Born "Robert Craig Knievel" jr in October 1938 in Butte Montana USA.
Died 30th November 2007.
Rest in Peace.
Early Life.
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After his parents departed Butte in 1940 for a new life! He was raised by his grandparents.
At the age of 8 he attended a daredevil car show by joie Chitwood.
This would influence the young Knievel into having his own motorcyle stunt show.
He dropped out of high school and gained work at the local copper mines.
He was fired when he made an earth mover pop a wheelie and crashed it into power lines,
thus diabeling the city for many hours.
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With time on his hands he gained attention from the local police as a trouble maker.
Having been arrested after a chase he was jailed brefly.
Rumour has it that the jailer claimed they had "Awful Knawful" in one cell and here we have "Evel Knievel".
During the 1950's he participated in new stunts and thrills as a rodeo rider and Ski-Jumper to name but a few.
Mr knievel Joined the Army in 1957 and became a PoleVaulter.
Upon leaving the army he returned to Butte and married Linda Bork.
He also joined a professional ice hockey team
but realising he wasn't talented enough to achieve fame he looked for other ventures.
Evel and Linda had a son named Kelly and he needed a new way to support his family.
His attempts at setting up a sure-kill hunting club failed when it was discovered that he was taking people
to hunt in Yellowstone National park!!
He soon came under fire from the Game Wardens!So
it was afailure
Becoming a burglar was his next item on the agenda!
However this venture never took off the ground.
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In 1962 Evel decided to go straight and joined a motorcross circuit team
but after an accident where he was put off work for 6 months
due to a broken collarbone and shoulder he realised he just couldn't survive on the money he had earnt.
Becoming instead a successful insurance salesman.
When after a few months the company refused to let him be Vice President!
He quit and looked to a new start in Moses Lake Washington.
There he opened a Honda Motorcyle store.
Sadly this venture failed as the public were still reeling from the events of World War 2
and people didn't want Japanese products. h
The Daredevil.
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Evel knievel decided that he would set up his own Motorcyle daredevil stunt show.
He would jump over a box of live Rattlesnakes and a cage of mountain lions!.
He found a sponsor in Bob Blare and his shows became a huge success.
The first being on January 3rd 1966 at the national date festival in Indio California.
Many more shows appeared Evel however had been hospitalized several times due to accidents in the stunt shows. n
These accidents didnt deter him and he courageusly continued.
e
He would endeavour to jump a line of trucks and cars and the public would encourage him
to jump further and further by adding more vehicles each time.
He was at this point making a large amount of money.
National exposure further inhanced his image when he appeared on the Joey Bishop show.
During a visit to Las Vegas in 1967 where he watched a boxing match,he came up with an idea to jump the fountains
at Ceasars palace.
He ficticiously created 3 lawyers whom he got to call the Casino owner Jay Sarno.
aClaiming to be from ABC'S World of Sports enquiring about a deal with him so that Evel could jump the fountains.
Sarno agreed and the date set for the jump was New Years Eve 1967.
ABC declined to film the event live so Knievel using his own money recruited director John Derek to film the event.
To keep the cost low it was filmed by his wife "Linda Evans".
He cleared the fountains successfully but was flipped off the bike on landing by the safety ramp.
As a result of the crash he suffered several broken bones and a crushed pelvis.
He was in a coma for 29 days.
After the show ABC bought the rights to the film and made Evel more famous than ever!
Click Here to watch Ceasars Palace jump!
Doctors had told him that he must stop the stunts as he could end up severely crippled and may never walk again.
He defied them and returned to jumping in 1968. Alwo e would jump trucks and a huge line of carseded
Marketing and the image.
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In 1971 A film was made entitled "The Evel Knievel Story" it starred George Hamilton.
A line of toys were issued in 1972 by the Ideal Toy Company.
First issuing the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle and many others over the next few years.
It revitalized the toy industry grossing over £350 million dollars!!
EvEvel Knievel was now one of the most famous people in the world.
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The Snake River Canyon.
By 1972 Knievel was earning more and more money with each performance.
However he had already had an idea of making a worldwide spectacular jump.
This was to be over the Grand Canyon in a Rocket Car called the X2 Skycycle.
When he was denied the oppurtunity by the Arizona officials he looked elswhere and discovered the Snake river Canyon.
He was able to lease some of the land where he could set up his jump.
It would take two years fof planning
and after 2 unmanned failed attempts he decided that he would go ahead with the stunt anyway.
The date was set for September 8th 1974.
aIt took off at 3.36pm and was televised worldwide.
At the top off the take off ramp the parachute accidently deployed
making The Skycycle land short of the other side of the canyon.
It nose dived and the public looked on in horor as they thought he couldn't possibly survive if it crashed into the water.
GHe was rescued and had only minor injuries.
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Click Here To watch the Canyon Jump!
k was on Evel's side as alf landed in the water a hae escaped with only minor injuries.
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Wembley Stadium 1975.
Click Here to watch the Wembley Jump!
od lucIn 1975 Evel Knievel went to the UK and on 31st May set up a massive jump over 13 double decker buses.
He cleared all of them but crashed on the landing ramp.
The front wheel went down first and bounced him
off the bike and then it caught up with him.
He suffered a few broken bones.
He told the world that he was through and would never jump again!
The world was shocked. would
His retirement was short lived when on October 25th he succesfully cleared
14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island Amusement Park in Idaho
tt It was a world record.
ClickClick Here To watch this jump Awesome!
In 1977 he starred in the film "Viva Knievel" playing himself.
HiHis last big jump in 1978 was to be a televised spectacular where he would jump a large tank of sharks.
However during a practice jump he was injured on the landing and for the first time a bystander was injured.
One of the camera men was badly placed next to the landing ramp and was seriously hurt and lost an eye.
Evel recieved brain concussion and two broken arms.
The show was cancelled and Evel retired from performing.
Instead he concentrated on his son Robbie who became his successor.
ClickClick Here to watch Robbie in action! and watc
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During the late 1970s a book entitled "Evel On Tour" was published by author Sheldon Saltman.
Its contents were the subject of outrage for Evel Knievel and t
as it claimed amongst other things that he was a drug addict and he hated his mother.Total lies.
So Evel and a colleague set out on revenge and attacked Saltman.
Sadly this led to a jail sentence for Evel.
Stupidly Ideal toys cancelled the toy line and he retired from public view.
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Later Career.
During the 1980s he became a succesful artist/Painter,Selling thousands of limited edition prints worldwide.
During the 1990s interest returned in his favour as nostalgia fever swept the globe on a 70s revival.
The stunt cycle toy was reissued by playing mantis in 1998 and was extremely succesful.
Many Many documentaries were made about him.
He said of himself that he earned millions and spent millions and had a great life.
He also had a short lived marriage to Chrystal Kennedy in 1992 and had continued his interest in golf.
He was a great contributor to charities and in particular the "Make a Wish Foundation".
THIS CHARITY HELPS CHILDREN WITH TERMINAL ILLNESS.
In 2004 a new feature film called "Evel Knievel" was made.
Click Here tto watch clips from the film.
In 2005 Ideal toys began to re-release the toys that had made him so famous in his 70s heyday.
He was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and had a successful liver transplant in 1999.
Evel's declining health was due to all the crashes and hospitalization over the years.
Evel's declining health was very sad and tragic
In 2001 he was suffering from a terminal lung disease contracted by a blood transfusion.
Sadly He Died on Friday 30th November 2007.He is Buried in his home town of Butte Montana.
A true extreme sports legend and icon.
He will never be forgotten.
To See Evel 's Jump At Portland!
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