Facts about Phil Knight
Phil Knight is 83 years old
Born: February 24, 1938
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon, United States
Best known as: Founder of the athletic shoe and clothing company Nike
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Phil Knight Biography
Phil Knight is the founder and CEO of the athletic gear company Nike. Knight and Nike helped start a sports business revolution in the 1970s, changing old-fashioned tennis shoes into highly specialized equipment and promoting them as symbols of athletic prowess and success. Nike’s success made Knight one of America’s wealthiest men. In the 1990s he was the subject of frequent protests over allegedly poor working conditions at Nike manufacturing plants in Asia.
Extra credit
Prominent Nike athletes have included Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and Steve Prefontaine… In October of 2002, Knight acquired the animation studios of clay animation pioneer Will Vinton… as a New Empire mogul, Knight is often compared to Microsoft head Bill Gates.