Steve ran track at the UO 1971-1975, under head coach Bill Bowerman, a friend with Steve Prefontaine, a 2-time All American, competed in the 1972 Olympic Trials, and recently fell off the top 10 UO all-time 800 meters list. 

After graduation, Bence taught and coached for two years, started with Blue Ribbon Sports in 1977, soon after renamed Nike.  Over the 44+ years at Nike, his jobs have included Nike Retail, IT, Footwear Product Creation, HR, Nike International, with most of his time spent in Manufacturing & Sourcing; living in Taiwan, Maine, and twice in Korea. 

After receiving his MBA in 1991, Steve’s focus has been on Portfolio, Program, and Project Management with a heavy focus on Transition Management. For the past 25 years he has told his personal Nike story to thousands of Nike and factory employees, and in 2021 self-published the book 1972 now available on Amazon at Barnes and Noble.

Steve Bence