Rob Strasser (born 1947, died 1993) was an America-based business executive and lawyer. He is prominently known for being a former Nike executive. He played a significant role in helping the company reach bigger heights. Read more to know about his wiki, age, wife, children, biography, family, ethnicity, parents, siblings, nationality, and more.
Rob Strasser Wiki/Biography
Rob Strasser was born in an American family in Milwaukie, OR, USA. While his nickname was Rob, his birthday and zodiac sign were not available.
He attended a local educational institute to graduate high school. Further, he enrolled in Willamette University to pursue law.
As per his wife, Rob passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 46 in Germany on 30 October 1993.
Real Name | Rob Strasser |
Nickname | Rob |
Profession | Business executive |
Age | 46 [at the time of his death] |
Date of Birth | 1957 |
Birthplace | Milwaukie, OR, USA |
Hometown | Milwaukie, OR, USA |
Zodiac Sign | Not Known |
Nationality | American |
Religion | Christianity |
College | Willamette University |
Hobbies | Traveling |
Famous For | Being a Nike’s executive |
Rob Strasser’s Wife, Children & Family
Rob Strasser was a married man. His wife’s name was Julie Strasser. The couple dated for a few years before he tied the knot in 1982.
Back then, she worked at Nike as an advertising manager. While her current profession is unavailable, she is known for being co-author of the book Swoosh: The Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There. He has a daughter named Avery.
While we have a fair amount of information about his wife & children, we couldn’t gather any details about his parents or siblings. However, we know that his nationality was American.
Career
Rob Strasser moved to his hometown after completing his higher education. He did so in order to start his own law firm. For the next few years, he worked as a lawyer in Portland. In 1972, Blue Ribbon Sports (now Nike) filed a lawsuit against Onitsuka.
As the company imported running shoes, it partnered with Onitsuka to import its products from Japan. Eventually, Nike founder Knight sued the Japanese company due to breach of contract. In order to win the lawsuit, Knight hired Rob and the company went on to win in 1974.
Though the company faced audit and mismanagement issues in the next year, they were eventually resolved. In fact, Rob played a great role in helping the sports brand succeed and was appointed as the marketing director.
After the company’s rebrand, Nike became an independent US shoemaker. Rob continued to market the brand’s products incredibly which led to a rapid rise in sales over the years. In fact, it surpassed more than $100 million in sales in 1978.
In 1984, Converse and Adidas dominated the basketball sneaker market whereas Nike had only a 17% market share. The company started to see losses and began layoffs. It decided to sign Michael Jordan where Rob played a great role in impressing him to sign even though he wanted to go to Adidas.
The concept of ‘Air Jordan’ was the major reason that led to Jordan signing with Nike. Jordan was fined for wearing a shoe that consists of less than 51% white. Nike covered the fines when Rob used these strict NBA rules to market the product. The company ended up selling $162 million in the first year alone.
Due to all his contributions to the company, Strasser was considered to be the man who save Nike. While the company began dominating in the US, he moved to The Netherlands to take over Europe.
However, things didn’t remain smooth forever and he quit Nike after having constant clashes with the CEO Knight. Along with him, Peter Moore also left, and they both launched a new consulting company Sports Inc.
Later, he also joined the Nike rival firm Adidas and served as the CEO of Adidas America. As he took over the company, he moved the company from New Jersey to Portland. However, he unfortunately deceased in 1993.
Rob Strasser’s Net Worth
Rob Strasser’s net worth is unavailable. While he was alive, he definitely owned a share in Nike. In fact, he first became a millionaire after the company went public in 1980. At that time, he was just 33 years old.
While the exact numbers are not available, he is worth a few million at the time of his death.
FAQs about Rob Strasser
Who is Rob Strasser?
Rob Strasser was a business executive from the US.
How old was Rob Strasser?
46 years old.
Who was Rob Strasser’s wife?
Julie Strasser.
How many children did Rob Strasser have?
He had a daughter named Avery.
How much was Rob Strasser worth?
N/A.