Bill Bowerman was the legendary Head Coach of Track and Field at the University of Oregon from 1948-72, and was Head Coach of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team. Bowerman invented the waffle sole running shoe and, with Phil Knight, is the co-founder of Nike.

Bowerman and this running class are widely credited with initiating the jogging and then running booms of the 1960s and '70s. Certainly his book, Jogging - a million-seller - had an even greater influence in the pre-internet era.