The End of "Evel"

Born in the copper mining town of Butte, Knievel was raised by his grandparents.
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"The phrase one-of-a-kind is often used, but it probably applies best to Bobby Knievel," said former U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont., Knievel's cousin. "He was an amazing athlete... He was sharp as a tack, one of the smartest people I've ever known and finally, as the world knows, no one had more guts than Bobby. He was simply unafraid of anything."

"He was no dummy," said high school classmate Sonny Holland, the former Montana State football star and coach. "I'll never forget a poem that he made up when we were seniors about his friends and the people he hung out with. It was incredible. Everybody was just astounded when he recited it in front of the whole school."

Obit update. You could also wallow in some "Gen X" nostalgia for Evel. Or just read this paragraph & not bother w/ the rest.

Any time ABC showed a Sunday afternoon Knievel stunt on "Wide World of Sports," you could expect half the neighborhood to show up in the cul-de-sac immediately afterward, in an act of instant emulation. Someone would get a piece of plywood or a couple of 2-by-4's and a cinderblock. Everyone had their bikes (bicycles, that is -- Huffys, BMXs, with the banana seats and faded Wacky Packages stickers) and would perform jumps. You could get the little kids to lie flat on the asphalt in a row next to the ramp. (I can jump all four of you.) Kids would jump until the wood broke, or, more wonderfully, a daredevil got hurt and ran home bleeding.

Mostly, this is an excuse for the proverbial shout-out (not that he's reading this) to erstwhile college roommate Professor S., also a Butte native, who has played golf w/ Evel (Or was it just one of his sons?) is the nephew of a former U. S. Supreme Court Justice, & came up w/ the name "Malignant Bouffant." What up, G?