Shane Parrish

So over hamburgers at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Portland, Bowerman makes him an offer, a 50-50 partnership.

Stop and think about that for a second.

Knight is a kid with no track record, no money, no infrastructure, selling shoes out of the trunk of his Plymouth.

And the most respected track coach in America is sitting across the table offering to go halves.

It's not like Bowerman didn't know him at all.

He used to coach him.

But this is a big leap.

Knight looked across at the man whose approval he craved even more than his father's and said yes.

This shook hands.

He later wrote that he felt like he was daring to negotiate with God.

Bowerman wasn't doing charity.

He saw something in this awkward young man that others had missed.

He trusted his business sense enough to bet real money on it.

January 25th, 1964, Blue Ribbon Sports is officially born.

Each partner puts in $500.

That handshake would be worth billions.

For the next several years, Knight lives a double life.

By day, he's a respectable accountant.

By night and on weekends, he's a shoe peddler.

He drives his green Plymouth around the Pacific Northwest, pops open the trunk, lays out the tires, and waits for runners to wander over.