Tony Hawk

Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse.

Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California, to Nancy (1924–2019) and Frank Peter Rupert Hawk, and was raised in San Diego.

He has two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve.

As a child, Hawk was described as "hyperactive".

One time, Hawk struck out in baseball and was so distraught that he hid in a ravine and had to be coaxed out by his father.

His parents had him psychologically evaluated at school.

The results were that Tony was "gifted", as he was tested with an IQ of 144, so school advisers recommended placing him in advanced classes.

Hawk attended Jean Farb Middle School from 1980 to 1981.

His parents supported his skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excess energy.

Hawk's skills developed, and he made his television debut on Captain Kangaroo as "Skateboard Johnny" in 1981.

Hawk became a professional skateboarder at age 14.

By age 16, he was sponsored by Powell Peralta, Tracker, Sundek, Vans, and SIO.

Hawk was the official National Skateboard Association world champion for 12 consecutive years.

Hawk attended three high schools and graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1986.

He listed Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi as his influences at the time.

With the money he made from skateboarding, Hawk bought his first house during his senior year in high school.

A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "900" skateboarding trick in 1999.

He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by Activision that same year.

On June 27, 1999, Hawk became the first skateboarder to land a "900", a trick involving the completion of two-and-a-half mid-air revolutions on a skateboard, in which he was successful on his twelfth attempt.

After completing the trick, Hawk said, "This is the best day of my life."

A video game series based on Hawk's skateboarding, titled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, debuted in 1999.

Since then, the series has spawned 18 titles so far, including ten main-series titles, four spin-offs, and four repackages.

Hawk's role in the series was usurped by customizable player characters in later installments, but he has remained a prominent character.

In the fifth game in the series, Underground, Hawk is a minor non-player character whom the player meets in Tampa, Florida, and skates against.

Impressed with the player's skills, Hawk grants them entry into a skate competition.

He later appears in Moscow to teach them the "360 Varial Heelflip Lien" move.

Hawk and other skaters are briefly playable near the end of the game when they skate in a promotional video for the player's skate team, and in all gameplay modes except the story mode.

Hawk retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is regarded as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.

Hawk has been involved in various philanthropic activities throughout his career.

He founded The Skatepark Project, which helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas around the world.

He retired from professional competition that year, but Hawk continued to appear at the annual X Games until 2003, when he retired from performing.

Hawk was invited to US president Barack Obama's June 2009 Father's Day celebration and skated in the hallways of the nearby Old Executive Office Building on the White House grounds.

This was the first time anyone had skateboarded on the White House grounds with permission from officials.

In 2009, Hawk was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony.

On June 27, 2016, at age 48, Hawk performed what he claimed would be his final 900.

In a video posted on the YouTube RIDE Channel, Hawk said, "Spencer was there on my first one, and now he was there on my last", after successfully landing a 900.

As of April 2020, Hawk is sponsored by Birdhouse, Vans, Independent, Bones, and Nixon.

His current Pro model shoe is the Proto.

Hawk was formerly sponsored by Theeve.

In July 2021, Hawk briefly ended his competitive retirement to participate in the Vert Best Trick event at that year's X Games, finishing in fourth place out of nine competitors.