Tinker Linn Hatfield, Jr., (born April 30, 1952, Hillsboro, Oregon) is an American designer of numerous

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

athletic shoe Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used f ...

models, including the

Air Jordan Air Jordan is an American brand of basketball shoes produced by American corporation Nike. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 an ...

3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "

cross training Cross-training is athletic training in sports other than the athlete's usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another. In gen ...

" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects.Thomas Prudon, "Nike Air Max 1 - Respect the Architects", Sneakers.fr.
Accessed: May 24, 2012. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.

Nike

Hatfield joined Nike in 1981, and in 1985 started working on shoe design. He realized that his architectural skills could be applied to shoes. Hatfield was also published for the architectural design of his

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

home. He claims to have designed the cross-trainer as a "multi-sport" shoe when he realized people at his Oregon gym brought various sneakers with them for diverse activities such as basketball, aerobics, weightlifting and jogging. In 1987, Tinker Hatfield designed the

Air Max Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the ...

1 Running Shoe after visiting the Centre Georges Pompidou; and in 1990 released the third in the Air Max line, the Air Max 90 (Air Max III at the time). Hatfield designed the bat-boots for

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...

to wear in '' Batman'' and ''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...

''. Hatfield's younger brother, Tobie Hatfield, joined Nike in 1990 as a senior engineer. He also created the graphic design on the basketball court at the

Matthew Knight Arena The Matthew Knight Arena (MKA) is a 12,364-seat, multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams, replacing McArthur Court. It is located on the east side of campus at the cor ...

at the University of Oregon; the facility opened in 2011. In 2013, Hatfield worked on both Nike and Jordan brand concept car designs for ''

Gran Turismo 6 ''Gran Turismo 6'' is a racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth major release and twelfth game overall in the '' Gran Turismo'' video game series. It ...

''. In 2014, Hatfield indicated that Nike would unveil a shoe with power-lacing technology, as worn by

Marty McFly Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox in all three films. McFly also appears in the animated series, where he was voice ...

in the 1989 film ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film '' Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ...

'', which partially takes place in the year 2015. Hatfield was profiled in the first season of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

documentary series '' Abstract: The Art of Design''. In 2019, Hatfield received his own sneaker, titled the Nike React "Tinker Hatfield". The shoes were first presented to the public by him at SXSW.

Air Jordans

Hatfield was the lead designer of

s III through XV, XX, and XX3. Additionally, Hatfield co-designed Air Jordans 2010 and XXX.

Phil Knight Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...

credits the Air Jordan III with saving

, claiming it kept Michael Jordan from leaving the company for Adidas. According to a 2018 interview with Hatfield, his favorite Air Jordan model is the Air Jordan 20 and his least favorite is the Air Jordan 15.

Honors and awards

* One of '' Sportstyle Magazines most influential people on the business side of sports, 1993 and 1996 * One of '' Fortune'' magazine's "100 Most Influential Designers" of the 20th century, 1998 * Ellis F. Lawrence Medal, University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, 2008 *

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

, Special Contribution to Sport, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatfield, Tinker People from Hillsboro, Oregon People from Halsey, Oregon University of Oregon alumni Nike, Inc. people Architects from Portland, Oregon American designers Artists from Portland, Oregon People from Sandpoint, Idaho 1952 births Living people

Nike

Air Jordans

Honors and awards

Further reading

References