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Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Cofounder
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon
No man has affected more runners in more ways than Bill Bowerman. During his 24-year tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon, he won four national team titles and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. He also ignited the jogging boom, invented the waffle-sole running shoe that helped establish Nike, and coached the US track and field team at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games
With the full cooperation of the Bowerman family and Nike, plus years of taped interviews with friends, relatives, students, and competitors, two-time Olympic marathoner Kenny Moore - himself one of Bowerman's champion athletes - brilliantly re-creates the legendary track coach's life.
No man has affected more runners in more ways than Bill Bowerman. During his 24-year tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon, he won four national team titles and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. He also ignited the jogging boom, invented the waffle-sole running shoe that helped establish Nike, and coached the US track and field team at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games
With the full cooperation of the Bowerman family and Nike, plus years of taped interviews with friends, relatives, students, and competitors, two-time Olympic marathoner Kenny Moore - himself one of Bowerman's champion athletes - brilliantly re-creates the legendary track coach's life.
480 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
January 25, 2010
In a sense, this three-star rating is an average: for those in the first group, this book may well merit four or five stars, but to the general audience (non-athletes in particular), the book would be of little to no interest. But if you fall into one of the former categories (runner, coach, or Nike fan), read on for a quick recap of the book's salient aspects.
First of all, I have to commend author Kenny Moore (former Oregon runner coached by Bowerman, and later Oregon MFA graduate) for his thoroughness: 400+ pages including 14-page index, and numerous photos covering everything from Bowerman's ancestors to his coaching heyday and early Nike days all the way up to near the end of Bowerman's life. As Moore notes in the acknowledgements, it took hundreds of sources, and the depth of source material comes through in the countless firsthand quotes and anecdotes from everyone from Phil Knight to long-forgotten collegiate runners.
What Moore does so nicely is weave the sprawling pile of material into a coherent narrative, centering on Bowerman's life and coaching (as the title would suggest), but also shedding significant light on the origins of Nike, the evolution of running coaching, the Olympics (including Munich), and the rise of the jogging movement (spurred in no small part by Bowerman, and his counterpart Arthur Lydiard, the great Kiwi coach). Moore also (at least to this runner) well conveys the thrill and suspense of races, the recounting of which plays a significant and regular role in the book. For the most part Moore's prose, like a good rabbit in a race, leads you along quickly and efficiently, but shines out with a bon mot or deep insight--often on running, but sometimes on life as well.
And after scanning through to write this review, I'm now inspired to go run myself--and that, for fellow runners, is always a valuable quality in a book.
First of all, I have to commend author Kenny Moore (former Oregon runner coached by Bowerman, and later Oregon MFA graduate) for his thoroughness: 400+ pages including 14-page index, and numerous photos covering everything from Bowerman's ancestors to his coaching heyday and early Nike days all the way up to near the end of Bowerman's life. As Moore notes in the acknowledgements, it took hundreds of sources, and the depth of source material comes through in the countless firsthand quotes and anecdotes from everyone from Phil Knight to long-forgotten collegiate runners.
What Moore does so nicely is weave the sprawling pile of material into a coherent narrative, centering on Bowerman's life and coaching (as the title would suggest), but also shedding significant light on the origins of Nike, the evolution of running coaching, the Olympics (including Munich), and the rise of the jogging movement (spurred in no small part by Bowerman, and his counterpart Arthur Lydiard, the great Kiwi coach). Moore also (at least to this runner) well conveys the thrill and suspense of races, the recounting of which plays a significant and regular role in the book. For the most part Moore's prose, like a good rabbit in a race, leads you along quickly and efficiently, but shines out with a bon mot or deep insight--often on running, but sometimes on life as well.
And after scanning through to write this review, I'm now inspired to go run myself--and that, for fellow runners, is always a valuable quality in a book.
December 6, 2020
As the title of the book states, Bill Bowerman was known first and foremost as Oregon’s iconic track coach and only second as the founder of Nike, a fact which all but guarantees an interesting biography. While author Moore had excellent source material, great credit goes to him for producing a beautifully-written book that is engaging whether it is bringing to life dozens of races or recounting the tribulations of Bowerman’s ancestors on the Oregon trail. Moore’s account also benefits from his own intimate relationship to the subject: a Bowerman-trained athlete while at Oregon and for years after, Moore just missed an Olympic medal in the Marathon.
400+ pages later, and through no fault of Moore’s, the psychology of Bowerman still confounds. Elite coaches typically fall on a spectrum, with the Bobby Knights on one end and the John Woodens on the other, and Bowerman exhibited tendencies of both. At his core, he cared deeply about his athletes and took a tailored, time consuming approach for each person he coached. Contrary to what was popular at the time, he did not believe athletes should push through pain no matter what, and he absolutely would not let someone compete if he wasn’t healthy. Bowerman was one of the early pioneers of “hard days/easy days” and vehemently defended the novel concept of recovery time. Endearingly, he rewarded his athletes as much for their effort as for their talent, and he had no interest in motivating the lazy, no matter how talented. He once remarked, “I have neither the time nor patience to waste on trash.” This hard line approach could justifiably draw criticism in cases where he wrongly labeled an athlete or colleague as trash, as once you were in Bill’s black book, there was no going back. Alas, Bowerman was a coach you ran for because you loved him, respected him, and feared him all at the same time.
Bowerman’s range in pursuits both athletic and academic was extremely impressive. While most well known for his distance coaching, he minted a gold medalist in the 400m in Otis Davis and was a trusted shot and javelin coach, a feat practically unheard of then or now. There wasn’t even a full-time throws coach at Oregon until Bowerman retired. His role at Nike was that of the great inventor, and it really is amazing how handy and creative he was. Before Knight ever conceived the idea of Blue Ribbon Sports, Bowerman was stitching together racing shoes for one-time use by his athletes, after which they’d begin to fall apart. The book does, however, accurately represent Knight as the driving force behind Nike, as Bowerman’s love of sport far exceeded his love of business, a sticky fact that made Bowerman difficult to manage as the company grew from an upstart of misfits evangelizing the joy of running into a major corporation with a bottom line.
Moore’s book is a fun and at times emotional romp through history, both track and non-track related. For track-loving readers, you get the joy of reading about milers going under 4:00 minutes for the first time, the invention of the Fosbury Flop, Prefontaine's brief but powerful imprint on the world, the rise of doping, and the ridiculously extreme stance on amateurism in track, which forbid not only college athletes but also professionals from competing in the Olympics if they were profiting in any way from the sport. Over several frustrating decades, Bowerman helped lobby to abolish this purity test and provide pro athletes with a life other than penury.
You also get to experience some of the most important events of the 20th century through the lens of track and field, including WWII; Vietnam’s draft and the campus protests’ effects on competition; MLK assassination, race riots, and the subsequent question of boycotting the Olympics in ‘68; and the tragic ‘72 games, of which Bowerman had the dubious honor of being head coach, where he had to not only emotionally stabilize his athletes for competition hours after a terrorist attack but also deal with the incompetent and sociopathic head of the IOC, Avery Brundage.
On a lighter note, it’s amazing what coaches could get away with just a few decades ago. Bowerman was a notorious prankster, and his two signature pranks were urinating on his athletes in the shower when were they caught unawares, and branding athletes with his keys while in the sauna as a rite of passage.
While the book’s title makes it clear that this is a book about Bowerman and the MEN of Oregon, I would have liked just some context on why Bowerman completely ignored the women’s program at Oregon. While at Oregon, Bowerman never coached a female athlete, and the book doesn’t mention why. Oregon did not have a designated women’s coach until Bowerman’s retirement in 1974, after which the program quickly became a powerhouse there too. Perhaps he was just more comfortable with coaching men and had inherited the attitude of the times that women could not be serious athletes. This was dispelled later in his life when Mary Decker rose to global prominence, and Bowerman did help coach her on the side. Moore makes it clear Bowerman respected women and reserved a special sense of awe for his mother, who was forced to raise the children alone after her husband cheated on and then divorced her while she was pregnant with twins. Moore performs some armchair psychology that Bowerman from a young age was distrustful of men and shunned overt displays of masculinity, which manifested later in life when Bowerman forbid his athletes from calling him “coach.”
All in all, a very special and neglected sports biography by a talented Sports Illustrated writer that even casual fans of running will enjoy.
