Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
by Kenny Moore

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
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Book Summary Information

Author: Kenny Moore
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-07-25
ISBN: 1594861900
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Rodale Books

Book Reviews of Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder

Book Review: An Amazing Read
Summary: 5 Stars

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by sportswriter Kenny Moore is a truly amazing story about legendary coach and Nike founder Bill Bowerman and his fabled harriers. Throughout the story, Moore provides the reader with an in depth look into the man who was Bill Bowerman: a quirky, feared, dry-humored running coach who was looked up to and respected by all. During his reign at the University of Oregon, every half decent runner had dreams of competing under him. However, as Moore clearly shows, he was not just a coach of runners, but throwers and jumpers as well. The book takes the reader into the mind of Bowerman and provides history and background that proved very important in shaping Bill Bowerman into the great man that he was.
Kenny Moore himself was one of Bowerman's harriers and, under his tutelage, he developed into an extremely talented runner of Olympic caliber. Regardless of this, Moore still does an excellent job of providing a moving story of the life of Bill Bowerman not only as a coach, but also as a human being. This book is a must read for anyone with a doubt as to who exactly was the man who made running popular within the United States.
Moore also dedicates an entire chapter to the worthy cause of discussing American distance running legend Steve Prefontaine. This proves to be a very insightful part of the book, full of familiar anecdotes about "Pre" as well showing the complex relationship that existed between Prefontaine and Bowerman. Moore tells the tales behind the tales, the stories that have been buried for years and finally come to the surface to create an entertaining yet true tale. He speaks of Bowerman's relationship with legendary New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard from whom Bowerman derived many of his training methods. Moore also tells the exciting tale of Bowerman's never ending battle with the AAU or Amateur Athletic Union which, at that time, was Track and Field's governing body. This was the same organization that dogged Steve Prefontaine to the end of his days. Moore provides insight into the battles between Bowerman and the AAU and looks into the times when even the great Bill had thoughts of giving up. Then there is the saga of the company that became Nike. Moore tells of how it grew from its small town, basement roots into the massive Nike colossus. He tells of the struggles the company faced and how it overcame them.
By the end of the story one is left with what can only be termed as a sense of awe. After reading about the legendary Bill Bowerman, you cannot help but to feel a sense of respect for the man. He was a simple individual; he never paraded around in grandeur even when he became quite wealthy through his association with Nike. He was an athletes coach, putting his competitors first and foremost. Bill Bowerman lived a great life, full of adventure and accomplishments but also of note was his humbleness and understated nature. While no one will ever be able to perfectly describe the life of Bill Bowerman, author Kenny Moore comes about as close to perfection as you can get.

Summary of Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder

The first biography of the legendary track coach, and founder of Nike, who had an unparalleled impact on the sport of running

During his tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon from 1949 through 1972, Bill Bowerman won 4 national team titles, trained dozens of milers to break the 4-minute barrier, and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. Single-handedly he helped turn the college town of Eugene, Oregon, into the running capital of the world.

In Bowerman: The Wings of Nike, Kenny Moore, a world-class marathon runner and one of Bowerman's Oregon men, tells the story of his mentor and hero, drawing on years of taped interviews and the full cooperation of the Bowerman family and Nike, the company that Bowerman helped to found through his invention of the waffle-soled running shoe.

Whether providing a fresh look at the tragic siege at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, where Bowerman coached the track and field team; offering a close-up view of the coach's relationship with runner Steve Prefontaine (subject of the movie Without Limits, co-written and co-produced by Moore); or exploring Bowerman's role as a Nike innovator, this illuminating portrait is compelling reading throughout--ample evidence of why Bowerman's widow, noting how well the author understood her husband, said: "If anyone should write Bill's life story, it's Kenny Moore."

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