Dave Mirra
![]() Mirra in 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | David Michael Mirra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | "Miracle Boy", "Miracle Man" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Chittenango, New York, U.S. | April 4, 1974|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | February 4, 2016 Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 41)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation | Extreme sports athlete | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Lauren Blackwell Mirra
(m. 2006) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | BMX, Rallycross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on February 5, 2016 |
David Michael Mirra[1] (April 4, 1974 – February 4, 2016) was an American BMX rider who also competed in rallycross racing. He set the record for most medals in BMX Freestyle at the X Games (later tied by Scotty Cranmer) and earned at least one BMX medal at the event in all but one year from the competition's inception in 1995 until 2009.[2] He also competed for several years with the Subaru Rally Team USA as a rallycross driver. Mirra rode for and was fully sponsored by Haro Bikes from the mid-1990s until he started his own bike company. He was a member of the team which won the 2014 Race Across America four-person male (under 50) category.[3] Mirra died by suicide on February 4, 2016.[4] He was inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016.[5]
Early life
[edit]Mirra was born on April 4, 1974, in Chittenango, New York.[6] He graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).[7]
In the 1990s, Mirra's brother, Tim, moved to Greenville, North Carolina, to attend East Carolina University. Dave moved to Greenville soon after.[2] Fellow professional BMX rider Ryan Nyquist moved in with Tim. Mirra and Nyquist became quick friends and would build and ride ramps together. Greenville is now home to over twenty professional BMX riders.[8] This gave Greenville the nickname "Protown" in the BMX community.[9]
Career
[edit]While still living in Chittenango, Mirra joined the Haro Bikes BMX team in 1987, at the age of 13. Video producers Plywood Hoods featured him in their videos in 1988. Mirra gained a sponsorship from Vision Street Wear in 1989.[10] He was also sponsored by GT Bicycles through 1991, and then joined Hoffman Bikes in 1992 before re-signing with Haro in 1994.[10]
Mirra turned professional in 1992. He won at least one medal at the X Games in every year from 1995 through 2009, with the exception of 2006,[2] after being injured during a practice run.[11] In 2005, Mirra won the Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award.[12] He tied Tony Hawk and Joe Parsons as the fastest to reach 14 X Games medals,[10] and his 24 total medals at the X Games stood as a record until 2013.[13] He shares the record for most gold medals at the Summer X Games, with a total of 14 (tied with Bob Burnquist and Jamie Bestwick).[14][15] He retired from BMX riding in 2011.[10]
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Dave_Mirra_Subaru.jpg/220px-Dave_Mirra_Subaru.jpg)
From 2008 through 2013, Mirra competed in rallying and rallycross as a member of Subaru Rally Team USA. He had a career-best fourth-place finish during the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship.[10] Mirra became interested in Ironman competitions, competing in his first triathlon in March 2013.[13][16] He qualified for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.[15]
Mirra's success took him to numerous outlets besides riding his bike, such as hosting two seasons of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He is featured in the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX video game series and more recently appeared in the 2009 video game Colin McRae: Dirt 2.[17] He published a photo-biography titled "Mirra Images",[18] and was once one of People magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors".[19] In the mid-2000s, Mirra signed an endorsement deal with DC Shoes after leaving Adidas. With his friends in 2007, he started his own bike company called MirraCo.[10][20]
Personal life and death
[edit]Mirra and his wife, Lauren, had two daughters.[13] Mirra contracted bacterial meningitis in 2010. He recovered before resuming rally racing.[19]
On February 4, 2016, Mirra died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Greenville, North Carolina, at the age of 41.[21] Authorities responded to a reported suicide and discovered his body inside his black Ford F-150 Raptor.[22] He had reportedly been visiting friends in the area. Allen M. Thomas, the mayor of Greenville, called Mirra "a great friend and wonderful human being".[10][13][23]
Mirra was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[24] In addition to the "countless" concussions he suffered during his career, his skull was fractured when he was hit by a car at 19 years old, and he also competed in boxing as an amateur. He became the first action sports star to be diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.[25]
Mirra's wife chose to support several charitable causes in her late husband's memory, including CTE research, Road 2 Recovery Foundation, and More Than Sport Archived October 14, 2019, at the Wayback Machine.[26]
City officials in Greenville, North Carolina, are working on plans to create an action sports park to honor Mirra's legacy.[27] The first phase would include both skate and BMX facilities.[27]
Racing record
[edit]Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results
[edit]Supercar
[edit]Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WRX | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | JRM Racing | Mini Countryman | POR |
HOC 17 |
BEL |
GBR |
GER |
SWE |
CAN |
NOR |
FRA |
BAR |
TUR |
ITA |
ARG |
40th | 0 | [28] |
Complete Global RallyCross Championship results
[edit]Supercar
[edit]Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | GRC | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Subaru Rally Team USA | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | IRW1 |
IRW2 |
SEA1 5 |
SEA2 6 |
PIK1 |
PIK2 |
LA1 6 |
LA2 5 |
8th | 57 | [29] | |
2012 | Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | CHA 9 |
TEX 11 |
LA 15 |
LOU 10 |
LV 13 |
LVC 6 |
12th | 35 | [30] | |||
2013 | Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | BRA |
MUN1 15 |
MUN2 14 |
LOU 13 |
BRI 11 |
IRW 15 |
ATL 4 |
CHA 12 |
LV DNS |
12th | 36 | [31] |
References
[edit]- ^ Great Athletes. Salem Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-58765-473-2.