400+ pages later, and through no fault of Moore’s, the psychology of Bowerman still confounds. Elite coaches typically fall on a spectrum, with the Bobby Knights on one end and the John Woodens on the other, and Bowerman exhibited tendencies of both. At his core, he cared deeply about his athletes and took a tailored, time consuming approach for each person he coached. Contrary to what was popular at the time, he did not believe athletes should push through pain no matter what, and he absolutely would not let someone compete if he wasn’t healthy. Bowerman was one of the early pioneers of “hard days/easy days” and vehemently defended the novel concept of recovery time. Endearingly, he rewarded his athletes as much for their effort as for their talent, and he had no interest in motivating the lazy, no matter how talented. He once remarked, “I have neither the time nor patience to waste on trash.” This hard line approach could justifiably draw criticism in cases where he wrongly labeled an athlete or colleague as trash, as once you were in Bill’s black book, there was no going back. Alas, Bowerman was a coach you ran for because you loved him, respected him, and feared him all at the same time.
Bowerman’s range in pursuits both athletic and academic was extremely impressive. While most well known for his distance coaching, he minted a gold medalist in the 400m in Otis Davis and was a trusted shot and javelin coach, a feat practically unheard of then or now. There wasn’t even a full-time throws coach at Oregon until Bowerman retired. His role at Nike was that of the great inventor, and it really is amazing how handy and creative he was. Before Knight ever conceived the idea of Blue Ribbon Sports, Bowerman was stitching together racing shoes for one-time use by his athletes, after which they’d begin to fall apart. The book does, however, accurately represent Knight as the driving force behind Nike, as Bowerman’s love of sport far exceeded his love of business, a sticky fact that made Bowerman difficult to manage as the company grew from an upstart of misfits evangelizing the joy of running into a major corporation with a bottom line.
Moore’s book is a fun and at times emotional romp through history, both track and non-track related. For track-loving readers, you get the joy of reading about milers going under 4:00 minutes for the first time, the invention of the Fosbury Flop, Prefontaine's brief but powerful imprint on the world, the rise of doping, and the ridiculously extreme stance on amateurism in track, which forbid not only college athletes but also professionals from competing in the Olympics if they were profiting in any way from the sport. Over several frustrating decades, Bowerman helped lobby to abolish this purity test and provide pro athletes with a life other than penury.
You also get to experience some of the most important events of the 20th century through the lens of track and field, including WWII; Vietnam’s draft and the campus protests’ effects on competition; MLK assassination, race riots, and the subsequent question of boycotting the Olympics in ‘68; and the tragic ‘72 games, of which Bowerman had the dubious honor of being head coach, where he had to not only emotionally stabilize his athletes for competition hours after a terrorist attack but also deal with the incompetent and sociopathic head of the IOC, Avery Brundage.
On a lighter note, it’s amazing what coaches could get away with just a few decades ago. Bowerman was a notorious prankster, and his two signature pranks were urinating on his athletes in the shower when were they caught unawares, and branding athletes with his keys while in the sauna as a rite of passage.
While the book’s title makes it clear that this is a book about Bowerman and the MEN of Oregon, I would have liked just some context on why Bowerman completely ignored the women’s program at Oregon. While at Oregon, Bowerman never coached a female athlete, and the book doesn’t mention why. Oregon did not have a designated women’s coach until Bowerman’s retirement in 1974, after which the program quickly became a powerhouse there too. Perhaps he was just more comfortable with coaching men and had inherited the attitude of the times that women could not be serious athletes. This was dispelled later in his life when Mary Decker rose to global prominence, and Bowerman did help coach her on the side. Moore makes it clear Bowerman respected women and reserved a special sense of awe for his mother, who was forced to raise the children alone after her husband cheated on and then divorced her while she was pregnant with twins. Moore performs some armchair psychology that Bowerman from a young age was distrustful of men and shunned overt displays of masculinity, which manifested later in life when Bowerman forbid his athletes from calling him “coach.”
All in all, a very special and neglected sports biography by a talented Sports Illustrated writer that even casual fans of running will enjoy.
October 1, 2007
Quite simply, this is the best biography I have ever read. The names, places, and events may be unknown to many but I worked for a running publication for 12 years and was indirectly associated with many of the prominent individuals.
Bill Bowerman was descended from a line of true American pioneers. He was an American hero during WWII and again during the Munich games, safeguarding not only his athletes, but the Olympic spirit as well.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I finished it. I didn't want the story of Bill's life to end. Kenny Moore's description of Bill's final moments is handled so well and with such a soft touch that remaning unmoved is impossible. I applaud Kenny Moore for this tribute to his mentor...we would all be truly fortunate to have a Bill Bowerman in our lives.
Bill Bowerman was descended from a line of true American pioneers. He was an American hero during WWII and again during the Munich games, safeguarding not only his athletes, but the Olympic spirit as well.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I finished it. I didn't want the story of Bill's life to end. Kenny Moore's description of Bill's final moments is handled so well and with such a soft touch that remaning unmoved is impossible. I applaud Kenny Moore for this tribute to his mentor...we would all be truly fortunate to have a Bill Bowerman in our lives.
November 22, 2023
Glad to fully understand the greatness of bowerman and his Men of Oregon. The book is a little dense as lots of biographies can be but it was a complete story of the man, the myth, the legend of modern oregon history.
July 26, 2017
bill bowerman sounds like he was brilliant, an amazing leader, and a visionary. he also sounds like he was sort of a dick. like, not steve jobs levels of dick, but just . . . kind of a curmudgeonly mini-bully who kind of got away with dickery because he was so damned smart. still, he's a fascinating guy.
this story dives into the twentieth-century origins of running culture in america and give us special members-only access to athletes and coaches who became legends, given that kenny moore, the author, knew most of them and participated in many of the stories he's telling. i'd heard of a number of these people before, but it became a thrill to finally figure out who they really were and in such an intimate, part-of-the-club way -- bowerman himself, of course, steve prefontaine, jim ryun, phil knight and the first employees at Nike, arthur lydiard, and on, and on, and on. of greatest interest to me was seeing how the munich olympics went down and impacted the athletes there.
sometimes the book dragged in painstakingly detailing track meets; it may be that these were historic meets that only i and noobs like me would find eye-glazing. still, the author failed to make them universally appealing.
also, since the author was one of bill bowerman's athletes and knows his widow well, i think he sort of pulled punches when writing about bowerman's darker tendencies; something tells me there are more details to bill's dickery, bullying, and hinted-at misogyny that a less–emotionally extricated author might be willing to spill.
still, an engaging read and an almost-comprehensive review of bowerman's far-reaching impact on the sport.
this story dives into the twentieth-century origins of running culture in america and give us special members-only access to athletes and coaches who became legends, given that kenny moore, the author, knew most of them and participated in many of the stories he's telling. i'd heard of a number of these people before, but it became a thrill to finally figure out who they really were and in such an intimate, part-of-the-club way -- bowerman himself, of course, steve prefontaine, jim ryun, phil knight and the first employees at Nike, arthur lydiard, and on, and on, and on. of greatest interest to me was seeing how the munich olympics went down and impacted the athletes there.
sometimes the book dragged in painstakingly detailing track meets; it may be that these were historic meets that only i and noobs like me would find eye-glazing. still, the author failed to make them universally appealing.
also, since the author was one of bill bowerman's athletes and knows his widow well, i think he sort of pulled punches when writing about bowerman's darker tendencies; something tells me there are more details to bill's dickery, bullying, and hinted-at misogyny that a less–emotionally extricated author might be willing to spill.
still, an engaging read and an almost-comprehensive review of bowerman's far-reaching impact on the sport.
September 24, 2025
Finishing this book makes me feel as though I just finished reading the Bible. It’s so good and the only reason it’s not 5 stars is because Kenny Moore has packed full so much information it’s almost too dense for me. This definitely contributed to why it took me so long to finish. This isn’t just a biography, it’s a textbook and the culmination of a persons life I would aspire to achieve as much as. I am happy I was able to experience my own piece of this history such as getting to work with Wade Bell. Kenny Moore offered the opportunity to reflect on my time at the University of Oregon, reading through and learning more history and the interconnectedness of the city and my experiences. As I have sung many times in Autzen and will continue to sing in the future I left my heart in Oregon.
August 12, 2018
Although the family history connects to Mr Boerman's tenacious character, the depth of his family tree was a little much. The meat of the book, chronicling Bowerman's contributions to Oregon athletics, the Olympic team and shoes technology can't be beat. It's all well written and fun. Fans of running and sports history should not miss it!
