one source, "When his father refused to give him a summer job at his newspaper [the Oregon Journal], believing that his son should find work on his own, Phil went to the rival Oregonian, where he worked the night shift tabulating sports scores every morning and running home the full seven miles."[5]

Knight continued his education at the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, where he is a graduate brother of Phi Gamma Delta ("FIJI") fraternity, was a sports reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald[6] and earned a journalism degree in 1959.[3]

As a middle-distance runner at UO, his personal best was a 4-minute, 10-second mile,[7] and he won varsity letters for his track performances in 1957, 1958 and 1959. In 1977, together with Bowerman and Geoff Hollister, Knight founded an American running team called Athletics West.

Early career

Before the Blue Ribbon Sports business that would later become Nike flourished, Knight was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), firstly with Price Waterhouse, and then Coopers & Lybrand. Knight then became an assistant professor of business administration at Portland State University (PSU).[8]

Nike's origin

Immediately after graduating from Oregon, Knight enlisted in the Army and served one year on active duty and seven years in the Army Reserve.[3] After the year of active duty, he enrolled at Stanford Graduate School of Business.[3] In Frank Shallenberger's Small Business class, Knight developed a love affair with something besides sports — he discovered he was an entrepreneur. Knight recalls in a Stanford Magazine article:[3] "That class was an 'aha!' moment ... Shallenberger defined the type of person who was an entrepreneur--and I realized he was talking to me. I remember after saying to myself: 'This is really what I would like to do.' " In this class, Knight needed to create a business plan. His paper, "Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Sports Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?," essentially was the premise to his foray into selling running shoes. He graduated with a master's degree in business administration from the school in 1962.[3]

Knight set out on a trip around the world after graduation, during which he made a stop in Kobe, Japan, in November 1962. It was there he discovered the Tiger-brand running shoes, manufactured in Kobe by the Onitsuka Co. So impressed was he with the quality and low cost, Knight made a cold call on Mr. Onitsuka, who agreed to meet with him. By the end of the meeting, Knight had secured Tiger distribution rights for the western United States.

The first Tiger samples would take more than a year to be shipped to Knight, during which time he found a job as an accountant in Portland. When Knight finally received the shoe samples, he mailed two pairs to Bowerman at UO, hoping to gain both a sale and an influential endorsement. To Knight's surprise, Bowerman not only ordered the Tiger shoes, but also offered to become a partner with Knight and provide product design ideas. The two men agreed to a partnership by handshake on January 25, 1964, the birth date of Blue Ribbon Sports, the company name that would later be transformed into Nike.[9]

Knight's first sales were made out of a now legendary green Plymouth Valiant automobile at track meets across the Pacific Northwest. By 1969, these early sales allowed Knight to leave his accountant job and work full-time for Blue Ribbon Sports.

Jeff Johnson, a friend of Knight, suggested calling the firm "Nike," named after the Greek winged goddess of victory. Nike's logo, now considered one of the most powerful logos in the world, more for its ubiquity than its aesthetic merits, was commissioned for a mere US$35 from Carolyn Davidson in 1971.[10] According to Nike's website, Knight said at the time: "I don't love it, but it will grow on me." In September 1983, Davidson was given an undisclosed amount of Nike stock for her contribution to the company's brand. On the Oprah television program in April 2011, Knight claimed he gave Davidson "A few hundred shares" when the company went public.

Later years

Vinton Studios/Laika

Following mainstream success in the late 1990s, the animation company Will Vinton Studios experienced very rapid growth and Vinton needed to court external investors—Knight was one of the wealthy businessmen that he approached. Knight subsequently assumed a 15 percent stake in the company in 1998 and facilitated the employment of his son Travis, who had graduated from PSU following an unsuccessful attempt at a rap music career, as an animator.[11]

Following a period of severe mismanagement, Knight eventually purchased Will Vinton Studios and assumed control of the company's board with the cooperation of Nike executives. In late 2003, Knight appointed his son to the board, who had proven himself as an adept animator since joining the company, and after Vinton stepped down from the board—prior to leaving the company with a severance package—Knight rebranded the company Laika. Knight invested US$180 million into Laika following Vinton's departure and the studio released its first feature film, Coraline (in stop motion), in 2009. Coraline was a financial success and Travis Knight was promoted into the roles of Laika CEO and President in the same year.[11][12]

