Taking a commodity athletic shoe and turning it into a fashion statement took vision, edgy creative and a once-in-a-lifetime presenter named Mike ;5 Nike.

Advertising Age, December, 1999 by Friedman, Wayne

Nike's brand name genius actually starts with a more mysterious moniker: Onitsuka.

In the 1960s Phil Knight, then operating a small running shoe company called Blue Ribbon Sports, imported Onitsuka Tiger running shoes from Japan.

It wasn't until 1971 that the company put the Nike name on its first running shoe and began its rise in the sports footwear world -- thanks primarily to the running boom that started in the late '70s. By the early '80s, Nike had made an impact.

Reebok had responded to the challenge and actually pulled ahead of Nike in market share in those years. But just when it looked like its world was collapsing, Nike made a bold move in 1985 -- making basketball legend Michael Jordan and the company big stars.

GAME...

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