A 31-Year Look at Mark Parker’s Nike Career

1979

Mark Parker joins Nike as a footwear designer and product tester.

1980 Revenue $270 Million

1980

Nike goes public. B shares set at $22, close at $23.

1981

Parker moves from the R&D facility in New Hampshire to Oregon HQ as director of design concepts and engineering.
Parker designs the Odyssey, a running shoe focused on stability.

1982

Parker’s Pegasus hits the market. The line, including 2009’s Air Pegasus 26+, is still Nike’s most popular running shoe.

1986

Parker and Tinker Hatfield work on the first cross-training shoe. John McEnroe tries a prototype and wears the cross-trainer for the rest of his career.

1987

The Visible Air technology, patented in Parker’s name, debuts. More than 600,000 pairs of the Air Max alone are sold.

1988

Parker becomes VP of R&D. The first Visible Air shoe in the Michael Jordan line is released.

1990 Revenue $2.2 Billion

Mid-1990s

Parker begins commissioning artists, such as Futura 2000, Mr Cartoon, and Os Gêmeos, to create limited-edition sneakers.

1996

Parker, now VP of consumer product marketing, helps sign Tiger Woods to a 20-year, $40 mil-lion endorsement deal.

1998

As general manager of global footwear, Parker drives Nike’s purchase of Cole Haan, the first in a series of acquisitions that includes Hurley and Converse.

1999

Parker green-lights the Presto, an ultralight running shoe at less than 20 ounces.

2000 Revenue $9 Billion

2001

Parker and Charlie Denson become copresidents of the Nike brand.
Parker helps recruit marathoner Paula Radcliffe.

2002

HTM, an exclusive line of shoes designed by Parker, Tinker Hatfield, and Hiroshi Fujiwara, launches.

2003

Parker okays work on Nike Free, which simulates barefoot running.
Parker’s third year as copresident is marked by multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Serena Williams.