Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), the company founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in 1964, originally sold Japanese-made athletic shoes, primarily Onitsuka Tiger running shoes. The company was the predecessor to Nike and initially operated as a distributor rather than as a shoe manufacturer.
Onitsuka Tiger Running Shoes
Blue Ribbon Sports began by importing and selling shoes made by Onitsuka Co. of Japan, the company that produced Onitsuka Tiger footwear. Its early business model was relatively simple: bring Japanese running shoes into the United States and sell them to American runners.
In 1964, the first shipment consisted of 300 pairs of shoes, which Phil Knight stored at his parents’ home in Portland, Oregon. He then began selling the shoes directly to runners, including athletes at local high schools.
Running shoes were particularly important because Knight and Bowerman believed there was room to improve the footwear available to American distance runners.
The Tiger Cortez
One of the most important shoes associated with Blue Ribbon Sports was the Onitsuka Tiger Cortez.
Bill Bowerman worked with Onitsuka to develop a running shoe with improved cushioning after examining the footwear used by University of Oregon runner Kenny Moore. The resulting Tiger Cortez featured a cushioned midsole designed to reduce the impact of running on roads.
The shoe became a major success. When Blue Ribbon Sports later stopped distributing Onitsuka shoes and Nike began producing its own footwear, the Cortez design carried over to the new Nike brand. It eventually became known as the Nike Cortez.
Other Onitsuka Tiger Models
Blue Ribbon Sports’ early relationship with Onitsuka involved more than one shoe model. One documented example is the Onitsuka Tiger TG-22, which was actually designed as a high-jump shoe but was mistakenly sold by Blue Ribbon Sports as a running shoe. Kenny Moore trained in the shoe, and Bowerman subsequently examined it and used what he learned from it to develop an improved running design.
This illustrates an important point about early Blue Ribbon Sports: it was primarily a distributor of Japanese athletic footwear, rather than the Nike-style footwear manufacturer people associate with the company today.
Did Blue Ribbon Sports Sell Nike Shoes?
Eventually, yes, but the timeline matters.
Blue Ribbon Sports was already experimenting with footwear of its own before the Nike brand fully emerged. In 1971, while the company was still operating as Blue Ribbon Sports, it produced a football shoe called the Nike, which was one of its first shoes carrying the Nike name and Swoosh. Nike’s own historical records identify this football boot as an early step toward the company’s transition from distributor to footwear manufacturer.
The company’s development of its own footwear accelerated as its relationship with Onitsuka was coming to an end.
Blue Ribbon Sports and the Waffle Sole
Bill Bowerman also began developing new footwear technology while Blue Ribbon Sports was still operating.
His famous waffle sole was developed around 1970 after he experimented with a waffle iron to create a new rubber traction pattern. Blue Ribbon Sports employees later made early shoes using Japanese-made nylon uppers and waffle soles produced from rubber in Oregon. These shoes were tested by athletes around the 1972 U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
This work helped establish the design and manufacturing approach that would eventually become central to Nike.
Why Blue Ribbon Sports Is Important in Nike History
Blue Ribbon Sports was essentially the bridge between Japanese athletic footwear distribution and Nike’s own shoe designs.
The company started by importing Japanese running shoes, particularly Onitsuka Tiger footwear. Bill Bowerman’s involvement gradually changed the business because he wasn’t satisfied simply selling existing shoes. He wanted to redesign them to improve cushioning, traction, comfort and performance.
The Tiger Cortez was an especially important example. It began as an Onitsuka Tiger shoe developed with Bowerman’s input and later became part of Nike’s product history.
By the early 1970s, Blue Ribbon Sports was increasingly developing its own footwear. That transition eventually led to the Nike brand becoming the company’s primary identity.
Bottom Line
Blue Ribbon Sports originally sold Japanese-made Onitsuka Tiger athletic shoes, especially running footwear. Among the notable models associated with its early history were the Onitsuka Tiger TG-22 and the Tiger Cortez. The company later moved toward designing and producing its own shoes, including early Nike-branded footwear and shoes incorporating Bowerman’s waffle-sole technology.
That progression—from selling Onitsuka Tiger shoes to developing its own Nike footwear—is a major part of how Blue Ribbon Sports eventually became Nike.