Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, Inc., one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel. He had served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the company in the past. Dubbed the “most powerful person in sports” by ‘Sports Illustrated’, Knight is neither a sportsman nor the owner of a sports team, but his influence on the world of sports has been tremendous. He had always had an interest in running and was a middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene where he studied journalism. As a college student, he was confused about his future and tried his hand working at different jobs before realizing what he actually wanted to do. He served in the army for some time and also worked as an assistant professor at Portland State University (PSU). It was only when he enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Business that his life purpose made itself clear to him. While working on a college assignment he came up with the idea for a sports shoe company and realized that he had found his calling. He teamed up with his former track coach, Bill Bowerman and the duo started out by selling Japanese-made running shoes in America. Eventually their business evolved into what is today one of the most famous brands of sports apparel, Nike