Their big breakthrough, however, came from the Bowerman family breakfast table. University of Oregon had decided to replace its cinder track with an artificial one, and Bowerman wanted to design a shoe that would grip the artificial track without spikes. One morning over breakfast, his wife's waffle iron provided the inspiration for the new shoes. Barbara Bowerman recalled that "as one of the waffles came out, he said, 'You know, by turning it upside down—where the waffle part would come in contact with the track—I think that might work.'"
Bowerman immediately began experimenting by pouring polyurethane into the waffle iron, creating the first prototypes of Nike's waffle sole. The waffle iron (a wedding present) was ruined, but the first Nike waffle trainer was born.
Bowerman sewed the waffle soles onto his running shoes, which became a hit. His patent application described “an athletic shoe suitable for use on artificial turf…the sole has short multi-sided polygon shaped studs…which provide gripping edges that give greatly improved traction.”
After the runaway success of the Nike Waffle trainers, Bowerman and Knight continued to create popular new athletic shoes. Their innovative design, creative marketing and eye for fashion launched Nike from a small regional business to a global behemoth.
In 2011, Bill Bowerman's son and daughter-in-law unearthed the original waffle iron. It had been buried in the yard on their property in Fossil, Oregon, since the 1970s. It was "in horrible shape," according to Bowerman's daughter-in-law, but Nike executives were thrilled with the discovery. The waffle iron is now displayed at Nike Headquarters in Oregon.
