He Was A Hero
Daredevil Evel Knievel was an irresistible cocktail of bravery, masculinity, and audacity. He certainly had his share of young men as fans, and they looked up to him in a way that went beyond sports—he was truly a hero. All that came tumbling down when Knievel went looking for revenge from a writer threatening to ruin his career.
1. They Left Him
Evel Knievel was born Robert Craig Knievel on October 17, 1938, in Butte, Montana. A year later, his brother Nicholas was born and the year after that, their parents divorced. After the divorce, Knievel’s mom and dad went their separate ways, leaving Knievel and his brother in the lurch.
2. He Had An Epiphany
Knievel and his brother were lucky enough to have grandparents living in Butte, so they went to live with them. When he was eight, Knievel’s grandparents took him to a daredevil show featuring Joie Chitwood. Knievel had a glimpse of the glory of his future self.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
3. He Worked The Mines
School wasn’t really Knievel’s thing, so he dropped out and started working at a mine where he drove one of those huge earth movers. Being a born daredevil, Knievel did a wheelie and drove the machine into a major power supply, plunging the city into darkness.
They fired him, but now Knievel had tasted the thrill of danger and he wanted more.
4. He Hit The Ice
In order to satisfy his need for speed, Knievel started his own hockey team. He was looking for a clever way to promote his team. Since the Winter Olympics were coming to California that year, Knievel invited the Czechoslovakian Olympic team to a friendly warm-up game.
Well, it didn’t end up very friendly.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
5. He Walked Out
In the third period of the game with Czechoslovakia, the ref kicked Knievel out of the game. When the Czech team went to collect the money Knievel had promised them, they found that Knievel and the money had disappeared.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
6. He Joined The Circuit
Back in 1959, Knievel married a woman named Linda Joan Bork, and they now had a son. Realizing he had a family to feed, Knievel started up with the motocross circuit. He had some success, but the money wasn’t quite enough to feed his family.
7. He Had To Rest
Money got even tighter when Knievel broke both his shoulder and collarbone in a motocross accident. The doctor told him to take it easy for six months, so Knievel started selling insurance to make ends meet. Like everything he did, it was a go big or go home situation.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
8. It Was Life-Changing
Knievel was a successful insurance salesman, but when the company wouldn’t make him vice president after just a few months, he quit. He did have one positive takeaway from this job. He read his boss’s book, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, and it changed his life.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
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9. He Did It Himself
Knievel took what he learned from his boss’s book and decided to follow his dream—he was going to hold his own daredevil show. Knievel did everything, from renting the venue to writing the press releases to selling the tickets. Now all he needed was a gimmick to entice the crowds.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
10. He Almost Crashed
Knievel’s idea to draw in audiences was to jump over dangerous things. One box he jumped over contained two mountain lions, and the other was full of rattlesnakes. He flew safely over the lions, but his back wheel hit the box of snakes. It was a close call, but he survived.
And he was just getting started.
Bill Wolf / Sean (Flickr), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
11. He Needed Support
Knievel wanted to go even bigger, and he realized he needed more money to do this. He approached Bob Blair of ZDS Motors to sponsor his next show, which Knievel wanted to call Bobby Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils Thrill Show. Blair was ready to sign on, but he had a request.
Warner Bros., Evel Knievel (1977)
12. He Thought It Was Dull
Blair liked what Knievel was offering, but what he didn’t like was the name “Bobby Knievel”. He thought it was boring and wanted Knievel to come up with something better. Well, a few years back, Knievel’s need for adventure landed him in prison where he’d met a man who’d taken on the name “Awful Knofel”.
