Life in San Diego, California began simply for Tony Hawk. His father Frank was a retired U.S. Navy officer who had flown torpedo bombers during World War II, and his mother Nancy was a part-time business schoolteacher. Frank and Nancy had four children in all, another son, Steve, and two daughters. When Tony was born the daughters were 18 and 21, and Steve was 12.
His brother Steve gave Tony his first skateboard, a blue fiberglass banana board. This was a pivotal moment in Tony’s life. Until this point, Tony was a self-described nightmare, a kid with far too much energy and no outlet. Skateboarding became that outlet. Frank built him a ramp in the backyard, and Tony dedicated all of his free time to it, determined almost to the point of obsession.
That determination paid off in a big way. At 12, Tony earned his first sponsor, the now-famous Dogtown Skateboards, and by 14, he had turned professional. At 16, still relatively unknown outside of skateboarding circles, there was little doubt that Tony Hawk was the best skateboarder that the world had ever seen, and that he would remain so for a very long time.
Tony had done well enough for himself to buy his own home at 17 years old, and he made it a tradition to take friends and family on a yearly vacation to Hawaii. In 1990, he married Cindy Dunbar, and everything seemed perfect. Then, the bottom fell out. The popularity of skateboarding waned, and Tony Hawk saw his life change drastically. The income dried up, and his marriage to Cindy ended.
After the X-Games began in 1995, the popularity of skateboarding began to rise, albeit slowly. However, it was enough for Tony, who had now married Erin Lee, to provide a good life for his family. Then 1999 happened, the year that Activision released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) for the Sony PlayStation. Tony’s life changed forever, and he spun that notoriety into a massive success.
Tony Hawk's Career Highlights
Hawk’s career highlights are numerous. The most famous occurred in 2001 the X-Games airing on ESPN. Tony became the first athlete to land a 900 in competition. According to estimates by TonyHawk.com, Tony has participated in 103 events. He has won 73 of those times and finished in second 19 times. That leaves just 11 events. Many of Tony’s accomplishments came off the ramp.
The THPS series remains one of the bestselling video game series of all time. He has appeared in numerous movies, including Gleaming the Cube, Jackass: The Movie, and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. His television appearances include The Simpsons, The Tom Green Show, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Today he is one of the faces of the X-Games, and provides color commentary for most skate events.
