Phil Knight
From Selling Shoes from a Car Trunk to Building Nike
Net Worth
$45B
Born
February 24, 1938 (age 88)
Country
United States
Occupation
Co-Founder of Nike, Businessman, Author
Gender
male
Generation
Silent Generation
Marital Status
married
Children
2
Single Parent Household
No
Education
Master's
University
University of Oregon, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Industries
business, sports
Wealth Category
billionaire
Wealth Origin
self-made
First-Gen Wealth
Yes
Overcame
- • Struggled with shyness and public speaking throughout career
- • Nearly went bankrupt multiple times in Nike's early years
- • Faced constant battles with banks for financing
- • Nearly lost company to Japanese supplier Onitsuka
- • Overcame numerous legal challenges including major lawsuits
Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, Inc., the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel. A former middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon, he started selling shoes from the trunk of his car and built a global empire that revolutionized sports marketing and athletic apparel. His 2016 memoir 'Shoe Dog' became a business classic, celebrated for its raw honesty about the struggles of entrepreneurship.
Career Timeline
Notable Quotes
"The cowards never started and the weak died along the way—that leaves us."
"Let everyone else call your idea crazy. Just keep going. Don't stop. Don't even think about stopping until you get there."
"God, how I wish I could've been an accountant. How I wish I could have sat in a room and done nothing but crunch numbers. But I was born to be a businessman. I was born to build something."
"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."
"Have faith in yourself but also have faith in faith. Not faith as others define it. Faith as you define it. Faith as faith defines itself in your heart."