Toyota Pro/Celebrity

Biography

Hawk is the founder of the world-renowned skateboard company Birdhouse Projects. He and his family started a kids’ skate-clothes company called Hawk Clothing. And as president of Tony Hawk Inc., he also headlines one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, which includes “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2” and “Tony Hawk: Ride.”

Hawk retired in 1999 at age 31 after he landed the first-ever 900 (two and a half mid-air spins) at the X Games. In 2002, Hawk created the Tony Hawk Foundation to promote and help finance public skateparks in low-income areas. The foundation has awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to help build 444 skateparks throughout the United States—from Marathon, Fla., to Sitka, Alaska. Skateparks that received financial assistance from the foundation currently serve more than 3 million young people every year.

Highlights:

• Awards include Favorite Male Athlete at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008; Choice Male Athlete at the Teen Choice Awards in 2000, 2001 and 2004; and the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Favorite Male Athlete in 2002


• Published his autobiography “Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder,” a New York Times best-seller, in 2000


• Created Tony Hawk’s Gigantic Skatepark Tour for ESPN