Out of Nowhere is a book about Nike written from the
perspective of one of the earliest and most loyal employees of Nike, Geoff
Hollister. I really enjoyed this book even though I am no longer much of a believer
in the Nike story. I think Nike is the 800 gorilla that has corrupted track and
field. That is something that happened beginning in the late 1980’s and
continues today, but this book is about the founding of Nike and the influence
of Bill Bowerman. It brought back a rush of fond memories for me of the days when
the sport of track and field still had a bit of purity and interest in the
essence of the sport – competition. It is a good read. Geoff is battling cancer
and that is the focus of the last two chapters. The following quote is the last
two paragraphs of the book, I thought they were worth sharing.
“…Life thrusts you into a competitive
environment. How do you prepare for the realities and the unknown? Hopefully
you have a mentor, a Bowerman who pushes you at that critical time. A time when
someone has a belief in your future more than you do. it’s not about how long
you live but how you contribute. It’s about doing your best and doing the right
thing. It’s about recovering from your mistakes and not giving up. It’s about
the baton pass to a new generation. It’s about the realization that you cannot
go it alone. It takes a team.
In the end, you are somewhere in
the middle, part of a never ending process. The future will never remember what
was in your bank account or what kind of car you drove. The future will remember
that wild ride of life where you believed in others and left a gift behind for
someone else to dream the impossible. The gift was your own life. It does not
matter whether it was long or short. What did you leave behind?”