Legendary daredevil jumper Evel Knievel died today at the age of 69. He had been in bad shape for years, suffering from Hepatitis C, diabetes, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Ah, when I was growing up, I loved Evel Knievel. Or maybe I really just loved George Hamilton after watching the 1971 movie Evel Knievel that starred George as Evel. I mean hey, I was only 8 years old. I am just kidding, I did love Evel. I really enjoyed watching him on the Wide World of Sports as he jumped over cars, buses, fountains – pretty much whatever got in his way. My mom bought me a big Evel Knievel poster for my bedroom right before he tried to jump over the Snake River Canyon. Even at the age of 37, when I rode through Idaho with my new husband to meet his family, we had to stop at the Snake River Canyon so I could see the spot where Evel landed, short of other side.
I was a bit disillusioned when I got older and learned he was not quite the folk hero I had loved as a child. Evel was found guilty of battery in 1981 when he attacked a former promoter who had written an unflattering book about Evel. In 1983, the IRS noticed that Evel owed them $1.6 million that he hadn’t paid. They tacked on another $2.5 million in interest and penalties. Kicking a guy when he is down, the state of Montana tacked another $390,000 for back taxes. Evel was arrested for soliciting an undercover policewoman in 1986 and it cost him his marriage. What I realized was that Evel was not some superhero, but human just like all of us.
But he was a bit superhuman. Over the span of his career, Evel broke more bones that most people have. In fact, he is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having broken the most bones – 35. In the famed 1967 Caesar’s Palace jump, he crushed his pelvis and femur, fractures both hips, both wrists, and both ankles. He also had a concussion and was in a coma for 29 days. Remarkably, many of the jumps we know him for were done AFTER that one.
So today, the world lost a legend. One of his sons, Robbie, although estranged from his father for years, also jumps over cars, buses, fountains – pretty much whatever gets in his way.
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