August 28, 2022
I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time. This biography Bill Bowerman, the legendary U of Oregon coach who coached Steve Prefontaine, is written by one of his other athletes, Kenny Moore (multi-Olympian), I think, perfectly engages a reader who loves running and also history. 5/5 recommend
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2021
My only regret with this book is that I didn’t read it before I visited the University of Oregon. I had no idea what a man Bill Bowerman was. I loved the details, family history, and overall picture that was painted of Bowerman. At times I did find myself lost in all of the athletes and their events, times, etc, but I do feel that that was a necessary part of the story. A must read for all runners.
October 9, 2022
Audible. Amazing book about an inspiring man. For any track and field fan it is a must read. What a coach, visionary, and a true legend of the sport.
July 4, 2024
never happier to be a running nerd and an oregon enthusiast than reading this book
August 23, 2023
Enter the fascinating world of a transformative coach and innovator.
Bill Bowerman’s stories could well span several lifetimes, yet he experienced all his thrilling adventures in one.
In this book Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore you’ll learn about Bowerman’s background, his innovative training methods, and how his dedication to the sport produced a new generation of top athletes. He unleashed a transformation that has reached billions of people worldwide through Nike, a company he co-founded, and the culture of jogging the company now promotes.
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The parable of the mule skinner
When the University of Oregon’s track and field team turned up for the annual welcome dinner at the home of the esteemed and dreaded Bill Bowerman, freshmen in the squad always expected some grand speech that would serve as a guiding principle.
Always, they were treated to Bowerman’s guiding parable:
There’s a stubborn mule that wouldn’t eat or drink. The owner seeks help from a mule skinner. When the skinner arrives, he gets a two-by-four wooden beam and floors the mule with a vicious hit between the ears. Then he strikes again between the eyes. To the owner’s protest, the skinner lays down his guiding philosophy. The crucial first step to good behavior is to get the mule’s attention.
Bill Bowerman would know. Growing up in Fossil, Oregon, he’d been a wild truant who hated authority, slept outside, and fought like he wanted to die. That rebellious streak worsened after his parents, former Oregon Governor Jay Bowerman and teacher Lizzie Hoover divorced. The young Bill also carried the trauma of watching his twin brother lose his life after a freak elevator accident.
Deciding their mother couldn’t handle Bill, his brother Dan arranged for the 14-year-old Bill to meet Ercel Hedrick, Medford school superintendent and certified mule skinner.
Hedrick hit Bill with every expletive he knew, telling the boy what a disgrace he’d been to his mother. Bill Bowerman left that office a changed boy, channeling his penned-up energy into a discipline that would elevate his grades and whatever sports he played.
Now a coach and bona fide mule skinner, Bill Bowerman let every group of athletes understand they would obey his orders or suffer the consequences.
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The making of a coach
One thing Bill Bowerman couldn’t tame was his appetite. Sitting on a table behind the equally eccentric Barbara Young at a dinner party for high school footballers, Bill would take a plate of ribs and baked potatoes from a waitress, place a plate on each knee, and then shoot an inviting smile at another waitress.
Bill ate his three meals before silently offering his hand to Barbara, confessing to his dance partner he’d actually eaten at home before coming to the party. Bill and Barbara would go on to have an on-and-off relationship. When they finally settled, they never parted.
Twice Bill was rejected by Medford High’s football coach Prince Callison for being too light, so Bill continued in the school band as a clarinet player. Then Bill battered a former Medford footballer twice on the same day. The guy had refused to return Bill’s tennis balls. When coach Callison heard Bill had beaten his former player, he let Bill play football.
Bill helped Medford High win the Oregon state championships in 1927 and 1928. Bill also won the basketball title. Bill Bowerman would go on to be an All-American, a distinction awarded to outstanding amateur athletes.
At the University of Oregon, legendary track and field coach Bill Hayward agreed to help Bill with his running so he could improve his speed in football. Bowerman’s football coach had banned his charges from trying out track and field, so Bill didn’t race.
Hayward became a trusted mentor from whom Bowerman learned about injuries, prosthetics, tactics, and the high drama that both believed was crucial to producing elite athletes.
Bowerman’s eclectic education included classes in business, journalism, public speaking, and pre-med. He graduated with a major in PE.
Upon graduation, he taught history and coached football at Medford High. His football record at Medford stands at 59 wins, 13 defeats, and eight ties in nine years. It’s here that he started coaching track and field, helping Medford field a running team for the first time in 15 years. That team won three state championships.
Bowerman left no detail to chance. He carried Medford water to crucial away games. On one of such away games Medford quarterback Bob Newland broke curfew. When Newland sneaked into his room, he found Bill Bowerman lying in his bed!
On a drive home one Sunday Bill and Barbara heard Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. Bill Bowerman took a U-turn and drove to the nearest barracks, where he was conscripted.
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Bowerman goes to war
As a kid, Bowerman had sustained a scar while playing mumblety-peg with pocket knives. The Army decided it was a significant injury and gave him only menial jobs. Luckily for him, an opening required two of Bowerman’s equally sporting skills. He was assigned to the Tenth Mountain Division as a skier and mule handler.
After a training camp in which Bowerman improved the way mules supplied soldiers by guiding them through shortcuts, he emerged a captain. He was promoted to major before deployment to the Italian Alps in 1944.
Officers were under orders not to drive, but when Bowerman found the wounded Ralph Lafferty, he hailed a jeep, ordered the driver to help place Ralph in the vehicle, and drove hard through rough roads to the safety of surgeons. Ralph Lafferty survived.
Bowerman’s exploits saw him promoted from supplies to commander of the Eighty-Sixth’s First Battalion. Out on recon, his team took a hit, sending their car violently into a ditch. Bowerman led his men out and they ran back to warn their companions.
Bowerman convinced a tank driver to return to the building where they’d been hit. When the Americans fired at the building, the Germans ran out, leaving behind an American colonel who nominated Bowerman for a Silver Star.
When Bowerman heard Germans at a nearby barracks were contemplating surrender, he took along a translator and a few of his men to go negotiate. Held at a Nazi checkpoint, Bowerman ordered the lieutenant in charge to call his general, and was driven to Castel Toblino, where the general was stationed.
A cool and confident Bowerman told the Nazi general it was over. To prevent bloodshed, he proposed, the Germans in that camp had to surrender by 10 a.m. the next day. 4,000 Germans surrendered the following day.
While waiting for their major, Bill Bowerman’s men had traded cigarettes for Lugers, German-made pistols. Bowerman saved a couple of Lugers for his friends back home.
Perhaps to atone for his own sins, Bowerman deliberately lost some of his mules when the war ended. The mules ended up in the hands of Italian peasants. When asked to account for the mules, Bowerman simply said they’d vanished.
The man who’d steeped himself in the bloody endeavors of war wasted no time brooding over it. Bowerman resumed teaching as soon as he landed in America.
Getting on with his life, he ignored repeated calls to travel to Texas, where the Tenth Mountain Regiment was supposed to be disbanded. When two military policemen came to arrest him, Bowerman lectured them about his war efforts and dared them to go ahead. The Army cut his distance and let Bowerman undergo his discharge in Colorado.
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Molding a dynasty
The University of Oregon had only two full scholarships for track and field when Bill Bowerman was appointed head coach in 1948. Bowerman fought till the scholarships were raised to ten, and then he found other creative means to grow his team.
He went about town convincing mill owners to hire his athletes. This helped the athletes fund their education and build resilience. To make sure athletes were showing up for work, Bowerman taped the job roster on his office wall.
Bowerman also went about improving his own track knowledge. The Europeans dominated the sport in the 1940s, so he scrutinized their work for technique: Finnish runners, for example, used interval training, a method that valued rest and recovery as much as it prioritized running.
Bowerman wanted to find the optimum level of alternating work and rest for each individual, customizing workouts for the right mind and body.
Once an athlete’s optimum workout had been diagnosed, they got in trouble if they went against Bowerman’s prescriptions. It didn’t take long for the results to start changing. He wanted his runners to use their heads, manage their energy, and finish strong.
British runner Roger Bannister Bannister ran the world’s first four-minute mile in 1954. Still, soon the Bill Bowerman was churning out four-minute milers at Eugene, Oregon, attracting locals to Hayward Field, their famous track stadium, and making the University of Oregon the school athletes home and abroad wanted to go to.
Eugene also became a favorite host to American Olympics trials, with Bowerman’s penchant for coaxing, shaming, and convincing local businessmen into sponsoring athletic events. He grew the sport by making tickets affordable to kids and low-income families. Eventually, as Bowerman had urged, the Olympic trials started to combine male and female events.
