The Birthplace of Nike

Nike was founded in Eugene, Oregon in 1964 by University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman, under the name Blue Ribbon Sports. Bowerman, who was obsessed with making lighter and faster running shoes, is said to have poured rubber into his wife's waffle iron to develop the waffle sole that became Nike's signature. The company renamed itself Nike in 1971 after the Greek goddess of victory and moved its operations to the Portland area, where its world headquarters in Beaverton remains today.

Source: Wikipedia