- ^ a b c Castleberry, Tony (February 4, 2016). "Dave Mirra dead". The Daily Reflector. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "The Legends of the Road". raceacrossamerica.org. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Mather, Victor (May 24, 2016). "The BMX Rider Dave Mirra, Who Died in a Suicide, Had C.T.E." The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ "Dave Mirra inducted into BMX Hall of Fame". wnct.com. Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
- ^ DAVE MIRRA @ 23MAG BMX. 23mag.com
- ^ Facts & Statistics Archived September 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. collegeprowler.com
- ^ "Recreation and Parks". Greenville. August 14, 2013. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ "Ams Take Over Pro Town, USA for Gatorade Free Flow Tour". Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g "X Games icon Dave Mirra, 41, dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot". ESPN. February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Carberry, Joe (February 5, 2016). "Dave Mirra's death leaves the action sports world looking for answers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Dave Mirra Takes Home ESPY for Best Male Action Sports Athlete of the Year 07-15-05". Ride BMX. July 15, 2005.
- ^ a b c d Los Angeles Times (February 4, 2016). "BMX and X Games star Dave Mirra dies at 41 in apparent suicide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "Most gold medals won X Games (summer)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "X Games biker and BMX star Dave Mirra dies". BBC News. February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Ryan Wallerson (June 4, 2015). "Life after BMX: Dave Mirra's journey to the top of Ironman is underway". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Michael McWhertor (February 4, 2016). "BMX athlete Dave Mirra dies at 41 of apparent suicide". Polygon. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Dave Mirra 'goes big' for bicycle safety". Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ a b Alex Johnson (February 5, 2016). "BMX Legend Dave Mirra Dead of Suspected Suicide". NBC News. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "RIP: BMX Legend Dave Mirra Has Been Found Dead - TheVine". TheVine. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Zack. "The BMX Legend, Dave Mirra (41) Dies". 8c.co.za. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (February 5, 2016). "David Mirra, BMX Bike Star, Dies in an Apparent Suicide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ^ "Dave Mirra, BMX icon, found dead in North Carolina". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "Dave Mirra, BMX Icon's Death Reported Again Three Years After It Happened". Grit Daily. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ Roenigk, Alyssa (May 24, 2016). "Doctors: Late BMX legend Mirra had CTE". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "Dave Mirra - Charities". davemirra.com. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "City begins process for Mirra-inspired action park - Daily Reflector". www.reflector.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ "2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship World RX of Hockenheim". FIA Results and Statistics. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Global Rallycross Championship - Supercars 2011 standings". DriverDB. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Global Rallycross Championship - Supercars 2012 standings". DriverDB. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Global Rallycross Supercars | Season: 2013". MyLaps Speedhive. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
Bibliography
[edit]- Mirra, Dave; Losey, Mark (2003). Mirra Images. ReganBooks. ISBN 978-0-06-098916-3.
External links
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni
- 1974 births
- 2016 deaths
- American BMX riders
- X Games athletes
- American male cyclists
- Global RallyCross Championship drivers
- People from Chittenango, New York
- Sportspeople with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- Suicides by firearm in North Carolina
- World Rallycross Championship drivers
- 2016 suicides
- Cyclists from New York (state)