This gave Knievel an idea.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
13. It Was All About the Spelling
Knievel offered up his nickname of Evel Knievel and Blair loved it. He wanted the show’s name to be Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel was against this, as it made him sound like the wrong kind of motorcycle rider. Knievel compromised, and they settled on “Evel” instead of “Evil” and the show was on.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
14. He Tried Something New
Knievel’s new show began on January 3, 1966, in Indio California. When they hit Barstow, California, Knievel ran into trouble. He tried a new stunt, which had him jumping over a motorcycle while spread-eagled. Knievel jumped a little late, and he injured a very sensitive area.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
15. He Felt Bad
Knievel had injured his groin, but what really made him feel bad was disappointing the fans. When he got out of hospital, he went right back to Bartow and completed the jump, this time with success.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
16. He Stood Out
Knievel noticed that there were other daredevils out there, and they were jumping over pools and animals. Knievel decided to stand out from the crowd by jumping over cars. This proved to be a huge windfall for Knievel because as he added more cars, paying customers made return visits.
And then he added one vehicle too many.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
17. He Almost Made It
On June 19, Knievel was in Missoula, Montana where he was preparing to jump over 12 cars and a cargo van. Unfortunately, he didn’t give himself enough room to get his speed where it needed to be. Knievel ended up in the hospital. He’d broken his arm and a few ribs.
But something good came from this crash.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
18. He Got Well-Known
The public heard about Knievel’s fall, and they could barely wait for him to recover and jump again. Well, Knievel did not disappoint. In March, he successfully leaped over 15 cars in Gardena, California. The obvious thing was to do it again for a different crowd.
Things didn’t go quite so well.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
19. He Tried The Same
Graham, Washington was the site of Knievel’s next leap, and it was going to be the same number of vehicles: 15. Sadly, Knievel only made it over 14 of the cars and crash-landed on the last one. This time he had a severe concussion. Once again, Knievel pledged to return.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
20. He Had Deja Vu
After recovering from the concussion, Knievel did return to Graham, Washington. Fans were ready to see Knievel successfully conquer the leap. Sadly, there was a repeat performance of a failure. This time, he got more than just a concussion.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
21. He Went To Hospital
The failed attempt to jump over 15 vehicles resulted in another hospital stay for Knievel. This time he had broken two ribs, his right knee and left wrist. The strange thing was, the more he crashed, the more famous Knievel became.
And he was about to get really famous.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
22. He Did Late Night
In the late 1960s, Rat Pack member Joey Bishop launched his late-night talk show called The Joey Bishop Show. Bishop was looking for odd guests, and he chose Knievel to join him on March 18, 1968. This led Knievel to an entirely different level of fame.
Now he needed something big to impress his new fans.
Bellmar Enterprises, The Joey Bishop Show (1961–1965)
23. He Had An Inspiration
When Knievel visited Las Vegas for a boxing match, he took one look at the fountains at Caesars Palace and had an idea. Wouldn’t it be great to jump over them? All he needed was a meeting with the CEO of the casino—but this was not going to be easy.
Rob Young, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
24. He Faked It
The CEO of Caesars Palace—Jay Sarno—was not an easy man to get a meeting with, so Knievel hired three fake lawyers to work for his equally fake company: Evel Knievel Enterprises. The fake lawyers called Sarno, and so did Knievel himself, saying he worked for ABC and Sports Illustrated.
Knievel had Sarno’s attention.
Cygnusloop99, CC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons
25. He Wanted It To Be Live
Sarno was on board for a New Year’s Eve jump over the fountains, but Knievel wanted more. He wanted ABC’s Wide World of Sports to provide live coverage of his amazing stunt. ABC said they had no interest in filming the jump but promised to use any footage Knievel made on his own dime.
public-domain-image.com, Picryl
26. He Spent His Own Cash
Knievel decided to sink all his money into the Caesars Palace jump. He hired director John Derek, who was just launching his career, and even Derek’s then-wife, Linda Evans, as a camera operator. Evans would go on to appear in TV’s Dynasty and Derek would marry Bo Derek.
Right now, Knievel just needed them to get his jump on camera.
Movie studio, Wikimedia Commons
27. He Went Looking For Luck
Finally, the day of the jump arrived, and even though he was now broke, Knievel felt lucky. He walked into the casino, bet $100 in a blackjack game… and promptly lost. Seeing his last $100 go down the drain, Knievel hit the bar for some liquid support.
Knievel was finally ready. He got on his bike and accelerated toward the fountains at Caesars Palace.
