Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track Club.

In order to spur interest in running with the local community, Bowerman formed an all comers meet for grade-schoolers in 1949.

The low turnout of the all comers meet caused Bowerman to want to increase his efforts in promoting track and field in Eugene.

In 1958, with the help of Ray Hendrickson and Bob Newland, Bowerman established the Emerald Empire Athletic Association.

A particularly unique aspect of the program is that the youth athletes receive encouragement and coaching from OTC elite runners, Olympians, and other local celebrities.

It is also because Nike's main founder Phil Knight was a middle-distance runner for the University of Oregon[8] and had a close relationship with many of the athletes in the OTC.

Throughout the years, Nike has contributed strongly to the OTC by supplying equipment and sponsoring competitions for athletes to compete against other track clubs across the nation.