which i talk about in the book, and bill bowerman had a big impact. charlie: and your sons? that is in there. the band of brothers, the five of us together, you could say that had an impact. charlie: how so? phil: we did it together. that is what the book is about. charlie: when they would talk about an entrepreneur, that was you. phil: on the first day of my entrepreneur class at stanford, my professor talked about that versus the scientific side. when we had a conference, they break for lunch, and they go off for themselves. that is me. [laughter] charlie: what else defines you and your success? phil: oh, i think persistence and love for what i was doing. i was never going to give up. that was a big part. charlie: but also, there is a wonderful quote that you have. basically, i think, something to the effect, you will know instantly, all of the possibilities that we do not know everything. someone who is an expert sees very few possibilities. that is true. when you are young, putting shoes out there in plymouth valley -- phil: the babe magnet. [laughter] charlie: you saw n

. >> i came here as 17-year-old, very uncertain of everything and i met bill bowerman, if there's no bill there's no me. >> bill was knight's coach. he was obsessed with tearing apart track shoes and reassembling them creating a franken-shoe of his very own. >> what were they sneak. >> make them out of goat skin they just have almost no form in the upper, he'd get spike plate taken off another shoe and glue it on. they were pretty ugly, but they were light. i was one of the guinea pigs. >> that seed took root while getting his mba at stanford. knight wrote a paper of manufacturing running shoes in cheaper. >> ever since i wrote it it was sort of ticking away. >> after graduating, knight put his paper into action, convincing a japanese company to let him disrib butte their brand of running shoe called tigers, here in the u.s. he began selling them out of the trunk of his car. his initial investment, a thousand bucks that he split 50-50 with his new parter and former coach, bill bowerman. >> he's pedaling the track shoes. that was a big joke. i want id. i got to try it. >> by 1917 their

i like to say that describing bill bowerman is like trying to describe an elephant.hat day you caught him that is how you describe them. charlie: what did he mean to you? phil: everything, basically a second father, and inspiration to me. a strong disciplinarian on me, until the day he died. charlie: here is what is interesting. michael jordan, all of the things he did not do, the many times he was not interested with the ball and missed. ins, what isres, w the point there? try: the point is tyrry, again. in the advertisement you ran, the inspiration on two of them, charles barkley and michael jordan, came from them. it was their idea. that is one of the things we have tried to do, get to know the athlete. s. win their hearts, and their feet. sure, that is where comes from. charlie: like tiger. whatever the question was, you but you knew, yo tiger. phil: he is listening to his father, listening, not answering. tiger, youeaking of have been so good to him. he has been good to you. there is talk he may come back to the u.s. open. what do you think? phil: i do not know

i always like to say that describing bill bowerman is like the four indian blind men trying to describe an elephant. that he really-- it was what day you caught him on is the way you describe him. >> what did he mean to you? >> everything. that he was the secretary father that he was basically an inspiration to me. and he was a strong discipline arian, on me. until the day he died. >> here is back to the ads. here is what is interesting to he moosm you had michael jordan talk about all the things that he didn't do. how many times-- you can get him entrusted to the ball for a last shot and missed. not how many he had scored. not how many he had won. how many-- was' the point there. >> well, the point is, is that. >> you try, try again. that it was interesting, and he asked if i was the inspiration whichs way not but the inspiration on two of them, the charles backly ad and michael jordan ad came from them. that was their idea. >> really. >> yeah and that's one of the things that i always tried to do is get to know the athlete, as we've said, win their hearts as well as their feet. >> und

>> i think there's no question it was when bill bowerman said i want to be your partner and i shook his that. >> you're very good about sharing that you are the co-founder. that it was your crazy idea but you had all these people and just some kind of way it fit. it all fit together. >> no, i think it's true as far as business lessons that there's really never even just one person or even two people. that it takes a group of people to build something and we had our unique group. they were eccentric. i've often said i don't know if they were geniuses or near geniuses but they brought all the emotional baggage of geniuses. >> and what do you say to -- we've had a lot of people starting their businesses and a lot of people who watch and they have a passion. they want to have fun. what do you say to a young or any entrepreneur? >> well, i think there's a couple things. if you're going to be an entrepreneur you better be prepared for long hours and a lot of dark moments and i guess that's one thing that is shown in the book and i think you really have to have a passion about it and you have