By Cory Gallant

November 30th, 2007 will always be a sad day for me. My first and biggest childhood hero died. Robert Craig 'Evel' Knievel, legendary motorcycle daredevil & the father of today's 'X-Games' passed at age 69 in Clearwater, Fl from a combination of Diabetes & Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. As a kid, Evel Knievel captured millions of hearts and imaginations like mine with his escapades on the back of a beautiful red, white and blue Harley-Davidson. He jumped over buses, he jumped over trucks, he jumped cars, he jumped fountains ... His numerous successes were as mesmerizing and as polarizing as his infamous crashes which many times almost took his life.

He was the 'Ultimate American.' Tough, strong, relentless, hard-headed, brave, crazy and truly filled with the belief that he could accomplish anything he attemped. He made kids like me feel that we could do anything if we just got out and tried. He made us believe that the only limitations to success are the limitations we put on ourselves. Growing up without a real father-figure, I turned to sports heros and men like Evel for inspiration and even guidence. I can remember vividly riding my little BMX dirt bike, jumping off wooden ramps elevated three bricks high and screaming with delight, "I'm Evel Knievel!" All I wanted growing up was a Harley-Davidson like his. I dressed up like him on Halloween when I was nine. I had the action figure and always looked for John Herrings 70's tribute hit "Evel Knievel" in every old jukebox. I would make an old wooden chair ‘my Harley’ straddling the seat backwards with hands in the air holding make believe handle bars and singing every word to that song. Of course, Knievel was by no means perfect. He was filled with the same unique faults and 'inner demons' all of us possess ... But he made those of us who admired him, dreamers and believers. In some ways he helped to bring out the best in each of us. I never missed one of his televised jumps on TV and sadly never had the opportunity to meet the man in person.

Some of you will read this and think, "What's the big deal? Evel was just some 'crazy nut' that jumped his motorcycle over things for cash & fame." Maybe some of that is true. But for millions of us, what Evel Knievel did was instill the belief, that when we take a chance and choose to risk what we hold dear ... Is when a life is truly and honestly lived. There will never be another like him.