Chapter 7 Summary and Analysis

The spring of 1974 was Pre's first year as an "open" athlete, meaning he did not have to participate in the brutal frequency of the collegiate season and could thus pick his events, which were fewer and farther in between. He moved from his trailer to a home in Eugene, Oregon.

Life as an unpaid amateur athlete was very difficult financially. Now he did not even receive the small $101 stipend for room and board he used to get at the University. Financial help came in the form of a new job he got from a fledgling Oregon shoe company - Nike. His title was "National Public Relations Manager," a title Pre probably made up himself. He attended public events, ran running clinics for kids, worked the floor of the first Nike retail store, and learned about shoe making. For this he was...