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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2000)
Nike’s legacy rooted at Hayward Both were big events that struck the Eugene community. Both were events that dealt with two separate people from the Oregon track and field past who shared a common link to each other. But both events couldn’t have been more different. On Dec. 24,1999 renowned University track coach and co- * founder of Nike, Bill Bowerman died at the age of 88. On April 23, 2000 Nike CEO and former Oregon track athlete Phil Knight officially | halted all personal donations to his alma 1 mater as a result of the University joining the Worker Rights Consor- . tium. The reason both events are be ing brought up this week is that Hayward Field is home to the prestigious 26th annual Pre fontaine Classic Grand Prix, which kicks off this Saturday at 11:15 a.m. One of the reasons it has been a continued success is that it has been bolstered greatly over the years through Nike’s monetary contributions. A fact that not too many peo ple are aware of is»that the Pre Classic was intended to have a different name. In 1975, the event was sched uled to be called the Bowerman Classic, in honor of the man whose remarkable Oregon coach ing career lasted from 1949-72. It was a much deserved tribute to the coach who had won four na tional titles, led his team to top 10 finishes in the nation 16 dif ferent times and had coached 24 NCAA individual champions. But the meet took on a whole new twist when running sensa tion Steve Prefontaine’s tragic death on May 30,1975, led offi cials to rename the classic in his name. Still, there is no denying the Jeff Smith impact Bowerman had on this particular meet, on Hayward Field and on the city of Eugene itself. “One thing that is true about the Prefontaine Classic is that it is a direct link to his legacy,” Pre fontaine meet director Tom Jor dan told the Emerald at the time of Bowerman’s death. “He was a great in novator and a great coach.” He was indeed both, but as great as his coach ing was, his inventions are perhaps what will help his legacy live on forever. For instance, are you aware that he created the rubberized asphalt track? It’s probably hard to even consider the sport of track and field without it because it is now used through out the world. And did you ever wonder who was one of the trendsetters in the video slow-motion craze in terms of analyzing athletes and team play? Yup, it was Bowerman. He used the technology to fully exam ine the technique of his runners. His most popular invention, however, is thq one that every body knows about. Using his wife’s waffle iron, he mixed to gether latex, leather and glue. The result? Only the world’s most popular running shoes that would soon be known as Nike shoes. His partner in forming the Nike shoe business was Knight, who has propelled the multi-bil lion dollar shoe and apparel company to global success. Bowerman’s legacy will be honored at this year’s Pre Classic. Before most of the events get un der way, a special ceremony will be held. At 11:32 a.m., a statue of Bow erman will be unveiled. At that time, there will also be an introduction of Bowerman Team Members, which will be a gathering of many athletes that competed under the legendary coach. No word yet as to whether one of those athletes will be Knight, who met Bowerman in 1957 when he ran on the track team. It’s kind of ironic that Knight and Bowerman both are connect ed with this weekend, because the athlete who this event is named after was the one who helped jump start Nike into what it is today. In 1973, Prefontaine became the first major athlete to wear the Nike shoe. The connection with Oregon athletics and Nike seemed to be a bond that would never be bro ken. But alas, it all came crum bling down when Oregon joined the WRC, a labor-monitoring or ganization that is strongly against Nike. “At this time, this is not a situ ation that can be resolved,” said Knight, in his letter to the Uni versity in April. “The bonds of trust, which allowed me to give at a high level, have been shred ded.” When hearing such harsh words, it makes you want to go back to Knight’s reaction to Bow erman’s death. When his words were not of some Nike CEO, but of a former athlete who was sad dened by the loss of his mentor. ' “In 1998, a magazine asked me to name my personal hero,” Knight said in a released state ment at the time. “Without hesi tation, I named Bill Bowerman. He was for so many of us a hero, leader and — most of all — teacher. My sadness at his pass ing is beyond words.” One can only hope that the ex athlete inside of him will prevail in the future, and the legacy of his late coach and first Nike ath lete will deliver him toward his beloved alma mater — and help get Oregon athletics back on the right track. Jeff Smith is the associate editor for the Emerald. His views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. He can be reached at Smittside@aol.com AWWWW’vWWWWVWWWWC AW ECO-DRIVE CITIZEN See our large selection of running watches i G-Shock • Reebok • Timex • Freestyle • Spoon • Animal j$j Citizen Luminox Seiko Swiss Army Fossil Swatch Skagen Suunto from Finland' Pulsar Chase-Durer Storm & Many More! 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