Phil Knight - Another Great Duck
Another great Duck who has done so much for the University of Oregon is Phil Knight, owner of Nike, Inc.
The University of Oregon opened in 1876 (the year George Armstrong Custer and Wild Bill Hickok met their ends.) Phil Knight graduated from U of O in 1959 with a B.S. degree and went on to Stanford where he earned an MBA.
In 1964, Mr. Knight and his former track coach Bill Bowerman started Blue Ribbon Sports. Their idea was to build a better "track shoe."
They did!
In 1972 the "Nike" nameplate was formed, named after the Greek goddess of victory. 
Phil Knight and his wife Penny have given millions upon millions to charities and other noble causes, including $100 million to the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, $105 million to Stanford's Graduate School of Business, and probably even larger donations to the University of Oregon. The Knights are very private about their contributions.
Thank you Mr. Knight and GOOD LUCK DUCKS! Let's "swoosh 'em!"
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