Nike has long been inspired and for athletes in general, but their first and still greatest muse was Steve Prefontaine, a brilliant, headstrong and seemingly tireless runner from Oregon who at one point held seven American records. Pre was Bill Bowerman’s greatest runner at the University of Oregon, and he served as Bowerman’s primary tester for his homemade running shoe innovations. He was tragically killed in 1974 in a single-car crash at the age of 24. Today would have been his 61st birthday.
