The Bill Bowerman Story

Bill Bowerman made the University of Oregon the running capital of the world, coached dozens of milers to break four minutes, created the American jogging phenomenon, and revolutionized the running shoe. His philosophy as a trainer emphasized the uniqueness of each athlete, and was often translated into his designs. To better his athletes, Bowerman reinvented the track, the clothes, and his holy grail, the shoe. This inventor of the waffle sole died in December 1999, and this online documentary incorporates historical photos and segments of interviews with Bowerman to tell the story of the Nike co-founder and introduce the shoe line designed in his honor. To capture the spirit of the multifaceted Bill Bowerman, this Web documentary simultaneously explores three storylines: Bowerman as athlete, designer, and teacher. While users watch one story, two others can be accessed in parallel, capturing the complexity of Bowerman’s passion and the depth of his influence. By combining random accessibility with self-running modes, users can actively explore how the different threads of Bowerman’s life intertwined, or sit back and watch the narrative unfold. The site combines animation, photographs, and music not only as storytelling devices, but also as clues to a visitor’s progression along the story line. In addition to learning of Bowerman’s life, visitors can also examine the implementation of Bowerman’s design philosophy in the contemporary shoe line, layer by layer.