Altogether Bill Bowerman trained 31 Olympians who won eight gold medals between them. Otis Davis won two gold medals at the Rome Olympics in 1960.
At home Bowerman won 22 NCAA championships, but won a lot more off it with his support for the rights and welfare of amateur athletes who, at the time, were banned from profiting off their hard work.
Strict as he was, Bill Bowerman wasn’t beyond a prank or two. He would haze his players to judge their character and sneak in to pee on them in the bathroom. Once he’d judged an athlete to be of steely resolve and character Bowerman would hang around the Oregon bathroom, his scalding hot key hiding underneath his towel, and with a deft move, press the key against the athlete’s thigh.
Once branded, the athlete had earned the right to be counted among Bill Bowerman’s Men of Oregon.
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The Munich terrorist attack
Bill Bowerman was chosen to coach the US Olympic team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Upon arrival, he complained about security at the hotel. This objection brought upon him the ire of the IOC and West German government trying to present a more friendly face after World War II.
On September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian liberation movement, entered the Israeli quarters of the Olympic Village and held the team hostage.
12 victims ended up dying. Bowerman heard the news of the attack from an Israeli athlete who knocked on his door for refuge. He called the American Consul in Berlin and had his team’s hotel secured.
Bowerman also had to deal with tensions inside his own team as Black athletes led calls for a boycott if the IOC let Apartheid Rhodesia compete. The IOC kicked out Rhodesia.
Whatever contempt Bowerman showed the IOC, he demonstrated the complete opposite as he walked around consoling his athletes, listening to their arguments for or against continuing to compete in Munich and letting everyone know they were justified in the way they felt about the situation.
For Bowerman, the Olympic spirit was man’s antidote to war.
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The rise and rise of Nike
In his quest to improve athletes, Bill Bowerman exploited every little advantage he believed would improve performance.
One impediment that kept nagging at the heels of his athletes was their running shoes. He visited a shoe shop, observed some shoes and asked the shoe seller how shoes were made. Then he learned as much as he could about cobbling and soon was molding his own shoes around shoe lasts he’d created.
He’d take foot measurements from Otis Davis or Kenny Moore and make shoes for them. Some worked, others injured his runners, but it kept getting better. In his quest to make shoe soles with the perfect grip, his eyes fell on Barbara’s waffle iron, into which he poured liquid urethane. This particular experiment ultimately led to Nike’s Waffle line of shoes.
Encouraged in this endeavor was Phil Knight, one of his former trainees. Knight had figured out he could rival Adidas by selling cheaper trainers to athletes and ordinary people, so he traveled to Japan and negotiated a contract with Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka to distribute their Tiger brand.
Bill Bowerman invested $500 dollars into what the partners would call Blue Ribbon Sports. Standards mattered to Bowerman, though, and he went to work improving designs for their Japanese shoemakers.
Soon Onitsuka was trying to find other distributors in the US, essentially putting Blue Ribbon Sports in peril. When Knight learned about talks with potential Tiger distributors, he flew to Japan and found different manufacturers. This time they created their own shoe company. They called it Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and made plans to start manufacturing in the US.
Onitsuka sued, but the courts ruled in Nike’s favor. Soon, Bowerman’s designs would be made right at home, under the direction of the Men of Oregon.
The company went public in 1980, going on to become one of the world’s most iconic sporting brands. Bowerman used his newfound wealth to donate to causes, scholarships, buildings at the University of Oregon, and the Steve Prefontaine Foundation to honor his former runner’s legacy.
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The jogging revolution
An active correspondence with the coaches Bill Bowerman respected led to tournaments against some of the best teams abroad. Out on the country one Sunday morning with New Zealand head coach Arthur Lydiard, Bowerman was surprised to see men, women, and children of all ages jogging. Lydiard told Bowerman about the benefits of jogging to ordinary folk and recommended Bowerman, the athletic coach who seldom jogged, to go at his pace. The optimum workout, Lydiard advised, was one in which you could run and still hold a conversation.
Bowerman struggled at first but kept it up for the six weeks he stayed in New Zealand. When he returned home, Barbara said he looked ten years younger. The local newspaper published an article about jogging with a quote from Bowerman calling on everyone to turn out to the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. The joggers increased to 50, and then over 2000 people showed up. Scared he might kill someone, Bowerman sent them home and organized a team of researchers, doctors, and coaches to lay down jogging principles for different ages and weights.
He was pleased to find different people needed different doses at various stages, just like his athletes, although they all shared the benefits of losing weight and feeling more alert. But unlike his athletes, the laity was urged to have fun and not compete. Proposed workouts were published in a book called Jogging. Upon Barbara’s insistence they made the book inclusive, adding tips specific to women. The book sold one million copies. Jogging had indeed left the tracks and gone on to become every individual’s sport.
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Bill Bowerman was an educator, a coach, an Olympian, a World War II veteran, Nike co-founder, and a pioneer who made jogging accessible. Bowerman died at home in Fossil in 1999, at the age of 88.
Perhaps one of the best tributes he received was back in 1979 at Nike’s annual sales meeting when a montage of poignant moments in his life was played to the soundtrack of “My Way”. All the Men of Oregon cried.
Some must have been surprised to see that their mule skinner cried too.
Bill Bowerman’s stories could well span several lifetimes, yet he experienced all his thrilling adventures in one.
In this book Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore you’ll learn about Bowerman’s background, his innovative training methods, and how his dedication to the sport produced a new generation of top athletes. He unleashed a transformation that has reached billions of people worldwide through Nike, a company he co-founded, and the culture of jogging the company now promotes.
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The parable of the mule skinner
When the University of Oregon’s track and field team turned up for the annual welcome dinner at the home of the esteemed and dreaded Bill Bowerman, freshmen in the squad always expected some grand speech that would serve as a guiding principle.
Always, they were treated to Bowerman’s guiding parable:
There’s a stubborn mule that wouldn’t eat or drink. The owner seeks help from a mule skinner. When the skinner arrives, he gets a two-by-four wooden beam and floors the mule with a vicious hit between the ears. Then he strikes again between the eyes. To the owner’s protest, the skinner lays down his guiding philosophy. The crucial first step to good behavior is to get the mule’s attention.
Bill Bowerman would know. Growing up in Fossil, Oregon, he’d been a wild truant who hated authority, slept outside, and fought like he wanted to die. That rebellious streak worsened after his parents, former Oregon Governor Jay Bowerman and teacher Lizzie Hoover divorced. The young Bill also carried the trauma of watching his twin brother lose his life after a freak elevator accident.
Deciding their mother couldn’t handle Bill, his brother Dan arranged for the 14-year-old Bill to meet Ercel Hedrick, Medford school superintendent and certified mule skinner.
Hedrick hit Bill with every expletive he knew, telling the boy what a disgrace he’d been to his mother. Bill Bowerman left that office a changed boy, channeling his penned-up energy into a discipline that would elevate his grades and whatever sports he played.
Now a coach and bona fide mule skinner, Bill Bowerman let every group of athletes understand they would obey his orders or suffer the consequences.
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The making of a coach
One thing Bill Bowerman couldn’t tame was his appetite. Sitting on a table behind the equally eccentric Barbara Young at a dinner party for high school footballers, Bill would take a plate of ribs and baked potatoes from a waitress, place a plate on each knee, and then shoot an inviting smile at another waitress.
Bill ate his three meals before silently offering his hand to Barbara, confessing to his dance partner he’d actually eaten at home before coming to the party. Bill and Barbara would go on to have an on-and-off relationship. When they finally settled, they never parted.
Twice Bill was rejected by Medford High’s football coach Prince Callison for being too light, so Bill continued in the school band as a clarinet player. Then Bill battered a former Medford footballer twice on the same day. The guy had refused to return Bill’s tennis balls. When coach Callison heard Bill had beaten his former player, he let Bill play football.
Bill helped Medford High win the Oregon state championships in 1927 and 1928. Bill also won the basketball title. Bill Bowerman would go on to be an All-American, a distinction awarded to outstanding amateur athletes.
At the University of Oregon, legendary track and field coach Bill Hayward agreed to help Bill with his running so he could improve his speed in football. Bowerman’s football coach had banned his charges from trying out track and field, so Bill didn’t race.
Hayward became a trusted mentor from whom Bowerman learned about injuries, prosthetics, tactics, and the high drama that both believed was crucial to producing elite athletes.
Bowerman’s eclectic education included classes in business, journalism, public speaking, and pre-med. He graduated with a major in PE.
