Formed and sponsored by Nike in October 2003 as the Bowerman Athletic Club (BAC), it offers training and racing opportunities for youth, open (elite citizens), and masters distance runners in the Portland community.
The professional team began in April 2014 when Jerry Schumacher's training group folded into BAC . . . a move which led to a rebranding as the Bowerman Track Club (BTC) . . . new name chosen to avoid confusion with commercial gyms which are often referred to as athletic clubs in the US.
For those who don't recall, Alberto Salazar hired Jerry in September 2008 to help him coach his cadre of professional runners who, at the time, represented the Oregon Track Club (OTC) based in Eugene. Jerry had been a very successful head men's distance coach at the University of Wisconsin/Madison for the prior 10 years. He brought to Portland several of his Badger distance runners, including Evan Jager who remains with the team to this day.
In February 2013, following a falling out with Salazar, Schumacher and the athletes he directly coached at the time parted ways with OTC. They remained an independent Nike-funded training group until the merger with BAC in April 2014.
BAC/BTC jersey colors have always emphasized red, while OTC jersey colors have always emphasized green. However, during the 14 months Jerry's group was on it's own as "Team Schumacher" . . . a time when Alan Webb was a member . . the jersey colors were powder blue.
Shalane Flanagan was the first athlete to debut the new BTC kit, which came in April 2014 at the Boston Marathon. The jersey features the BTC logo which includes "03" as a homage to its founding.
The full BTC team wore the new uniforms for the first time at the Prefontaine Classic in May 2014.
Appropriate timing for the 20th anniversary, as it coincides with the beginning of fall training for the BTC pros in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics . . .