Tony Hawk has remained a central figure in skateboarding for decades and is still out there living the dream. From his early days with the Bones Brigade to his time with Birdhouse; the iconic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series to his best-selling books, skatepark advocacy, his involvement with the Olympics and literally so much more, The Birdman is the one skateboarder who needs no introduction.
However, with such an impressive career, it's pretty easy for the smaller details to get overlooked, which is why we compiled a short but sweet list of random fun facts about Tony that, in my opinion, often get overshadowed by his larger achievements. Whether you know some of these or not, let’s dive in, shall we?
1. His First Sponsor Was Dogtown Skateboards
Although he obviously wasn't a first generation Z-Boy, it's pretty fitting that at age 12, Tony Hawk got his first official sponsor—Dogtown Skateboards. A short two years later, he was considered one of the best skateboarders in the world and unarguably earned that title.
He would eventually join the legendary Bones Brigade team, which only skyrocketed his skateboarding stardom. He started Birdhouse in 1992 and continues to put out pro model boards to this day.
2. He Helped Recreate the Skateboard Emoji
I thought this one was pretty funny! Did you know Tony Hawk helped redesign the skateboard emoji? The original emoji debuted on February 7, 2018, but if you recall, it looked pretty goofy. Being the skateboarding legend that he is, The Birdman decided to take action! He sent out a tweet tagging Apple, saying:
"Hoping to help bring the skateboard emoji closer to 2018 than 1985," joking about V1 of the emoji.
Remember, this is Tony Hawk we’re talking about, so it’s no surprise that Apple responded. Just 12 days after his tweet, the original emoji was retouched and re-released, undoubtedly because of Tony’s input. And, well, the rest is history!
Oh, and here's an extra fun fact: Tony sent a picture of his current setup as a reference, and there's an uncanny resemblance between his board in the picture and the updated emoji. Ha! It's the little things, you know?
3. He Did 50 Tricks at 50 Years Old (In One Session)
A lot of skateboarders tackle the whole 'X Tricks at X Years Old,' but Tony Hawk took this idea to the next level back in 2018. These aren't just some flatground flip tricks and shuvs. Tony did 50 impressive vert tricks at age 50 ... during one session!
The icing on the cake? They were all tricks he either invented and/or pioneered through the years! Maybe you saw this video a few years back, maybe not. Either way, when The Birdman sets his mind on something, nothing can stop him! Take a look:
"I never imagined being able to skate into my adult life or that anyone would still care if I did," Tony wrote in 2018. "To celebrate, I did 50 tricks that I've created (and/or pioneered on vert). Thanks to all of you that made this dream possible. It's been an unreal ride, but I'm not done yet."
4. He Founded The Skatepark Project
While Tony Hawk has inspired countless skateboarders to get rad on their boards over the past few decades, he’s also made plenty of significant contributions to skateboarding off the board as well.
In 2020, the Tony Hawk Foundation rebranded to The Skatepark Project (TSP) to better reflect its mission. TSP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe and inclusive community skateparks worldwide and Tony and the team have done some incredible work since its inception.
"The Skatepark Project provides the resources, advocacy skills, grants and fellowship programs that guide skaters in creating their own community skateparks, from conception through construction," the site mentions.
Again, it's just one of the many ways Tony contributes to skateboarding beyond tricks and innovation. To this day, The Skatepark Project’s grant programs have awarded $13 million to help fund over 700 public skateparks in all 50 states.
5. He's a New York Times Best-Selling Author
This dude can seriously do it all! And he certainly has. He's invented tricks, influenced multiple generations of skateboarders, created video games, starred in commercials, TV shows, movies...the list goes on! But did you know Tony Hawk has written a handful of books as well? Including the New York Times bestseller Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder.
Adding to the list, he's also penned: How Did I Get Here? The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO; Between Boardslides and Burnout: My Notes from the Road; and Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder, to name a few others.
You can pick them up here!
6. He Retired the 900 at 48, Landing It One Last Time
On June 27, 2016—17 years to the day after making the first 900—Tony Hawk set out to land one final 900 on his vert ramp in Vista, California. At 48 years old, combatting multiple injuries and literally pushing himself to the breaking point, he tied the final knot on this iconic trick and officially put it to rest.
At the time, Tony said it would probably be his last 900 ever. It was. Incredible! If you haven't ever seen the epic battle go down, watch the video below and get inspired.
7. His Older Brother Introduced Him to Skateboarding
As the story goes, Tony Hawk was nine years old when his older brother Steve gave him his first skateboard—a blue fiberglass Bahne board. From that moment, Tony was hooked. He quickly ditched all other sports and activities he was doing at the time to focus solely on skateboarding. I mean, are we surprised?
Steve recently joined Tony and Jason Ellis on the Hawk Vs. Wolf podcast, where he shared this story among many others. Should we all take a moment to thank Steve for giving Tony that board? It's hard to imagine where skateboarding would be today if that moment had never happened. Thanks, Steve!
Bonus: Tony's Real Name Is...
I just thought this would be a fun bonus fact! Tony's full name is actually Anthony Frank Hawk. And, just to seal the deal, he was born on May 12, 1968, in Carlsbad, California.
Thanks for decades of stoke, Tony. We salute you.
Thumbnail Photo: J. Grant Brittain (Buy a print of it here!)