Upon graduation, he taught history and coached football at Medford High. His football record at Medford stands at 59 wins, 13 defeats, and eight ties in nine years. It’s here that he started coaching track and field, helping Medford field a running team for the first time in 15 years. That team won three state championships.
Bowerman left no detail to chance. He carried Medford water to crucial away games. On one of such away games Medford quarterback Bob Newland broke curfew. When Newland sneaked into his room, he found Bill Bowerman lying in his bed!
On a drive home one Sunday Bill and Barbara heard Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. Bill Bowerman took a U-turn and drove to the nearest barracks, where he was conscripted.
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Bowerman goes to war
As a kid, Bowerman had sustained a scar while playing mumblety-peg with pocket knives. The Army decided it was a significant injury and gave him only menial jobs. Luckily for him, an opening required two of Bowerman’s equally sporting skills. He was assigned to the Tenth Mountain Division as a skier and mule handler.
After a training camp in which Bowerman improved the way mules supplied soldiers by guiding them through shortcuts, he emerged a captain. He was promoted to major before deployment to the Italian Alps in 1944.
Officers were under orders not to drive, but when Bowerman found the wounded Ralph Lafferty, he hailed a jeep, ordered the driver to help place Ralph in the vehicle, and drove hard through rough roads to the safety of surgeons. Ralph Lafferty survived.
Bowerman’s exploits saw him promoted from supplies to commander of the Eighty-Sixth’s First Battalion. Out on recon, his team took a hit, sending their car violently into a ditch. Bowerman led his men out and they ran back to warn their companions.
Bowerman convinced a tank driver to return to the building where they’d been hit. When the Americans fired at the building, the Germans ran out, leaving behind an American colonel who nominated Bowerman for a Silver Star.
When Bowerman heard Germans at a nearby barracks were contemplating surrender, he took along a translator and a few of his men to go negotiate. Held at a Nazi checkpoint, Bowerman ordered the lieutenant in charge to call his general, and was driven to Castel Toblino, where the general was stationed.
A cool and confident Bowerman told the Nazi general it was over. To prevent bloodshed, he proposed, the Germans in that camp had to surrender by 10 a.m. the next day. 4,000 Germans surrendered the following day.
While waiting for their major, Bill Bowerman’s men had traded cigarettes for Lugers, German-made pistols. Bowerman saved a couple of Lugers for his friends back home.
Perhaps to atone for his own sins, Bowerman deliberately lost some of his mules when the war ended. The mules ended up in the hands of Italian peasants. When asked to account for the mules, Bowerman simply said they’d vanished.
The man who’d steeped himself in the bloody endeavors of war wasted no time brooding over it. Bowerman resumed teaching as soon as he landed in America.
Getting on with his life, he ignored repeated calls to travel to Texas, where the Tenth Mountain Regiment was supposed to be disbanded. When two military policemen came to arrest him, Bowerman lectured them about his war efforts and dared them to go ahead. The Army cut his distance and let Bowerman undergo his discharge in Colorado.
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Molding a dynasty
The University of Oregon had only two full scholarships for track and field when Bill Bowerman was appointed head coach in 1948. Bowerman fought till the scholarships were raised to ten, and then he found other creative means to grow his team.
He went about town convincing mill owners to hire his athletes. This helped the athletes fund their education and build resilience. To make sure athletes were showing up for work, Bowerman taped the job roster on his office wall.
Bowerman also went about improving his own track knowledge. The Europeans dominated the sport in the 1940s, so he scrutinized their work for technique: Finnish runners, for example, used interval training, a method that valued rest and recovery as much as it prioritized running.
Bowerman wanted to find the optimum level of alternating work and rest for each individual, customizing workouts for the right mind and body.
Once an athlete’s optimum workout had been diagnosed, they got in trouble if they went against Bowerman’s prescriptions. It didn’t take long for the results to start changing. He wanted his runners to use their heads, manage their energy, and finish strong.
British runner Roger Bannister Bannister ran the world’s first four-minute mile in 1954. Still, soon the Bill Bowerman was churning out four-minute milers at Eugene, Oregon, attracting locals to Hayward Field, their famous track stadium, and making the University of Oregon the school athletes home and abroad wanted to go to.
Eugene also became a favorite host to American Olympics trials, with Bowerman’s penchant for coaxing, shaming, and convincing local businessmen into sponsoring athletic events. He grew the sport by making tickets affordable to kids and low-income families. Eventually, as Bowerman had urged, the Olympic trials started to combine male and female events.
Altogether Bill Bowerman trained 31 Olympians who won eight gold medals between them. Otis Davis won two gold medals at the Rome Olympics in 1960.
At home Bowerman won 22 NCAA championships, but won a lot more off it with his support for the rights and welfare of amateur athletes who, at the time, were banned from profiting off their hard work.
Strict as he was, Bill Bowerman wasn’t beyond a prank or two. He would haze his players to judge their character and sneak in to pee on them in the bathroom. Once he’d judged an athlete to be of steely resolve and character Bowerman would hang around the Oregon bathroom, his scalding hot key hiding underneath his towel, and with a deft move, press the key against the athlete’s thigh.
Once branded, the athlete had earned the right to be counted among Bill Bowerman’s Men of Oregon.
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The Munich terrorist attack
Bill Bowerman was chosen to coach the US Olympic team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Upon arrival, he complained about security at the hotel. This objection brought upon him the ire of the IOC and West German government trying to present a more friendly face after World War II.
On September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian liberation movement, entered the Israeli quarters of the Olympic Village and held the team hostage.
12 victims ended up dying. Bowerman heard the news of the attack from an Israeli athlete who knocked on his door for refuge. He called the American Consul in Berlin and had his team’s hotel secured.
Bowerman also had to deal with tensions inside his own team as Black athletes led calls for a boycott if the IOC let Apartheid Rhodesia compete. The IOC kicked out Rhodesia.
Whatever contempt Bowerman showed the IOC, he demonstrated the complete opposite as he walked around consoling his athletes, listening to their arguments for or against continuing to compete in Munich and letting everyone know they were justified in the way they felt about the situation.
For Bowerman, the Olympic spirit was man’s antidote to war.
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The rise and rise of Nike
In his quest to improve athletes, Bill Bowerman exploited every little advantage he believed would improve performance.
One impediment that kept nagging at the heels of his athletes was their running shoes. He visited a shoe shop, observed some shoes and asked the shoe seller how shoes were made. Then he learned as much as he could about cobbling and soon was molding his own shoes around shoe lasts he’d created.
He’d take foot measurements from Otis Davis or Kenny Moore and make shoes for them. Some worked, others injured his runners, but it kept getting better. In his quest to make shoe soles with the perfect grip, his eyes fell on Barbara’s waffle iron, into which he poured liquid urethane. This particular experiment ultimately led to Nike’s Waffle line of shoes.
Encouraged in this endeavor was Phil Knight, one of his former trainees. Knight had figured out he could rival Adidas by selling cheaper trainers to athletes and ordinary people, so he traveled to Japan and negotiated a contract with Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka to distribute their Tiger brand.
Bill Bowerman invested $500 dollars into what the partners would call Blue Ribbon Sports. Standards mattered to Bowerman, though, and he went to work improving designs for their Japanese shoemakers.
Soon Onitsuka was trying to find other distributors in the US, essentially putting Blue Ribbon Sports in peril. When Knight learned about talks with potential Tiger distributors, he flew to Japan and found different manufacturers. This time they created their own shoe company. They called it Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and made plans to start manufacturing in the US.
Onitsuka sued, but the courts ruled in Nike’s favor. Soon, Bowerman’s designs would be made right at home, under the direction of the Men of Oregon.
The company went public in 1980, going on to become one of the world’s most iconic sporting brands. Bowerman used his newfound wealth to donate to causes, scholarships, buildings at the University of Oregon, and the Steve Prefontaine Foundation to honor his former runner’s legacy.
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The jogging revolution
An active correspondence with the coaches Bill Bowerman respected led to tournaments against some of the best teams abroad. Out on the country one Sunday morning with New Zealand head coach Arthur Lydiard, Bowerman was surprised to see men, women, and children of all ages jogging. Lydiard told Bowerman about the benefits of jogging to ordinary folk and recommended Bowerman, the athletic coach who seldom jogged, to go at his pace. The optimum workout, Lydiard advised, was one in which you could run and still hold a conversation.
Bowerman struggled at first but kept it up for the six weeks he stayed in New Zealand. When he returned home, Barbara said he looked ten years younger. The local newspaper published an article about jogging with a quote from Bowerman calling on everyone to turn out to the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. The joggers increased to 50, and then over 2000 people showed up. Scared he might kill someone, Bowerman sent them home and organized a team of researchers, doctors, and coaches to lay down jogging principles for different ages and weights.
