‘The Birdman’ may be turning 43 today, but he can still land a 900 trick as impressively as he did in 1999, when he became the first person to do so. Tony Hawk became a professional skateboarder when he was 14 years old, and is now universally credited for bringing vertical skateboarding into the limelight. Watch below as he shocks the live audience at the X Games by landing his famous 900 trick (which is 2 & 1/2 complete revolutions in midair) for the first time.
At that time Tony Hawk had already won 4 Gold medals at the X Games, and would go on to win 5 more, as well as multiple silver and bronze awards. He was the National Skateboard Association world champion for 12 consecutive years after turning pro. And with all these accolades the endorsements started to pour in, most notably his popular video game series.
Starting with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in 1999, the video game series has produced over 15 titles and have generated over $1 billion in sales! I personally remember wasting away many a Sunday afternoon at college playing Tony Hawk’s Underground…good times.
Of course you’re not really a celebrity in the U.S. until you’ve been parodied on either The Simpsons, Family Guy, or South Park. Tony Hawk appeared to ‘skateboard battle’ against Homer Simpson. Check out the epic battle below:
Skateboard enthusiasts were thrilled last December when Tony Hawk traveled to India courtesy of skate-wear brand, Quiksilver. MissMalini had the chance to interview him before the exhibition and we covered the action live from Bombay.
Tony is also known for his philanthropic work. He teamed up with fellow pro athletes such as Lance Armstrong and Muhammed Ali to found Athletes For Hope, and he started the Tony Hawk Foundation which helps kids in underprivileged areas and builds them skate parks!
For more information about Tony Hawk visit his webpage and follow him on twitter @tonyhawk.