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For decades, the Bowerman family had been pestered. “Where is the waffle iron?” curious letter writers and Nike campus visitors would ask. There was no answer, as Barbara Bowerman was sure she had thrown out the breakfast maker that launched an athletic empire years before. A little pre-construction cleaning later though, the catalyst for Nike’s success appeared in a buried cardboard box.
Melissa Bowerman’s (Bill’s daughter) brother-in-law recently unearthed the original waffle iron, as well as some original Nike shoes, in a box that had been buried on the family farm. Though he wanted to throw the vintage goods away, Melissa knew just what those items were and their significance. For those unaware, the sneaker that revolutionized Bowerman and Phil Knight’s business was 1974’s Waffle Trainer, which we know today as the Waffle Racer. Bowerman had been looking for a lightweight sole design that would be efficient on University of Oregon’s new artificial surface track, as well as other running surfaces. A moment of brilliance came in 1971 when he realized that a waffle iron’s imprint, when reversed, would provide great traction on the underside of a shoe. After three years of tinkering, Nike’s revolutionary track shoe was born and an empire began. Unfortunately, that tinkering also led to Bowerman gluing the waffle plates together and disposing of them.
Last week marked Bill Bowerman’s 100th birthday, which Nike executives and Historian Scott Reames felt would be a great time to reveal the discovery to Nike employees. If you’re wondering what it took for Nike to acquire the artifact, Melissa was tight-lipped but revealed that a “generous sum” was given to build a much-needed pole-vault pit for the track team at Condon-Wheeler High School (Bill Bowerman’s alma mater).
And you thought your collection contained rarities.
Source: Oregon Live
