Out of Nowhere: The Inside Story of How Nike Marketed the Culture of Running

by Geoff Hollister

How does a boy from a small Oregon farm town get swept up in the politics of his chosen sport? Out of Nowhere takes the reader along on Geoff Hollister's 33 year journey at the center of Nike, the company that would change not only the world of athletic shoes and apparel but the business of sport itself. Nike began with a handshake and a few hundred dollars passed between Phil Knight and legendary track coach Bill Bowerman. Hollister was coached by him at the University of Oregon and was Bowerman's pick as Nike's third employee. Before he had even graduated Hollister began selling shoes out of the trunk of his car for Blue Ribbon Sports, the company that became Nike. Out of Nowhere provides an inside look for the entrepreneur, from someone who experienced the humble beginnings, lived and breathed the first 33 years of Nike, now the largest sports and fitness company in the world. Hollister takes you on the rollercoaster ride of success and failure.

Genres: Sports

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Wendy Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband Geoff is a brilliant writer and has lived an inspiring life.

[Marek · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Steve R. Prefontaine

[Travis]

One mans inside view of Nike told through his life story.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, it isn't Nike's story - it's Geoff Hollister's autobiography. While he was one of the initial key players and an influencer in Nike for decades, this book is really about Hollister.

Also, it is terribly written. It is 300 pages of somewhat chronological, largely unconnected anecdotes from Hollister's life. You would get more continuity from a random collection of Dilbert comics. He drops names without explaining who they are...constantly. He uses jargon without defining it...constantly. It is a frustrating read.

There are flashes of good story within this mess - the parts about Prefontaine, the America's Cup foray, a few individual Athlete mini-stories. Maybe 30 pages worth. The epilogue is is uncharacteristically cogent and reflective.

Peering through the chaos, you can see that the story of Nike is worth telling, and Hollister might even have had the best perspective. However, he clearly wasn't the guy to write about it.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book tells an interesting story. It's written by Geoff Hollister, who was the 3rd employee of Nike. He ran on the Oregon track team with Phil Knight and was instrumental in building Nike's team of professional athletes who represented their products. A close friend of Pre, a student of Bowerman, and the man who patented the aqua-sock for Nike, Hollister could do it all! There is a ton of information about American (and international) runners from the 70s and 80s. Hollister definitely had a unique perspective to the meteoric rise of Nike and the "running boom" here in America. Lots of stories set in Eugene too, which is a huge plus for me.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of a tough read since it's mainly a long chronology of loosely connected anecdotes about how Nike emerged out of the track and field mecca of Eugene in the early 70s. Hollister assumes you already know about many of the (many) people he mentions and often doesn't provide enough explanation for some of the incidents, leaving the reader frequently scratching his head in confusion. Overall though it's a fascinating tale and worth the slog to understand the culture of Nike's beginnings in which the relationships to the athletes were paramount versus the sports marketing juggernaut it is today.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terribly well-written, but it gives insight to the creation and development of Nike. Some of the "dark ages" were glossed over (you can read about it in Just Do It, oddly, a fairly official account) but perhaps from his perspective it was always tough times. It's sad to know he's since passed away, but if ever there were a picture of a full life, this is it, warts and all. He DOESN'T gloss over his personal life's troubles, to his credit. That seems to lend credence to the rest of the text's veracity.

[Joie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not really what I was expecting. I was expecting more Nike, less personal anecdotes. There were some interesting parts, but overall it was kind of a yawner.

[Kelsey]

what a rip off. I got this book from the library but before I got into it Justin saw it and swiped it.

[Lauren Armony · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father had the pleasure of meeting this man in person. It was such a beautiful book, especially if your life is based upon running.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing story of how Nike used guerrilla marketing to get their brand name on nearly every elite runner in the world and wound up being one of the world's most recognized brand names.

[Arie Verburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Interesting insight about the road Nike as taken so far.