He was pleased to find different people needed different doses at various stages, just like his athletes, although they all shared the benefits of losing weight and feeling more alert. But unlike his athletes, the laity was urged to have fun and not compete. Proposed workouts were published in a book called Jogging. Upon Barbara’s insistence they made the book inclusive, adding tips specific to women. The book sold one million copies. Jogging had indeed left the tracks and gone on to become every individual’s sport.
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Bill Bowerman was an educator, a coach, an Olympian, a World War II veteran, Nike co-founder, and a pioneer who made jogging accessible. Bowerman died at home in Fossil in 1999, at the age of 88.
Perhaps one of the best tributes he received was back in 1979 at Nike’s annual sales meeting when a montage of poignant moments in his life was played to the soundtrack of “My Way”. All the Men of Oregon cried.
Some must have been surprised to see that their mule skinner cried too.
July 24, 2021
University of Oregon has been somewhat of a Mecca of American distance running. This book highlights a lot of the figures that propelled Eugene to this status. This is a great book for this interested in the history of American distance running.
April 5, 2021
A wonderful biography on the legendary coach and the incredible athletes he coached along the way. I really enjoyed it!
December 15, 2019
I wanted to love this one. Parts were outstanding and I couldn't get enough. But I had two chief complaints that ultimately brought this down to three stars for me: 1) The author clearly did a ton of research and hundreds of interviews, but felt the need to include it all, watering down the story. The first 80 pages or so, for example, probably could have been lifted out entirely, or at least reduced to 5-10 pages. 2) Because the author was one of Bowerman's athletes, he brought great color and insight and intimate knowledge. But for the first half of the book, before we truly know Bowerman, he tells stories in a way that that's a little two insider-y. "What a classic Bill move!", when the reader is thinking, I don't get it, because we don't know him yet and his personality hasn't yet been demonstrated to us.
So, I liked it, it was good, could have been amazing with some tightening and editing. But I wouldn't recommend it to someone who didn't have a strong interest in the subject, like my fellow college track teammates.
So, I liked it, it was good, could have been amazing with some tightening and editing. But I wouldn't recommend it to someone who didn't have a strong interest in the subject, like my fellow college track teammates.
January 18, 2023
Good biography of a seminal figure in the running world. I appreciated the extended look at 19th century Oregon and how the early travelers along the Oregon Trail established themselves in the area. Aside from that, though, the narrative seemed to fast-forward to the part of Bowerman's life that Moore had personal recollections of, and then hang around there disproportionately long (talking about the 1960s and '70s). The personal anecdotes were interesting but I think they made the book as a whole out of balance. Also, Moore seems suspiciously uncritical when evaluating Bowerman's life and legacy. It's probably to be expected from someone who had a personal relationship with the subject, and there didn't see any reason to doubt any of the facts as presented (see my review of Born to Run), but the last few chapters just read a bit too subjectively in my opinion.
November 29, 2009
I was overcome with emotion as I finished this book this morning; Moore has done a rare thing. He has humanized his "old coach," a legendary, mythic figure, and he has placed him in the context of his time (WW2 to the 90's), place (Oregon), and family (beloved wife Barbara, three children). I loved the focus of the book on Bill Bowerman the man and the coach, yet I still feel like he exists in a swirl of mystery and shade. His quips and retorts are legendary, but his warmth and intelligence underlie everything; here was a man who would do anything for his athletes.
What a tribute Kenny Moore has made to the spirit of his old coach.
No better person could have written this book.
What a tribute Kenny Moore has made to the spirit of his old coach.
No better person could have written this book.
March 21, 2019
I couldn't make it to the end.... A book written about running, for runners. Became a boring recitation of running times and accomplishments with a few interesting details sprinkled, sparingly, throughout. The writing wasn't bad, but didn't keep my interest.
May 17, 2024
"He delivered a lecture on what running was for him. 'A race,' he said, 'is a work of art that people can look at and be affected by in as many ways as they are capable of understanding.'"
Bill Bowerman coached the Oregon track team, the 1972 Olympic team, and Steve Prefontaine. He was a cofounder of Nike and the inventor of some of its most iconic shoes.
In 1963 he brought the idea of jogging to America.
When Bill came down the ramp in Eugene, Barbara shrieked that he looked ten years younger. The next morning Eugene Register-Guard sportswriter Jerry Uhrhammer, who had been following the tour, phoned to ask Bowerman to sum up his experience. Bill told him that the competition was great, but the biggest thing that had happened was his realizing that his idea of exercise was “way, way, way low.” In New Zealand, thousands of people jog, Bill said. “Their women jog, their kids jog, everybody jogs.” Uhrhammer asked, “Do you think we could do that here?” And Bowerman said, “Why don’t we find out?”
So Uhrhammer’s article contained Bill’s invitation to anyone of any age to come to the Hayward Field practice track that Sunday and hear more about it. On February 3, 1963, two dozen citizens showed up. Bill spoke about good shoes and loose clothing, and everyone did a mile of trotting the straightaways and walking the turns. The next week, the total grew to fifty. Bill explained how the talk test keeps exercise fun. He was surprised to see about a quarter of the folks were female. The third week, two hundred loosely bundled souls appeared and did a mile or two. Uhrhammer wrote a follow-up piece, mentioning that Life magazine planned to send a photographer to document this bizarre activity.
“That was the start of the American jogging movement,” Reeve would say, “right there, that morning.” The crowd peaked at somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 human beings that day. The mass scared Bowerman silly: “I knew someone was going to die right there.” He urged everyone to go home and jog with friends in their own neighborhoods “until we get a better handle on this thing.”
Originally a nation of pioneers accustomed to hard physical labor, America in the mid-twentieth-century had become a society that actively condemned adult fitness. It may be hard for anyone born after 1960 to believe, but runners in those days were regarded as eccentric at best, subversive and dangerous at worst. During the day, cars would routinely swerve to try to drive a runner off the road. And running at night was deemed suspicious enough to warrant being stopped by a police cruiser and held until phone calls ascertained there had been no burglaries in the area.
A great movement had been pent up. Exercise had been calling to us from our genes, from our childhoods, but not from our culture. Now it could. Frank Shorter would help, winning the Olympic marathon in 1972 and showing that Americans could master real distance the same as anyone else. That would begin not a jogging but a running boom and the phenomenon of mass marathons, such as those in New York and Boston, whose starting fields today number in the tens of thousands.
October 4, 2025
I've had this one on the shelf at home for a while now after finding it in a Little Free Library. This summer I finally decided to pick it up. It was a mixed bag.
Here are some pros:
--Kenny Moore's descriptions of races are second-to-none. Running races is so much inside the runner's head. As a spectator, you can't see that, especially when watching those who are best at it. Read the short tale of a 2-mile race he ran in 1964 at the end of this book's introduction. Just one quote, referring to his competitor ahead of him: "....Then he looked back, his shoulders tightened, and I experienced for the first time the full savagery of my competitive heart."
--There are pearls of wisdom from Bill Bowerman, the legendary coach who is the subject of this biography, and others. I dog-eared and underlined many of them. Again, one example: "Bowerman (without ever pronouncing the word pain) taught that you redefine yourself a little with every honest, killing effort. You might not win, but you will have been brave. If you can admit that to yourself, bravery is a hell of a thing to build on."
--Character sketches: Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, and many lesser luminaries of the running world emerge as real people in this book.
But there are cons as well:
--The book is too long. Sure, we needed some details of Bowerman's childhood and youth, but not all the details about his ancestors, eccentric pioneers though they were. I wanted to get to the action quicker, the action being his coaching days.
--Some antiquated athletic science: the whole ectomorph/mesomorph/endomorph thing...isn't that just pseudo-science? I was just in a cross-country race this morning where the woman who came in second looked nothing like the stereotypical whip-thin runner.
--Bowerman himself: it's clear that Moore and many others who ran for him adored him, but he had a streak of cruelty that would never be allowed in sports today. He used to sit in the sauna with his young runners and, in a frat-boy-like rite of passage, whip out a set of metal keys made scorching by the heat and press them into their thighs. A man of his time, sure, but also...cruel. To his credit, he was humble enough near the end of his career to admit he'd been wrong about female runners. But I'm not sure that completely redeems some of his other failings. Or maybe my standards are too high.
I have yet to read about a pro coach I can admire without caveats. I'd welcome suggestions for more running coach biographies.