28. He Hit The Ramp
Knievel later said that he felt his bike start to lose acceleration as he approached the takeoff ramp. Sadly, it was too late to abort the jump, and Knievel crashed when he hit the safety ramp. He and his bike were a chaotic mess of movement.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
29. He Broke A Lot
Eventually, he came to a stop in the parking lot of the Dunes Hotel and it was off to the hospital again. Early reports after the Caesars Palace jump said Knievel had broken more than 40 bones, and that he was in a coma for 30 days. Well, as it turned out, this wasn’t totally true.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
30. The Truth Came Out
The reality about Knivel’s injuries came out later, and it wasn’t that much better than the stories. On the list of broken parts of his body were his hip, one wrist, and both ankles. He also crushed his femur and pelvis and got another concussion. You’d think he’d be ready to quit.
Think again.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
31. He Tried 15
Knievel wanted to keep up his fame and needed to do another jump. After giving himself only five months to recover from the Las Vegas jump, he attempted to soar over 15 Ford Mustangs. Sadly, this was a failed attempt and resulted in more broken bones—this time, his right foot and leg.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
32. He Was A Success
Of course, Knievel did have successful jumps. After recovering from the Mustang debacle, he continued jumping, making money and not crashing. Sadly, his run of successful stunts ended on October 13, 1968, when he crashed in Carson City, Nevada. Here, he broke a hip for the second time.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
33. He had A Big Idea
Knievel was continuing on with his career. He was also continuing to break all the bones in his body. The word “quitting” didn’t seem to be in his vocabulary, but he seemed to be getting bored. Knievel was also looking for something new to jump over. Then it hit him—and it would be spectacular.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
34. He Bragged
Knievel’s big idea was to jump over the ultimate gap: the Grand Canyon. He started bragging about doing it, but he then learned that the US government was never going to let that happen. Knievel had egg on his face and needed something to keep his fans adoring him.
Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
35. He Broke A Record
In Ontario, California, Knievel planned to leap over 19 cars, which would be a world record. Thankfully, it was a successful jump, but there was something else special about this jump. Knievel was actually doing it for a movie.
36. He Did An Interview
George Hamilton became interested in Knievel when the perpetually tanned movie star was trying to write a movie about a daredevil. He interviewed Knievel in a place where Knievel spent a lot of time: a hospital room. Hamilton soon realized that Knievel’s story was way more interesting than fiction, so he decided to make a movie about Knievel.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
37. He Was Among Other Greats
Hamilton released Evel Knievel in 1971 and it contained a lot of actual footage of Knievel making jumps. The film opens with Hamilton, as Knievel, speaking to the onlookers just before his jump over 19 cars in Ontario, California. He compared himself to Christopher Columbus, the Wright Brothers, and Neil Armstrong.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
38. It Was A Huge Risk
One of Knievel’s most famous jumps was over Snake River Canyon. This was going to be a gap of 400 meters (a quarter mile) and the canyon floor would be 150 meters (500 feet) below him. This was not a jump that one would expect there to be anything left of Knievel if he failed.
But Knievel had a plan.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Used A Rocket
Knievel wasn’t about to fly over Snake River in a conventional motorcycle. For this leap of faith, he went to an aeronautical engineer for help. The engineer came up with a rocket-type bike—which they called the Skycycle—that would get its power from a steam engine.
Certainly, this was too dangerous—even for Knievel.
Docob5, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
40. It Would Be Too Fast
One thing that they did anticipate happening was the Skycycle going too fast. The engineer installed a parachute that would open, so Knievel could slow down when he hit the other side of the canyon. Ironically, it was this chute that came between Knievel and success.
Jack Wright, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
41. It Happened Too Early
While Knievel was still crossing the canyon, the chute opened way too early. This meant that the cycle was going slower than expected. In spite of the chute, Knievel made it to the other side. That’s when an unexpected wind came up.
42. He Drifted
Knievel had crossed the huge gap, but then a gust of wind blew him back into the canyon. Knievel was safely strapped into the vehicle, but now it was slowly drifting in the wind. The breeze was so strong that Knivel went all the way back to the side of the canyon that he’d started on.
