The pursuit of innovation in the world of sports footwear and apparel is central to Nike’s mission statement as a company. This video gives a bit of background on one of their longest tenured innovators: Mark Friton. Friton is a freelance designer who has been cranking out models with Nike for some 30 years now. He began, as so many of Nike’s head honchos did, on the University of Oregon track team, and ended up working with the company until they had a campus of their own (and even played a role in the founding of the legendary Innovation Kitchen). Get a full look at the video after the jump to learn a little more about this unsung hero of Nike design history.