Feb 6: Geoff Hollister passes

Left picture:  Me "modeling" the Cortez
Right picture clockwise:  Geoff Hollister, John Woodman,
Tinker Hatfield, Steve Bence, Bill Dellinger

Rembering Geoff Hollister

For me, Geoff has always embodied the Nike passion for sport. Serve the athlete. Product excellence.

I first met Geoff at the 1972 US Olympic Trials in Eugene. I was an Oregon freshman half-miler and Geoff was unveiling the Nike brand. I remember getting a free Nike tee shirt and a pair of shiny blue patent-leather Cortez. I later gave them to my marathoner roommate Ron Wayne. I was a proud Adidas athlete and not interested in Nike.  This was despite Bill Bowerman had a hand in creating the Nike brand.  Prefontaine was still wearing Adidas.

Over the next year I discovered the benefits of training in the Nike Cortez. I went back to Geoff and explained that I wouldn’t compete in Nike (the spikes were too wide for me) but I’d love to train in the Cortez. I respected Geoff because he didn’t try to talk me into competing in the Nike spikes. However he wouldn’t give me the Nike training shoes. Eventually Geoff agreed to a pair-for-pair trade of his Nike Cortez for my Adidas.

In hindsight Geofff was clever. The majority of my time I wasn't wearing competition spikes. Geoff took away my Adidas training shoes and I found myself wearing Nikes most of the time. I later saw a copy Nike’s first product catalog and there I was in the bottom right half of the page.

Enlarged photo.  I'm carrying my Adidas spikes

Enlarged photo.  Me and Hailu Ebba (Oregon State) at Hayward Field

Geoff retired from Nike about 2004 but you wouldn’t know it. He stayed connected with Nike employees and lived the spirit which launched the Nike brand.  I trust that Geoff’s spirit will continue to inspire.