Then he started plummeting to the ground.
43. There Were Two Possibilities
Knievel knew that he was heading down fast, and he could see that there was a possible water landing and a possible landing on land. You’d think the water landing would be safer except for one thing: Knievel was stuck in the harness and couldn’t get out.
If he landed in the water, he was sure to drown.
Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
44. It Was A Disaster
Thankfully, Knievel and his Skycycle landed on the rocks. He did sustain some injuries, but it was certainly better than drowning. The Skycycle stunt had been a disaster, and Knivel went back to regular motorbike jumping.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Crossed The Pond
In 1975, Knievel decided it was time to delight audiences across the pond. Wide World of Sports had finally agreed to televise him, and it would take place in London’s Wembley Stadium. Knievel announced that he would jump over 13 “London Buses”.
Well, this led to some confusion.
46. They Weren’t What They Expected
When daredevil lovers tuned into Wide World of Sports on May 26, 1975, they expected to see 13 of the much-loved double-decker buses lined up. The publicity had never said they were double-deckers, so it wasn’t a lie. It’s just that when you hear “London bus”, you expect a double-decker.
47. He Had Something To Say
So, the Wembley Stadium jump was going to be a little easier than most people expected. This didn’t matter, as Knievel crashed anyway. After the accident, Knievel insisted on talking to the audience. He had something important to say and his injuries weren’t about to stop him.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
48. He Suffered
Knievel took this opportunity to make a huge announcement. He was retiring. He said he was through and then proceeded to walk out of the stadium. He didn’t know it at the time, but he had a broken pelvis. He left the stadium saying: “ I came in walking, I went out walking”.
It was a brave end to an astonishing career... Except it wasn’t.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
49. He Came Back
Knievel soon realized he had no desire to retire. He recovered from his broken pelvis and set up his next jump over 14 Greyhound buses. The gap was 41 meters (133ft) and if he succeeded, it would be a world record.
R. W. Rynerson, Wikimedia Commons
50. More Than Half Watched
ABC broadcast Knievel’s Kings Island jump and it got 55 million people to tune into the station. Luckily, Knievel survived the jump and made history. It was the longest jump ever. Now it really was time to retire.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
51. He Cashed In On A Craze
Knievel once again canceled his retirement, and it was all for a movie craze. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws had just come out and America was shark crazy. To capitalize on this, Knievel planned to jump over a tank filled with 13 sharks. If he didn’t make the jump, he’d end up being fish food.
Well, that wasn’t quite true.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
52. They Were Traumatized
The shark jump was taking place in Chicago, Illinois and the local aquarium provided the sharks. An expert from the aquarium later said that the sharks had suffered so much trauma during transport that they were unlikely to bite Knievel if he ended up in their tank.
The Fanfare Corporation, Evel Knievel (1971)
53. He Did A Test
Traumatized sharks or not, Knievel got ready for the jump. During the rehearsal, Knievel crashed into a cameraman. Even though Knivel had broken both arms, there was something more distressing for him: the fate of the cameraman.
54. He Was A Bag Of Nerves
There was some concern that the camera operator Knievel had hit may end up with permanent eye damage. Knievel was a nervous wreck until the doctors announced that the man would be okay. Knievel canceled the jump, but it went down in history anyway.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
55. There Was A Copycat
That same year, the popular sitcom Happy Days was looking for a way to revitalize its show. Likely, because of Knievel’s jump over the sharks, the show had their favorite character—Fonzie—water ski over a shark. Knievel may have felt some pride in this reference, but it later became a joke.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
56. He Became A Pop Culture Phenomenon
Audiences thought that Fonzie skiing over a shark was kind of ridiculous. Soon, “jumping the shark” referred to any artistic work that had run out of ideas and was heading into the absurd. The real question was, had Knievel’s career both literally and metaphorically “jumped the shark”?