Here are some pros:
--Kenny Moore's descriptions of races are second-to-none. Running races is so much inside the runner's head. As a spectator, you can't see that, especially when watching those who are best at it. Read the short tale of a 2-mile race he ran in 1964 at the end of this book's introduction. Just one quote, referring to his competitor ahead of him: "....Then he looked back, his shoulders tightened, and I experienced for the first time the full savagery of my competitive heart."
--There are pearls of wisdom from Bill Bowerman, the legendary coach who is the subject of this biography, and others. I dog-eared and underlined many of them. Again, one example: "Bowerman (without ever pronouncing the word pain) taught that you redefine yourself a little with every honest, killing effort. You might not win, but you will have been brave. If you can admit that to yourself, bravery is a hell of a thing to build on."
--Character sketches: Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, and many lesser luminaries of the running world emerge as real people in this book.
But there are cons as well:
--The book is too long. Sure, we needed some details of Bowerman's childhood and youth, but not all the details about his ancestors, eccentric pioneers though they were. I wanted to get to the action quicker, the action being his coaching days.
--Some antiquated athletic science: the whole ectomorph/mesomorph/endomorph thing...isn't that just pseudo-science? I was just in a cross-country race this morning where the woman who came in second looked nothing like the stereotypical whip-thin runner.
--Bowerman himself: it's clear that Moore and many others who ran for him adored him, but he had a streak of cruelty that would never be allowed in sports today. He used to sit in the sauna with his young runners and, in a frat-boy-like rite of passage, whip out a set of metal keys made scorching by the heat and press them into their thighs. A man of his time, sure, but also...cruel. To his credit, he was humble enough near the end of his career to admit he'd been wrong about female runners. But I'm not sure that completely redeems some of his other failings. Or maybe my standards are too high.
I have yet to read about a pro coach I can admire without caveats. I'd welcome suggestions for more running coach biographies.
August 3, 2020
Phil Knight, one of the founders of Nike once told his employees the following in an attempt to boost morale during some of his early company's leanest stretches,
With this, Knight was clearly referring to the spirit of the "Men of Oregon"; the spirit of the hardy men and women who settled the American West by enduring danger on the trail, disease, hunger, cold, and for those that made it to a settlement, difficult terrain and long years of backbreaking labor.
It is in this unforgiving land where Kenny Moore picks up the thread laid down by Bowerman's ancestors and masterfully follows it through the decades as we see the boy become man become legend; by the time the book is halfway through, you'll begin to doubt if Bill Bowerman was ever born out of a woman, maybe he just spontaneously sprung out of some Oregon field...
His fate, and by extension, the fate of those he coached and the organizations he helped shape, were a product of his upbringing in a place that would suffer no quitters; where hard work and even harder heads were needed to make it through everyday challenges. In Bill Bowerman, the essence of Oregon was always flowing in deep concentrate.
His personal exploits, as well as those of his athletes, are all covered in great detail which makes for a riveting read. While everyone can enjoy this book just for the stories alone, fans of the sport will get much more out of it; the times, splits, surfaces, training, and various competitions are all recounted in exciting fashion, building the mythos of the Oregon Ducks.
This is truly one of my favorite biographies, I applaud Kenny Moore for so tactfully honoring the memory of Bowerman; the book is a veritable tribute to the man.
Highly recommended!
“The cowards never started, and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.”
With this, Knight was clearly referring to the spirit of the "Men of Oregon"; the spirit of the hardy men and women who settled the American West by enduring danger on the trail, disease, hunger, cold, and for those that made it to a settlement, difficult terrain and long years of backbreaking labor.
It is in this unforgiving land where Kenny Moore picks up the thread laid down by Bowerman's ancestors and masterfully follows it through the decades as we see the boy become man become legend; by the time the book is halfway through, you'll begin to doubt if Bill Bowerman was ever born out of a woman, maybe he just spontaneously sprung out of some Oregon field...
His fate, and by extension, the fate of those he coached and the organizations he helped shape, were a product of his upbringing in a place that would suffer no quitters; where hard work and even harder heads were needed to make it through everyday challenges. In Bill Bowerman, the essence of Oregon was always flowing in deep concentrate.
His personal exploits, as well as those of his athletes, are all covered in great detail which makes for a riveting read. While everyone can enjoy this book just for the stories alone, fans of the sport will get much more out of it; the times, splits, surfaces, training, and various competitions are all recounted in exciting fashion, building the mythos of the Oregon Ducks.
This is truly one of my favorite biographies, I applaud Kenny Moore for so tactfully honoring the memory of Bowerman; the book is a veritable tribute to the man.
Highly recommended!
August 5, 2023
This is an excellent read if you are a fan of Bowerman, track and field, the University of Oregon, Nike, Prefontaine, competition, Olympics,
It is a great history of Oregon track up to the early 1970s. There is a whole chapter on Bill Hayward which was also very interesting. His story could also be a whole book.
The Men of Oregon, which was before my time, was also fascinating. In the 1960s they dominated the mile. The world and American records they accomplished were amazing.
Plus, there’s Otis Davis, what an athlete! And such a short career! He has a new book out this year (2023) which should be an interesting read.
Bill Bowerman was a fascinating person with incredible life experiences. He also had some bizarre quirks and habits which would not have flown in more recent times. But even with these behaviors he commanded great respect and admiration amongst those who he was around. He got things done and people wanted to be part of that.
From star athlete to war hero to innovative and incredibly successful coach to innovator of track surfaces and shoes to founder of one of the biggest brands of all time. To bringing “jogging” to America and changing exercise culture.
There is so much more in this history and the author does a remarkable and detailed look into Bowerman’s life and accomplishments. He can do this because he was there through many of these events as one of The Men of Oregon.
It is a great history of Oregon track up to the early 1970s. There is a whole chapter on Bill Hayward which was also very interesting. His story could also be a whole book.
The Men of Oregon, which was before my time, was also fascinating. In the 1960s they dominated the mile. The world and American records they accomplished were amazing.
Plus, there’s Otis Davis, what an athlete! And such a short career! He has a new book out this year (2023) which should be an interesting read.
Bill Bowerman was a fascinating person with incredible life experiences. He also had some bizarre quirks and habits which would not have flown in more recent times. But even with these behaviors he commanded great respect and admiration amongst those who he was around. He got things done and people wanted to be part of that.
From star athlete to war hero to innovative and incredibly successful coach to innovator of track surfaces and shoes to founder of one of the biggest brands of all time. To bringing “jogging” to America and changing exercise culture.
There is so much more in this history and the author does a remarkable and detailed look into Bowerman’s life and accomplishments. He can do this because he was there through many of these events as one of The Men of Oregon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2023
Author Kenny Moore, a former Bowerman athlete, is a surprisingly good writer. His voice is present. Perhaps he is humble. The number of sentences that started with the letter “I” was very limited, which is refreshing. Moore probably had every right to make himself a larger part of the story, but alas, Bowerman and the Men of Oregon is not an autobiography.
Moore ran the 1970 Fukuoka Marathon in 2:11:36 which was an international-standard performance a the time. Ron Hill held the marathon world record of 2:09:28.80 then from the 1970 running of the Edinburgh Marathon.
Moore also ran a 20K best of 1:02:26 and set a 28:47.60 10,000m PB. These were fast times 50 years ago. During the Munich Olympic Games, Moore finished fourth in the marathon.
After retiring from competition, Moore became a journalist and screenwriter. He had a 25-year career covering athletics for Sports Illustrated. At the end of his career, Moore wrote about former competitor Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia, who was falsely imprisoned. In his story, Moore advocated Wolde’s release from prison. He would die a free man months after his release.
Moore also helped to write the screenplay for the 1998 biopic Without Limits, a film about former Oregon Ducks and Steve Prefontaine.
https://athleticsillustrated.com/book...
Moore ran the 1970 Fukuoka Marathon in 2:11:36 which was an international-standard performance a the time. Ron Hill held the marathon world record of 2:09:28.80 then from the 1970 running of the Edinburgh Marathon.
Moore also ran a 20K best of 1:02:26 and set a 28:47.60 10,000m PB. These were fast times 50 years ago. During the Munich Olympic Games, Moore finished fourth in the marathon.
After retiring from competition, Moore became a journalist and screenwriter. He had a 25-year career covering athletics for Sports Illustrated. At the end of his career, Moore wrote about former competitor Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia, who was falsely imprisoned. In his story, Moore advocated Wolde’s release from prison. He would die a free man months after his release.
