PORTLAND, Ore. _ In early April, 1993, North Carolina won its third NCAA basketball championship, and second under coach Dean Smith, in its final game wearing Converse-brand sneakers. By then the university was already in talks with Nike, which was already a worldwide athletic shoe and apparel giant, but one that had only recently thought to enter the business of college sports.
That was changing. UNC's relationship with commercialism was about to change, too. First, though, Smith had to be convinced. His teams had worn Converse shoes throughout his tenure at UNC, which began in 1961, and he had his own, personal deal with Converse. College basketball coaches in those days often operated outside of their schools, and signed with whatever shoe company they wanted.
For decades, Smith had been a Converse man, and the Tar Heels a Converse team. UNC's basketball museum these days includes old Converse sneakers _ these massive, chunky-looking things, compared to the sleek, lighter shoes of today. After Smith won his second national championship, here came John Swofford, the UNC athletic director at the time, with the goal of completing a deal with Nike.
"Dean, as he was in most things, and this was a great trait, was extremely loyal to people he was associated with, starting with his players," Swofford, the ACC Commissioner since 1997, said recently, recalling his early discussions about Nike with Smith. "And it was not easy for him to consider changing companies, because of his history with Converse."
Twenty-four years later, UNC's origin story with Nike seems quaint, a tale from a different time. The Tar Heels are one of Nike's flagship brands _ a brand within a brand. UNC this week, along with Duke, another Nike school, will compete in Portland, Ore., in the 16-team PK 80 _ a Nike-sponsored tournament that is serving as an 80th birthday celebration of Phil Knight, the Nike founder.
The involvement of sneaker companies such as Nike, adidas and Under Armor in college sports has had a dark side, too. In September, the FBI announced a wide-reaching investigation into shoe-company money and allegations of six-figure inducements being paid to high-profile basketball recruits, resulting in charges and indictments.
