MY NEXT GUEST ALMOST SINGLE HANDILY DRATTED THE AMERICAN
SPORTS APPAREL INDUSTRY, WRITTEN A NEW MEMOIR CALLED "SHOE DOG."
PLEASE WELCOME THE CREATOR OF NIKE, PHIL KNIGHT.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) ♪
THANKS FOR BEING HERE!
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
>> THANKS.
GREAT FOR YOU TO HAVE ME ON.
>> Stephen: FOUNDER AND STILL C.E.O.
>> STILL CHAIRMAN.
>> Stephen: OF NIKE, A $30 BILLION A YEAR COMPANY BUT
FROM VERY HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, THIS COMPANY.
>> VERY.
>> Stephen: HOW DID IT BEGIN?
HOW MANY YEARS NOW HAS IT BEEN AROUND?
>> WELL, IT STARTED ON THE RUNNING TRACK AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF OREGON WHERE MY OLD -- YEAH, WHERE MY OLD TRACK COACH WAS
ALWAYS EXPERIMENTING WITH SHOES.
I WAS A DISTANCE RUNNER.
HE EXPERIMENTED WITH DIFFERENT SHOES.
THEY HAD A LOT OF GOOD RUNNERS AND HE HAD ME.
HE EXPERIMENTED WITH ME.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU WERE NO GREAT LOSS.
>> HE DIDN'T WANT TO SCREW UP THE GOOD GUYS.
THAT PLANTED A SEED.
I WENT ON TO THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT STANFORD AND TOOK A
CLASS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND WROTE A PAPER THAT THE U.S. SHOE
MARKET WAS DOMINATED BY GERMAN SHOE COMPANIES.
DIDN'T MAKE SINCE TO ME THEY MADE SHOES IN GERMANY.
I THOUGHT WHY NOT IN JAPAN LIKE THE CAMERA BUSINESS.
SO I WENT TO JAPAN TO CALL ON A SHOE COMPANY.
I PLACED AN ORDER FOR SAMPLES AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING.
>> Stephen: WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS THE ORIGINAL WAFFLE SHOE
IS HERE.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS NIKE SHOE HERE?
>> THIS PUT NIKE ON THE MAP.
>> Stephen: WHO THE QUESTION SIGNED THE SWOOSH?
>> A GASK ARTIST AT PORTSLAND STATE UNIVERSITY.
WE PAID HER $2 AN HOUR.
IT'S BEEN EASILY WORTH IT.
BUT WHEN WE WENT PUBLIC, WE GAVE HER 500 SHARES OF STOCK, AND SHE
HASN'T SOLD A SINGLE SHARE AND THEY'RE NOW WORTH A MILLION
DOLLARS.
>> Stephen: OH, THAT'S GREAT.
(APPLAUSE) WHEN YOU SAY WAFFLE, IT WAS
LITERALLY MADE IN A WAFFLE, RIGHT?
>> WE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE TRACK COACH THAT BECAME MY
PARTNER AND SAID THE RUNNER SHOE HASN'T HAD A NEW OUTER SOLE IN
50 YEARS.
HE WAS THINKING ABOUT IT WHEN HE WAS DRIVING BACK AND HIS WIFE
WAS MAKING WAFFLES AND THAT WAS THE START OF THE SOLE.
JUST THIS LAST YEAR THE INTERNATIONAL INVENTORS HALL OF
FAME MADE THEM A MEMBER OF THEIR HALL OF FAME FOR THE WAFFLE
SOLE.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK CALLED "SHOE DOG."
WHAT'S A SHOE DOG?
>> WHEN I GOT IN THE BUSINESS A SHOE DOG IS BASICALLY A
SHOEMAKER, AND THEY HAD A -- >> Stephen: NOT A COB SNRER.
NO, BUT THE SHOE DOGS WENT THROUGH THE GENERATIONS AND THEY
HAD A WAY -- THEY FIGURED OUT NORMAL HUMAN BEING LIFE
EXPECTANCY WILL WALK 275 MILLION STEPS AND THE SHOEMAKERS WERE
PART OF THEIR JOURNEY AND PART OF THEIR HUMANITY, AND I ALWAYS
SORT OF LIKED THAT STORY AND BECAME PART OF THAT BUSINESS AND
CONSIDERED MYSELF A SHOE DOG.
>> Stephen: NIKE DOESN'T JUST MAKE SHOES AND OTHER APPAREL, IT
ALSO MAKES STARS BECAUSE YOU WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO PARTNER
WITH SOMEONE, LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN, SEEN HERE IN THE
ORIGINAL AIR JORDANS, WHICH WE HAVE RIGHT THERE.
THE ORIGINAL AIR JORDANS.
>> THE GOOD LUCK WAS THAT DAVID STERN BANNED THE COLOR RED ON
SHOES.
THEY HAD TO BE WHITE OR BLACK IN THE N.B.A., SO WE RAN AN AD THAT
SAID BANNED IN THE N.B.A. AND THE SALES TOOK RIGHT OFF.
>> Stephen: YEAH, WELL, JOHN OVER THERE HAS A PAIR ON
TONIGHT, RIGHT NOW.
THE YELLOW AND BLUE.
STILL POPULAR.
>> YOU LOOK GREAT, JOHN.
>> Stephen: I HAVE NOT OPENED THIS YET BUT I HAVE BEEN TOLD
THERE IS A SPECIAL PAIR OF NIEBLGIES IN THERE.
>> YES, SIR.
BASICALLY, WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING NO OTHER GUEST COULD
GIVE YOU.
SO WE HAVE THIS PAIR OF SHOES THAT IS THE LIFE OF STEPHEN
COLBERT IN A PAIR OF SHOES.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
BASICALLY, WE START WITH A SACK THAT SAYS 1964 WHICH IS THE
FIRST YEAR WE HAD ANY SALES FOR OUR COMPANY AND WAS ALSO
MEANINGFUL TO YOU.
>> Stephen: THAT'S THE YEAR I WAS BORN.
THE YEAR I STARTED AS WELL.
OKAY.
>> THEN HERE WE HAVE YOUR LIFE, WHICH BASICALLY INCLUDES YOUR
MOM AND DAD -- >> Stephen: HOLD ON.
LET'S SEE.
SO THERE IS THE EAGLE FROM THE OLD -- CAN YOU GET A SHOT OF
THIS?
THE EAGLE FROM THE OLD SHOW.
THERE'S THE "LATE SHOW" WITH STEPHEN COLBERT.
THERE'S ME PUTTING SALT ON THE EAGLE BECAUSE MY MOM SENT ME OUT
WITH A SALT SHAKER TO CATCH BIRDS.
WHO TOLD YOU THAT STORY?
>> THAT WAS MY FAVORITE.
>> Stephen: I'M ONE OF ELEVEN CHILDREN.
NIXON BECAUSE I'M OBSESSED WITH HIM.
HERE'S J.D. SALINGER ON THE BACK OF THE SHOES!
I HOPE YOU'RE PREPARED FOR A LAWSUIT FROM HIS ESTATE.
WHAT IS THIS?
>> THE PRESS TO WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS PROPRIETARY AS WELL.
>> Stephen: WILL THIS MAKE ME WANT TO EXERCISE?
THAT'S THE ONE THING I LACK.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO EXERCISE BUT YOU
WILL CERTAINLY EXERCISE ER?
THANK YOU SO MUCH, PHIL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: SHOE DOG IS OUT NOW!
NIKE CREATOR PHIL KNIGHT, EVERYBODY!