Bowerman ruined his wife’s waffle iron around 1970 or 1971 testing waffle-patterned rubber for a lighter, grippier sole. The Moon Shoe followed in 1972 and the Waffle Trainer in 1974, which helped fuel Nike’s early growth.
Glossary · Sports & Running
Waffle Trainer
The running shoe Bill Bowerman developed from a waffle-iron sole, a landmark of Nike’s early years.