Moore also helped to write the screenplay for the 1998 biopic Without Limits, a film about former Oregon Ducks and Steve Prefontaine.
https://athleticsillustrated.com/book...
January 14, 2020
I was blown away by this book. As a fervent fan of running, competition, and the state of Oregon, this memoir appealed to all my interests and desires. Kenny Moore, a star athlete of Bill Bowerman himself, tells the story of the legendary coach and person as no one else possibly could. Moore crafts an eloquent, compelling, and tremendously enjoyable story throughout, exploring Bowerman's life from his ancestors generations before him to the countless others inspired by his work and life into today. This detailed account not only delves into the life of Bowerman, but also a host of others who he influenced and who had tremendous impacts on him, including the founder of Nike, Phil Knight. The vivid illustration of the myriad of people, events, and ideas of Bowerman's life is touching, engaging, and a joy to read. It made me laugh, cry, smile, lose hope, regain it, and experience every other emotion possible: I can't convey just how good it was. Moore's writing is top-notch, from the first word to the last, drawing the reader in and keeping them there until the end. I would recommend this book especially to those interested in running, but I believe it can be easily enjoyed by anyone due to its excellence.
November 3, 2023
Book 45 of 2023
This will make a push for best book I've read this year. Don't like to buy bookstore books because of cost but I had the opportunity to fly for the first time to attend the Pre Classic/Diamond League finals this year in Eugene as media. What an amazing experience. Part of my trip to the great northwest included a stop at Powell's City of Books in Portland. Well, had to buy a copy.
At appx 409 oversized pages packed with print, this is one of the longest books I've worked through. At times the content could be a bit dry so it took a while. But overall, damn, what a gem. As a blurb on my cover says, Moore is the perfect author because of his writing chops and his ties to Bowerman as a former Oregon runner. Both really came into play with some great writing and personal insights. Frankly, the bits about Pre in this book are far more compelling than Pre's own biography.
But just massive amount of history, from how Bowerman's family moved west to how his childhood may have shaped his character, to much of the nation's great track and field history. As Bowerman is a compelling figure, Moore merely had to tell enough stories to convey that to the reader. He does. Bowerman comes off as mostly great but also eccentric. Makes for a great read.
This will make a push for best book I've read this year. Don't like to buy bookstore books because of cost but I had the opportunity to fly for the first time to attend the Pre Classic/Diamond League finals this year in Eugene as media. What an amazing experience. Part of my trip to the great northwest included a stop at Powell's City of Books in Portland. Well, had to buy a copy.
At appx 409 oversized pages packed with print, this is one of the longest books I've worked through. At times the content could be a bit dry so it took a while. But overall, damn, what a gem. As a blurb on my cover says, Moore is the perfect author because of his writing chops and his ties to Bowerman as a former Oregon runner. Both really came into play with some great writing and personal insights. Frankly, the bits about Pre in this book are far more compelling than Pre's own biography.
But just massive amount of history, from how Bowerman's family moved west to how his childhood may have shaped his character, to much of the nation's great track and field history. As Bowerman is a compelling figure, Moore merely had to tell enough stories to convey that to the reader. He does. Bowerman comes off as mostly great but also eccentric. Makes for a great read.
August 25, 2024
There is a book you read and you wish you had a highlighter to mark the passages that spoke to you. I was reading a review on the book and this is one quote from the book, and I love it. Although this books speaks about the goals of runners, it can be used for many goals in life.
There is much I can say about Bowerman. He wasn't perfect, but he did live the life he wanted and would not allow others to push him around. He also was someone willing to work for his goals, and he didn't quit when he was challenged.
“When he talked with us about goals and hopes, he asked us, though never in so many words, to balance the hunger that is in all runners with some grasp of what our predecessors had achieved. The thing was not to blindly disregard limits but to understand the odds, even as one refused to accept them. He asked us, then, to leave open a tiny window of possibility. "If you go out to race," he said, "and know you'll lose, there's no probability involved. You'll lose. But if you go out knowing you will never give up, you'll still lose most of the time, but you'll be in the best position to kick from on that rare day when everything breaks right.”
― Kenny Moore, Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
There is much I can say about Bowerman. He wasn't perfect, but he did live the life he wanted and would not allow others to push him around. He also was someone willing to work for his goals, and he didn't quit when he was challenged.
“When he talked with us about goals and hopes, he asked us, though never in so many words, to balance the hunger that is in all runners with some grasp of what our predecessors had achieved. The thing was not to blindly disregard limits but to understand the odds, even as one refused to accept them. He asked us, then, to leave open a tiny window of possibility. "If you go out to race," he said, "and know you'll lose, there's no probability involved. You'll lose. But if you go out knowing you will never give up, you'll still lose most of the time, but you'll be in the best position to kick from on that rare day when everything breaks right.”
― Kenny Moore, Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
February 10, 2019
In Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore tells the story of famed Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman. Moore, a former Bowerman athlete, could have repackaged his story as a history of American track and field -- such was Bowerman's importance to the development of the sport. Unlike some other biographies, Moore's account isn't of a perfect man, but a flawed, insecure person and an all-around practical joker. In a mathematical sense however, Bowerman's "plusses" greatly outweigh his "minuses". Through sheer persistence, ingenuity, and strength of character, Bowerman built a track and field empire in the Pacific Northwest and served as a coach or advisor for several Olympic teams. The second part of the title, "and the Men of Oregon", bears mention as well. Moore also tells how Bowerman's disciples changed the nature of American amateur athletics and the popularity of the of the sport in general. Most notable among these recollections are the up-from-nothing tale of former Oregon runner, Phil Knight, and the success of Nike. In all, a great and detailed read for track and field fans.
June 4, 2023
Well written. Bowerman was clearly a good coach, and he changed athletic shoes forever. But man, peeing on his athletes in the shower? Why was he in the shower with his athletes to the begin with? Some other odd hazing rituals that the author doesn't seem to find particularly wrong, or maybe just looks back on them fondly himself, I'm not sure. It was weird, though.
I also found it interesting how he was a good coach to young men he liked or felt a particular connection with, due to their upbringing, location, etc. That is of course natural, but it is also a good example of what we now try to be aware of in hiring/promoting/etc in business, trying to be aware of unconscious bias and undoing decades of old white dudes choosing to mentor people who look like themselves.
There's no denying Bowerman's effect on track and field, as well as the athletic shoe industry. I learned a lot about the man, as well as the AAU and NCAA rules back in the day and the effort it took to change them.
I also found it interesting how he was a good coach to young men he liked or felt a particular connection with, due to their upbringing, location, etc. That is of course natural, but it is also a good example of what we now try to be aware of in hiring/promoting/etc in business, trying to be aware of unconscious bias and undoing decades of old white dudes choosing to mentor people who look like themselves.
There's no denying Bowerman's effect on track and field, as well as the athletic shoe industry. I learned a lot about the man, as well as the AAU and NCAA rules back in the day and the effort it took to change them.
March 26, 2017
Borrowed this book from Z on Christmas Eve. Loved it from opening story all the way to the finish. A vanilla biography of Bowerman would be interesting (he led quite a life), but the context Kenny places it in makes for a truly compelling read - learned a lot about the history of athletics (at UO, domestically, and on the global stage) as well as the formative years of Nike - quite something. He is able to evoke the thrill of racing in the same vein as Once A Runner; his background as a professional sportswriter is clear. There were many lessons to be drawn from this book,concerning both life and running. Finally, I was struck by the overarching theme of the "Men of Oregon" all working towards "being deemed worthy" by their onetime coach, perhaps none more so than Phil Knight and Kenny himself. This seems to hit upon a universal human instinct.
Now, I'm curious to read Shoe Dog (which Z was reading when he gave me this), and also need to get around to watching Without Limits.
Now, I'm curious to read Shoe Dog (which Z was reading when he gave me this), and also need to get around to watching Without Limits.
January 16, 2019
I grew up in Oregon during 1950s and 1960s. No sports figure in Oregon had more influence during that era. He coached some great Oregon track teams, coached the 1972 Olympic team, helped launch the jogging boom, and co-founded NIke and remains the company’s guiding light. Kenny Moore is a fine writer and much of the story he tells is personal, about his own experience and the people he knew. Bowerman was an irascible genius and Moore describes both his insights and his flaws. This book is indispensable for anyone interested in the sport of running generally, the founding of Nike and the legend of Steve Prefontaine. I’d like to see a more in depth Life and Times that talks about Bowerman, Phil Knight and their influence on sports and popular culture. Their impact is hard to measure but I’d like to see someone try.
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