Complex is testing your Nike knowledge once again. Their latest compilation is called “50 Things You Didn’t Know About Nike” and is a collection of trivia about the brand that ranges from the esoteric to the pretty well known. For instance you’ve probably heard the tale about how the brand started out as Blue Ribbon Sports, but you might not know that Tinker’s initial inspiration for the Nike Huarache came from a water-skiing adventure. Continue reading to get a selection from the group and then hit Complex for the rest of them.
Nike made acid wash golf shorts in 1991.
The Jeremy Fish x Nike SB Classic was recalled by Nike because it wasn’t satisfied with the embossing on the sneaker.
The commercial for Air Max was the first time a record from The Beatles had been used in a commercial.
Phil Knight thought the Livestrong bracelet was “one of the dumbest ideas he ever heard.”
Despite the brand’s Oregon roots, the first retail store was opened in California.
Phil Knight was the first EKIN.
Nike is the only footwear brand to become the leader of the industry, lose its position, and then gain it back.
Nike accidentally put the map of South Carolina on a T-shirt for the Carolina Panthers.
On May 27, 1990, over 80,000 pairs of Nike sneakers were lost at sea.
Michael Jordan didn’t want to sign with Nike, but his parents made him meet with the brand.
The early ’90s craving for rugged boots dropped Nike’s stock.
Tinker Hatfield, designer of much of Nike’s core models, is surprised that hip-hop adopted his work.
The Nike Huarache was first inspired by Tinker Hatfield going waterskiing.
Originally, a good portion of Nike’s upper management believe that clothes weren’t of importance to an athlete.
Nike only expected $3M in sales for the first three years of the Air Jordan line.
For the ’96 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Nike put out an ad that said, “You don’t win silver, you lose gold.”