Death of Matthew Knight

In May 2004, two years after Knight bought Vinton, his son Matthew, aged 34 years, traveled to El Salvador to film a fund-raising video for Christian Children of the World, a Portland nonprofit organization. However, while scuba diving with colleagues in Lake Ilopango, near San Salvador, he died immediately from a heart attack 65 feet (20 m) underwater due to an undetected congenital heart defect. Knight and Travis traveled to El Salvador to return Matthew Knight's body to the U.S. and Travis explained in 2007, "It brought the family closer. You realize all this can go away in a minute."[12] Laika Studio's 2005 short film Moongirl was dedicated to Matthew's memory.

Knight resigned as the CEO of Nike on November 18, 2004, several months after his son Matthew's funeral,[12] but retained the position of chairman of the board.[13][14] Knight's replacement was William Perez, former CEO of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., who was eventually replaced by Mark Parker in 2006.[15]

Post-Nike CEO role

During the 2009-2010 period, Knight was the largest single contributor to the campaign to defeat Oregon Ballot Measures 66 and 67, which, once passed, increased income tax on some corporations and high-income individuals.[16]

According to a February 10, 2012 filing by attorney John F. Coburn III, on behalf of Knight, Knight owned 67,097,005 shares of Class A Common Stock and 7,740 shares of Class B Common Stock in the Nike corporation.[17]

Philanthropy

In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in Oregon.[18] At the time of his induction, he had contributed approximately US$230 million to UO, the majority of which was for athletics.[19]

UO protests

However, Knight's contributions to the Athletic Department at UO have also led to controversy.[20] In April 2000, student body leaders began organizing an anti-sweatshop and fair labor practices campaign, and called for Dave Frohnmayer, president of the school, to support the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC). On April 4, 2000, students began a sit-in at Johnson Hall, the UO's administrative center. In early April, an open meeting of students further demanded that the organization Fair Labor Association (FLA) would receive no consideration from the university, as it was perceived as a group founded, funded and backed by Nike and other corporations, and had also been criticized by worker rights advocates as an exercise in dishonest public relations.[21][22]

University President Dave Frohnmayer subsequently signed a one-year contract with the WRC, and Knight's reaction was to withdraw a US$30 million commitment toward the Autzen Stadium expansion project and to offer no further donations to the university.[23][24] In a public statement, Knight criticized the WRC for having unrealistic provisions and called it misguided, while praising the FLA for being "balanced" in its approach.[25] In the face of ongoing conflict with students, Frohnmayer sided with Knight's assertion that the WRC was providing unbalanced representation[26][27] and in October 2000, according to the Eugene Weekly, Frohnmayer stated:

... he would refuse to pay dues to the WRC based on a legal opinion from UO General Counsel Melinda Grier arguing that to do so would be illegal and open the university to liability. Grier claimed the WRC had not yet incorporated, had not yet filed as a non-profit, and served no public purpose justifying a dues payment.[22]

On February 16, 2001, the Oregon University System enacted a mandate that all institutions within the system choose business partners from a politically neutral standpoint, barring all universities in Oregon from joining either the WRC or the FLA.[28] Following the dissolved relationship between the university and the WRC, Knight reinstated the donation and increased the amount to over US$50 million.[29]

Also controversial was Knight's success in lobbying for his wealthy friend, and a former insurance salesman, Kilkenny to be named as Athletic Director at the university.[30] Kilkenny had neither a college degree, nor any prior experience in athletics administration—he attended but did not graduate from UO, as he left the school with several credit hours still owing. Prior to his appointment at UO, Kilkenny had been the chairman and chief executive officer of the San Diego, U.S.-based Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, and grew the business into a nationwide organization, with written premiums of nearly US$1 billion when he sold the company in 2006.[31]

