Evel Knievel Dies Denying Gold, Gambling & Easy Women
From False Hero to a Man of Integrity
Evel died today, at the age of 69, having suffered from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
I loved what Evel represented, even though I had never seen him perform a single stunt. Evel Knievel's invincible name was an invention of clever marketing. In truth, this man's real name was Robert Craig Knievel, Jr. Not until I was older, and in elementary school, that I realize that most of his great feats of stuntsmanship were grand-scale disasters. I remember watching a stunt on television in the early 1970's in which Evel was taking on the challenge of jumping over a huge swimming pool filled with sharp-fanged sharks with his little dirtbike. He missed. He landed in the water. Fortunately, before the sharks converged, he was fished out of the water by his helpers.
His biggest debacle was his jump over (or rather, "into") Snake River Canyon on September 8, 1974. Evel prepared for this jump for more than 2 years before he was finally ready for the day of the big event, so his fans were eager to see something special. Unfortunately, tiny problems botched the whole jump, and even though Evel reached the other side of the canyon with his skycycle, he eventually plunged into the chasm, and once again had to be saved from nearly drowning. A picture from this great debacle was later memorialized on the tin of my lunchbox, encouraging my classmates to both admire Evel and (if they were more informed) laugh at him.
Evel was said to have broken every bone in his body, and that always sounded tough to me. He certainly broke more than most people on this planet.
On April 1, 2007, Evel was moved to step away from his marketed "image," and declare something personal to churchgoers who were attending a Palm Sunday service inside the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California. He let everyone know that he believed in Jesus Christ, and that he wanted to live a new life instead of the life of littered with the hollow rewards of "the gold and the gambling and the booze and the women."
I'm glad that he did. What kind of success is a man who is only coasting on a career filled with failures? At least Robert Craig Knievel, Jr. allowed himself to die with dignity.
Published by James Withers
I believe there is a unity that can exist in a chaotic universe, and I believe that art and history can reflect this truth. When we study our different perspectives of the world we live in, we can live with... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentJ.P., it's cool to imagine you as a tomboy Knievel enthusiast. Thanks for the comment.
Bob, thanks for your comments. I suppose that my article was written from a subjective perspective, and I appreciate you following up on research that I fell short on. My 3-year-old memories were fairly accurate, but could have standed to have been supplemented by more thorough research.
I too liked the man. Even though I was female my nickname was either AJ (for AJ Foyt) or Evil Knieval. I won't say why, but it is amazing how fast a Ford Falcon could go.
but lost control on the landing ramp on the other side and crashed through a retaining wall. He hit a cameraman as well. Evel broke his collarbone and an arm, the cameraman may or may not have lost an eye (can't find reliable confirmation but rumor is he did). It was the only time a bystander was injured in one of Evel's crashes.
Interesting article - now I'm not a huge Evel Knievel fan or anything but I think it was a bit harsh. "Most of his great feats of stuntmanship were grand-scale distasters"; actually his SUCCESS wasn't the issue, it was walking off unscathed. Look at Snake River for instance, he CLEARED the ravine but was pushed back in due to wind. These aren't the stunts of today where they are practically designed by engineers. That last line about dying with dignity - wow. Nothing like minimizing the man's achievements during his life. Sure he had his low points (pretty much the late 70's, 80's and early 90's) but there is no denying that he did some great things. Without Evel, there is no XGames and such.
Also, and I hate to be picky, but the section about the shark jump isn't 100% accurate. The sharks were no threat as they weren't maneaters (sharp-fanged sharks give the impression that they were Mako's or Great White's). Evel didn't end up in the water at all. He cleared the water bu
He was a great man not only for his stunts but for he was. It is a sad day in the world. He will be missed greatly.