Nike Inc. founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny have given the University of Oregon $100 million for an athletics fund.
The pledge, announced by Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer and athletic director Pat Kilkenny, would create the Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund. The gift, announced through the university's
GoDucks.com Web site, is the largest philanthropic gesture collected in the school's history."This is an historic day for the University of Oregon," said Frohnmayer. "Phil and Penny Knight are long and generous supporters of the university. They have demonstrated a deep commitment to fostering both athletic as well as academic excellence on the Oregon campus. This contribution reflects a continuing strong dedication to higher education and our students."
Phil Knight graduated from the University of Oregon in 1959. Inspired by coach Bill Bowerman's experiment with footwear, he started the company that became Nike in the late 1960s.
Nike, which reported $16.3 billion in revenue last fiscal year, plans to crack the $20 billion mark by the year 2011.
Nike founder gives $100M to U of Oregon - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
08-21-2007, 05:24 PM
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