Matthew Knight Arena

The 2010 construction of the UO basketball team's facility, Matthew Knight Arena, was the result of a partnership between Knight and former Oregon Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny. Primarily home to the Oregon Duck basketball teams, the arena is described by UO as "a multipurpose indoor facility with a 12,000 seat capacity," and large-scale entertainment events, conferences, other sports events, bull riding, faith rallies, rock music concerts, men's and women's volleyball, and gymnastics have occurred in the facility. The building was designed with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in mind and, if successfully certified, will be the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) venue to achieve this status. Named after Knight's deceased son, the venue replaced the McArthur Court building and its cost of over US$200 million was achieved with the direct financial support of both Knight and Kilkenny.[32]

Other projects

In 2006 Knight donated US$105 million to the Stanford GSB, which, at the time, was the largest ever individual donation to an American business school. The campus was named "The Knight Management Center," in honor of Knight's philanthropic service to the school.[33]

In August 2007, Knight announced that he and his wife would be donating US$100 million to found the UO Athletics Legacy Fund to help support all athletic programs at the university. In response, Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny said: "This extraordinary gift will set Oregon athletics on a course toward certain self sufficiency and create the flexibility and financial capacity for the university to move forward with the new athletic arena." At the time, the donation was the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the university.[34]

In October 2008, Knight and his wife pledged US$100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute, the largest gift in the history of Oregon Health & Science University, renamed the "Oregon Health Sciences University" in 1981. In recognition, the university renamed the organization the "OHSU Knight Cancer Institute."[35]

On May 18, 2012, Knight contributed US$65,000 to a higher education Political Action Committee (PAC) formed by Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle.[36][37] According to Boyle, the PAC will help facilitate an increase in the autonomy of schools in the Oregon University System.[38] In the fall of 2014, it was reported in the media that Knight would donate up to $1 billion to UO's endowment fund. However, these rumors did not materialize.[39]

Knight was responsible for financing the UO's US$68 million 145,000 square-foot gridiron football facility that was officially opened in late July 2013. Knight's personal locker in the team's locker room displays the title "Uncle Phil", and other features include a gym with Brazilian hardwood floors, Apple iPhone chargers in each of the player's lockers, various auditoriums and meeting rooms, a games room for the players that includes flat-screen televisions and table football machines, and a cafeteria.[40][41][42]

On September 27, 2013, Knight surprised the audience at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute's biennial gala, when he announced his intention to donate US$500 million for research if OHSU could match it over the subsequent two years.[43]

Accolades

On February 24, 2012, Knight was announced as a 2012 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. The Hall recognized him as the driving force behind Nike's huge financial support of U.S. basketball and its players. Knight was formally inducted on September 7, 2012.[44]

Personal life

Knight met his future wife, Penelope "Penny" Parks, while he was working at Portland State University and the pair were married on September 13, 1968.[45] They own a home in La Quinta, California.[46] Their son Matthew Knight was killed May 23, 2004 in a diving accident in El Salvador. Knight was recreationally diving in Lake Ilopango near San Salvador, the nation's capital, when the accident occurred. He was 34.