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
57. He Hit the Big Screen
After his infamous shark jump event, Knievel slowly wound down his career. The public had not grown tired of Knievel, and Warner began planning for a movie with Knievel playing himself. Viva Knievel hit theaters in June 1977 and featured big stars like Lauren Hutton and Gene Kelly. This movie was about to be a big hit.
That’s when Knievel sabotaged his own fame.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
58. He Wanted Revenge
Sports and entertainment promoter Sheldon Arthur “Shelly” Saltman wrote a book about Knievel with loads of inside information that Saltman obtained when he was on tour with Knievel. The book was full of references to Knievel’s drinking, pill-popping, and general immorality.
Knievel was not happy, and he went to talk to Saltman about it.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
59. He Used A Baseball Bat
Saltman was the president of Fox Sports, and Knievel went to see him, bringing some reinforcement along with him. Not a lot of talking happened. Knievel got his friend to hold Saltman down, and Knievel repeatedly hit Saltman with a baseball bat.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
60. The Bad News Traveled Fast
Of course, it didn’t take long for the world to hear about Knievel’s heartless attack on Saltman. When Saltman’s own mother heard about it, she had a heart attack that later proved to be fatal. This bad publicity cost Knievel most of his fans.
Then he had to face a judge.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
61. He Got Called A Name
Knievel pleaded guilty and received a six-month prison sentence and three years probation. Maybe worse than this was when the judge called Knievel’s actions “cowardly”. Knievel lost his sponsorship deals, and the judge ordered him to pay Saltman $12.75 million.
That was it for Knievel.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
62. He Wasn’t Sorry
Knievel declared bankruptcy in 1981, and Saltman received nothing of the money Knievel owed him. Worse still, Knievel never apologized for his assault on Saltman and even called it “frontier justice”. Knievel’s life would begin its slow decline. And it wouldn’t be pretty.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
63. They Picked Him Up
In 1997, Knievel divorced his wife of over 40 years, and his life as a single man didn’t look good. In October 1994, officers entered a go-go bar in Sunnyvale, California and took Knievel in. He had allegedly battered his girlfriend, Krystal Kennedy.
64. He Returned To A Scary Place
Instead of pressing charges against Knievel, Kennedy agreed to marry him. The ceremony took place at a spot that had bad memories for Knievel. It was a location where he’d had a serious crash: the fountains at Caesars Palace.
65. It Didn’t Last
Like his attempted leap over the fountains, Knievel’s marriage was a disaster. They soon divorced and Kennedy had to get a restraining order against Knievel. Eventually, the judge had had it with the pair and told Kennedy to stay away from Knievel for four years.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
66. He Had Days To Live
Somehow, Knievel and Kennedy did eventually work things out and stayed together as Knievel’s health deteriorated. In 1992, doctors told Knievel that he had only days to live. This was due to having Hepatitis C from the blood transfusions he’d received over the years.
Knievel wanted to end his life at home, and as he drove there he got a call.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
67. They Had A Donor
As it turned out, the hospital suddenly had a donor for a liver that would save Knievel’s life. What was even more miraculous was that the donor had been in a motorcycle accident. A few days later, the transplant went ahead, and Knievel had bought himself a little more time.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
68. He Found Religion
In 2005, doctors told Knievel that he had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This had no cure and was the result of all the body trauma he’d encountered as a daredevil. A few years after this diagnosis, Knievel found God. Evangelist Robert H Schuller baptized Knievel on TV on April Fool’s Day in 2007.
Warner Bros., Viva Knievel! (1977)
69. They Lit Up the Sky
On November 30, 2007, Knievel felt like he couldn't breathe. On the way to the hospital, he passed. His final resting place was back in Butte, Montana, where actor Matthew McConaughey gave the eulogy. Fireworks filled the sky as the pallbearers carried his casket.
70. His Mom Didn’t Care
Some people have speculated why Knievel had such a disregard for his own life. One theory revolved around his mother. Apparently, she was at Caesars Palace the day of his biggest accident and didn’t even watch the jump. Worse still, when she heard he’d crashed, she didn’t even come out of the hotel to see if her son was alive or not.
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