The shoes were made by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who used his wife's waffle iron to create a new kind of running shoe with a waffle-patterned sole to help runners improve speed. Nike's first pair of running shoes may never have taken form if not for one particular breakfast food. In 1978, they introduced the first female-specific shoes, designed on smaller lasts. A UCLA color way was released in 1976, and was reissued in 2002. Four decades later, Nike is a global sneaker powerhouse with $28 billion in annual sales. Playing around with rubber and a waffle iron in his kitchen, he created the waffle sole, still a feature in some Nike shoes (although the waffle iron has been retired). Jeff says he was given the shoe in 2010 by Tom Bowerman, one of the sons of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. But! The shoes were made in a waffle iron and were the first Nike shoes worn during competition. The idea for Nike’s first shoe, the Waffle Trainer, was born, marking the end of the era of flat-soled running shoes. A Lady Waffle Trainer was released in 1977. In the same decade, Nike's Bowerman developed a new kind of lighter traction sole for track shoes. Rare Nike handmade "waffle" prototype shoes by Bill Bowerman. According to the story, Bauerman made his first waffle sole using his wife’s waffle iron. That unlikely innovation of using a waffle tread for their shoes spawned Nike's 1974 Waffle Trainer which catapulted the company into what it is today. The shoes were made by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who used his wife's waffle iron to create a new kind of running shoe with a waffle-patterned sole to help runners improve speed. Found: The Waffle Iron That Inspired Nike Host Michele Norris speaks with Melissa Bowerman, daughter in law of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. The kitchen gadget was destroyed (now it is stored in the Nike museum), but a technical breakthrough took place. Jordan Geller, who owns hundreds of original Nike shoes housed in his ShoeZeum in California, bought these shoes in 2014 for $1,500 from an Oregon man, Jeff Wasson. Learn the history of the Waffle Trainer. Ridiculous History: Nike's Very First Shoes Were Made With a Waffle Iron by Chris Opfer Jul 25, 2016 The waffle-soled "Moon Shoes" were made by Bill Bowerman in a waffle iron and were the first Nike shoes worn during a competition: the U.S. Olympic trials in 1972. 1974 The Waffle Trainer is introduced, featuring Bill's famous Waffle outsole. Marathoner Jeff Galloway is the first athlete to wear Nike shoes across a finish line in competition. And the company still makes Waffle Trainers. As co-founder with Phil Knight of Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor of Nike, Bowerman and the company crew launched the waffle sole at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in … Note how the soles look similar to the grooves of a waffle iron. It wasn't Nike's only innovation. Ta-da! Bowerman received his shoe patent number 3,793,750 on February 26, 1974 and Nike began producing the “waffle” trainers the same year. The sole’s design was inspired by his wife’s waffle iron which Bill subsequently ruined while using it to form his experimental rubber soles. Nike 'Moon Shoe' worn by Mark Covert in the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials. Learn the history of the Waffle Trainer. In 1975, a second version of the Nike Waffle Trainer was released with a flared outsole for enhanced stabilization.