References

  1. ↑ "http://www.forbes.com/profile/phil-knight/gallery".
  2. ↑ "Forbes 400: Phil Knight". Forbes. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Krentzman, Jackie (1997). "The Force Behind the Nike Empire". Stanford Magazine. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  4. ↑ "Phil Knight". Accessed May 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ Susan Hauser. 1992. "Must Be the Shoes," People, May 4, pp.139-140. Accessed: May 13, 2012.
  6. ↑ "25 Things about the Oregon Daily Emerald", March 29, 2011. Accessed May 13, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Notable Oregonians: Phil Knight — Innovator, Business Leader". Oregon Blue Book. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  8. ↑ Anne M. Peterson, "Nike's Phil Knight resigns as CEO," Seattle Times, November 19, 2004. Accessed May 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ "History & Heritage". Nike, Inc. Nike. 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nike gives board seniors the boot". BBC. 2004-08-02. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Zachary Crockett (9 May 2014). "How the Father of Claymation Lost His Company". Priceonomics. Priceonomics. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Salter, Chuck (December 19, 2007). "The Knights' Tale". Fast Company. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  13. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (November 19, 2004). "Nike's Phil Knight resigns as CEO". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  14. ↑ Dash, Eric (November 19, 2004). "Founder of Nike to Hand Off Job to a New Chief". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  15. ↑ Barbaro, Michael; Dash, Eric (January 24, 2006). "Another Outsider Falls Casualty to Nike's Insider Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  16. ↑ The Oregonian, "The closing tally on the Measures 66 and 67 campaigns: $12.5 million" March 03, 2010
  17. ↑ John F. Coburn III (13 February 2012). "NIKE INC Filed by KNIGHT PHILIP H" (PDF). FORM SC 13G/A (Amended Statement of Ownership). EDGAR Online, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Philip H. Knight - Special Contribution". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  19. ↑ Bachman, Rachel; Hunsberger, Brent (May 4, 2008). "Phil Knight's influence transforms University of Oregon athletics". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  20. ↑ Fish, Mike (13 January 2006). "Just do it!". ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  21. ↑ Sachie Hopkins-Hayakawa (24 February 2011). "University of Oregon students demonstrate for fair labor practices, 2000-2001". Global Nonviolent Action Database. Swarthmore College. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Alan Pittman (16 November 2000). "Swoosh Goes Worker Rights". Eugene Weekly. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  23. ↑ Lang, Jeremy (2001-04-04). "Old issues, new strategies". Oregon Daily Emerald. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  24. ↑ Romano, Ben (2000-04-24). "Knight pulls all money". Oregon Daily Emerald. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Statement from Nike founder and CEO Philip H. Knight regarding the University of Oregon". Oregon Daily Emerald. 2000-04-24. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  26. ↑ Romano, Ben (2000-09-25). "Great debate: WRC vs. FLA". Oregon Daily Emerald. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  27. ↑ Friedman, Thomas (2000-06-20). "Foreign Affairs; Knight Is Right". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  28. ↑ Adams, Andrew (2001-03-05). "OUS policy won't stop labor debate". Oregon Daily Emerald. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  29. ↑ Peterson, Anne (2004-11-19). "Nike's Phil Knight resigns as CEO". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  30. ↑ "OTL: Phil Knight and Oregon" (FLASH VIDEO). Outside the Lines. ESPN. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  31. ↑ "Oregon Names Kilkenny Athletic Director". GoDucks.com. 14 February 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  32. ↑ "University of Oregon - Matthew Knight Arena". EugenCascadesCoast.org. EugenCascadesCoast.org. 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  33. ↑ Fernando A. D’Alessio; Beatrice Avolio (2012). "Business schools and resources constraints: A task for deans or magicians?" (PDF). Research in Higher Education Journal. Academic and Business Research Institute (AABRI). Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  34. ↑ Associated Press (21 August 2007). "Knight's $100 million gift to bankroll Oregon athletics fund". ESPN College Sports. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  35. ↑ "Knights to give $100 million to OHSU Cancer Institute". Oregon Health & Science University. October 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  36. ↑ Brown, Kate. "Oregonians For Higher Education Excellence". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  37. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel. "Tim Boyle, Pat Kilkenny Ante Up For Higher Ed PAC". Willamette Week. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  38. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel. "New Political Action Committee Will Focus on Higher Ed". Willamette Week. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  39. ↑ Hammond, Betsy. "Huge Phil Knight donation to University of Oregon tonight? 'Exciting,' 'historic' invitation-only event spurs rumors". The Oregonian. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  40. ↑ Tony Manfred (31 July 2014). "Oregon's New $68-Million Football Facility Is Like Nothing We've Ever Seen In College Sports". Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  41. ↑ Tony Manfred (20 September 2013). "Phil Knight Has His Own Locker In Oregon's New $68-Million Football Facility". Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  42. ↑ Tony Manfred (1 August 2013). "New Photos From Inside Oregon's Monstrous $68-Million Football Facility". Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Phil and Penny Knight to OHSU: $500 million is yours for cancer research if you can match it". Oregonian. September 21, 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  44. ↑ "Five Direct-Elects for the Class of 2012 Announced By the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Phil Knight: How He Empowers Others", The Woman's Conference. Accessed: May 13, 2012.
  46. ↑ Meeks, Eric G. (2012). Palm Springs Celebrity Homes: Little Tuscany, Racquet Club, Racquet Club Estates and Desert Park Estates Neighborhoods (KINDLE). Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 413 (Kindle location number). ASIN B00A2PXD1G.

Further reading

External links