Shoe Dog

Shoe Dog is a first-person memoir written by Nike cofounder Phil Knight. It was published in 2016. Shoe Dog primarily recounts the events from 1962, the year Knight traveled around the world as a young man, to 1980, the year Nike went public and Knight became a multimillionaire. The years in between are comprised of the struggles and challenges Knight faced as he worked to build the company that would ultimately be known worldwide as Nike.

Shoe Dog is divided into 20 chapters, each one roughly corresponding to one year in Knight’s life. In addition to the challenges related to building a company, Knight also reflects on the challenges and triumphs he faced as a son, as a young man searching for his identity, as a husband and a father. The memoir explores themes of Telling the Truth as a Successful Business Strategy, Breaking Rules in Order to Succeed, and The Desire for Victory as Nike’s Binding Spirit.

Plot Summary

It is 1962. After completing undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon and business school at Stanford, Knight returns to his parents’ home in Portland, Oregon. While out running one day, he decides he wants to partner with a Japanese shoe company to sell shoes in the United States.