Description
Bill Bowerman was a formidable and often feared coach at the University of Oregon. New athletes attending the annual welcome dinner at his home might have expected an inspiring speech. Instead, they were often treated to his guiding parable: the story of a stubborn mule. When the mule’s owner couldn’t make it eat or drink, he called a “mule skinner” for help. The skinner arrived, took a massive wooden beam, and hit the mule hard between the ears, then again between the eyes. When the shocked owner protested, the skinner explained his philosophy: the crucial first step is always to get the mule’s attention.
Bowerman understood this philosophy because he had been that stubborn mule. Growing up in Fossil, Oregon, he was a wild kid who hated authority. This rebellious streak only worsened after his parents divorced and he tragically watched his twin brother die in an elevator accident. Believing his mother couldn’t handle him, his brother arranged a meeting with Ercel Hedrick, a school superintendent and a certified mule skinner. Hedrick confronted the 14-year-old Bill, telling him what a disgrace he was. The harsh confrontation worked. Bill Bowerman left that office a changed person, finally channeling his intense energy into discipline, which improved his grades and his performance in sports. As a coach, he embodied that lesson, demanding total obedience from his athletes.
Bowerman’s intensity carried into all parts of his life. He met his future wife, Barbara Young, at a dinner party where he famously ate three full meals. His athletic career started rocky; he was initially rejected for the high school football team for being too light. But after he got into a fight and beat a former player, the impressed coach let him join. He excelled, helping Medford High win state championships in both football and basketball.
At the University of Oregon, the legendary track coach Bill Hayward became a key mentor. Hayward taught Bowerman about tactics, injuries, and the psychological drama needed to create elite athletes. Bowerman studied broadly, graduating with a degree in Physical Education. He returned to Medford High to teach history and coach football, achieving an impressive record. He also started the school’s first track and field team in 15 years, leading them to three state championships. His strict, “mule skinner” style was already apparent. When a star player broke curfew, he snuck into his room and found Bowerman lying in his bed, waiting for him.
When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Bowerman’s life took a sharp turn. He immediately drove to the nearest barracks to enlist. The Army initially gave him menial jobs due to an old scar, but his unique skills soon landed him in the elite Tenth Mountain Division as a skier and mule handler. He was deployed to the Italian Alps as a major. Bowerman proved to be a natural leader and a brave soldier. He defied orders to drive a jeep through rough terrain to save a wounded man. He led his men out of an ambush and convinced a tank driver to return and fire on the enemy.
His most famous exploit came when he heard a nearby German barracks was considering surrender. He took only a translator and a few men to negotiate. Held at a checkpoint, he coolly demanded the lieutenant call his general. Face-to-face with the Nazi general, a confident Bowerman stated that the war was over and demanded they surrender by 10 a.m. the next day to prevent more bloodshed. 4,000 German soldiers surrendered. After the war, he showed his rebellious side again by “losing” Army mules so that poor Italian peasants could use them. He resumed teaching almost immediately upon returning to America, eager to move on.
In 1948, Bill Bowerman became the head coach at the University of Oregon. The track and field program was small, with only two full scholarships. He fought to raise that number to ten and found other creative ways to build his team, such as convincing local mill owners to hire his athletes. This built resilience and funded their education. Bowerman was also a relentless innovator. He studied the training methods of European runners, adopting and mastering interval training. He customized workouts for each individual, finding the perfect balance of work and rest.
His methods worked. He demanded his runners use their heads and manage their energy to finish strong. Soon, the University of Oregon became famous for producing four-minute milers, attracting top talent from around the world. Hayward Field became a legendary stadium. In total, Bowerman trained 31 Olympians who won eight gold medals. He also championed the rights of amateur athletes. His strictness was balanced by bizarre pranks. He would haze players to judge their character, and those who proved their toughness were “branded” with a hot key, earning the right to be called one of “Bowerman’s Men of Oregon.”
Bowerman’s success led him to be chosen as the US Olympic track coach for the 1972 Munich Games. Upon arrival, he complained about the lax security, but his concerns were dismissed. On September 5, 1972, his fears became reality when eight members of the Black September terrorist group took the Israeli team hostage, ultimately killing 12 people. An Israeli athlete escaped and knocked on Bowerman’s door for refuge. Bowerman immediately secured his own team and had to manage the intense internal tensions, including Black athletes threatening to boycott over Apartheid Rhodesia’s inclusion. He navigated the crisis with a steady hand, listening to his athletes and consoling them, firm in his belief that the Olympic spirit was the antidote to war.
Throughout his career, Bowerman was obsessed with gaining any possible advantage, which led him to focus on running shoes. He learned cobbling and began making his own shoes for his runners. Some experiments injured his athletes, but he kept improving. His most famous breakthrough came when he stared at his wife’s waffle iron and had an idea. He poured liquid urethane into it, destroying the appliance but creating the prototype for the iconic Waffle sole, which offered the perfect grip.
One of his former runners, Phil Knight, had an idea to import cheaper, high-quality shoes from Japan. Bowerman invested , and the two became partners, forming Blue Ribbon Sports to distribute Onitsuka Tiger shoes. Bowerman constantly sent new designs to their Japanese partners. When Onitsuka tried to cut them out, Knight found new manufacturers, and they decided to create their own brand. They called it Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory. The company went public in 1980, making Bowerman wealthy, which he used to fund scholarships and causes at the University of Oregon.
Bowerman’s final major contribution was sparking the jogging revolution. On a trip to New Zealand, he was stunned to see people of all ages running for fun. His host, coach Arthur Lydiard, explained the benefits of jogging for ordinary people. Bowerman, who rarely ran himself, started jogging at his own pace. After six weeks, he returned home looking ten years younger. He wrote an article about it, and soon thousands of people were showing up at Hayward Field to run. He organized a team of doctors and researchers to create safe jogging plans for different ages and weights.
The workouts were published in a small book titled Jogging. At his wife’s insistence, they included tips specific to women. The book sold over a million copies and transformed jogging from an elite sport into a global fitness phenomenon. Bill Bowerman—a coach, veteran, innovator, and co-founder—died in 1999 at age 88. He was the ultimate “mule skinner,” a man who demanded attention and, in doing so, changed the world of sports forever.
