Evel Knievel: Wide World of Sports Classic

spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat the human drama of athletic competition this is ABC's Wide World of Sports hi everybody I'm Chris Fowler welcome to classic Wide World of Sports one of the most popular figures to emerge in the American sports scene in the 1970s was Evel Knievel now Daredevils had existed before even but they played on wacky concepts and zany stunts with all manner of contraptions Evel Knievel was different clad in patriotic colors Knievel became a regular on ABC's Wide World of Sports as he climbed aboard his harley-davidson and jumped over all manner of vehicles in a variety of arenas Knievel was the consummate showman and fans flocked to see his jumps some to see him soar others to see him crash his youth in Montana was filled with fierce competition Knievel was a loner not a team player he was rebellious admitted to stealing hubcaps and later claimed to rob banks evils evenings often ended with him fleeing the local police on his motorcycle in fact it was the Butte Police who gave him his nickname the officer is tired of writing his name in the police blotter so much that they shortened it to evil around 1965 Evel formed a troop called Evel Knievel's motorcycle Daredevils they did small-time stunts at county fairs jumping over rattlesnake pits mountain lions and through walls of fire Evel went solo in 1966 as wild world of sports was covering a motorcycle race in Gardena California they decided to air part of the pre-race entertainment it was the new solo daredevil Evel Knievel before we get back to racing I'd like to introduce to you a most unusual young man this is Evel Knievel and his specialty in sports is to take a motorcycle up over our ramp and leap through the air some 90 feet that's what he's gonna try to do today over 15 automobiles now have you ever done 15 before Evel bill I never have I missed a jump up in the northwestern part of the United States over 13 and I was hospitalized and laid up for nearly five months and I sure hope that doesn't happen today Wow how many cars were you attempting at that time 13 13 and you missed it that's right you're trying 15 today well the parachutes ready motorcycles ready and I'm and I'm not gonna miss today it's March 25th 1967 the young evil is wearing a yellow helmet yellow and black leathers and he's riding a triumph in front of him are 15 carts bill Fleming has the call in Gardena California right now everyone here in the crowd has arrived riveted on a young man by the name of Evel Knievel who is set and ready in his yellow daredevil leathers a new racing helmet to attempt elite over 15 cars you saw JC agajanian there in the background nervously pacing up and down an exciting moment here at Gardena California even for the young ones soar through the air airborne for about 90 feet on a normal triumph machine and he's set to go take off of course very critical you know build up speed as quickly as he can and here he goes [Music] makes it beautifully as Evel Knievel gets the wrong applause from the crowd here going beautiful over 15 cards [Applause] well now let's take a look at it again in slow motion you see the techniques use here he comes it's a parabolic curve so that rear wheel will keep the traction now as you see he rises in the seat and makes a perfect landing a wild way to ride a motorcycle what are the many problems facing Daredevils is that their next stunt must always be bigger better and more grand in the previous one Evel Knievel's arrival of a national scene came in the emerging show mrs. Mecca of Las Vegas now this time around he was putting cars and buses behind him on New Year's Day 1968 Knievel was set to jump over some glitzy New Vegas architecture namely the fountains outside the new Caesars Palace Resort Casino on the strip some say it was this jump that first submitted Evel Knievel's place in sports history his crash landing Caesars Palace is one of the most vivid slow-motion portraits of pain ever captured on film the only other evil crash that could top Caesars was his wipeout landing at San Francisco's cramped Cow Palace in March of 1972 after surviving the horrendous crashes at Caesars in the Cow Palace Evel found himself with a cult following in America with little help and Wide World of Sports interest and Evel Knievel was starting to skyrocket in the early 1970s when he arrived on the scene this country was was in a gray area that had not been seen in my lifetime there were no simple answers to anything we were involved in the Vietnam War women's revolution evolution was going on there was it was nothing there were no easy black-and-white answers this guy came down the road and a star spangled suit and said I'm gonna do something very simple the consequences of which can be death and it appealed instantly let's go to Los Angeles it's the fall of 1973 and billed Fleming once again has the call the 50 first row of the Los Angeles Coliseum now ideally like to take off 100 miles an hour on the Enron soar over the 50 cars make a two-point landing this is going to be it evil carries about six or seven bikes with him then he tests them all before one of these jumps picks the one that's performing best he's ready [Music] and he's got at me that goes - ooh he's airborne as opposed to but the word is he's okay ever seen so many cameras in all your life fantastic job and here he comes back into the truck [Music] evil you did it again well another day another dollar yeah you make it sound awful easy but it isn't quite that easy that jump going out to Colosseum I think were just as wild as the one going over the cars I'm glad that parachute was open I'll tell you I'll tell you this is if you were graded on form and beauty it would have been a hundred today it was absolutely a beautiful jump well thank you Bill I don't think I jumped quite 50 yards but you know I'm getting to be on up and I guess what you call age to where I can't heal as good as I used to and being 34 years old every time I make a jump I thank God when it comes down that I'm still alive no matter how far I went you know evil you're shaking a little bit well you did what I did you'd be shaken too there never has been anything quite like this man Evel Knievel super daredevil coming up when classic Wide World of Sports returns the first of four big jumps Evel Knievel's very busy year of 1974 I'll make a bet 11 of $100,000 right now a hundred thousand in cash that I can jump from I'll take Howard Cosell on the handlebars of the back end of the motorcycle now bet they're not always you're watching classic Wide World of Sports on ESPN Classic come fly with me the music says and that's the scene set the backdrop for the arrival here at the Green Valley racetrack in North Richland Hills Texas of the one and only Evel Knievel led by a security police car the familiar Ferrari and in the Ferrari with Evel the man relaxing him for the occasion dandy Don Meredith and behind that the unique only one of its kind 73 cadillac station wagon and behind that by $91,000 performing van that has become a kind of symbol a trademark for Evel Knievel evil today facing one of the great challenges of his performing life eleven Mack trucks to be jumped over an adverse wind operating against him but relaxed as I said by the presence of the irrepressible cowboy dandy Don Meredith Howard I brought you a jacket you brought me a river canyon I'm making the official picture remember there's there's a very kind of you let's get that motorcycle in here right now how about you going over with it now I I would love to do that this is an authentic jump you were jumping a little but there was an authentic jump not too long ago well there was a jump made in Houston a couple of weeks ago that they said was over 16 cars and it was only over eight and they had eight more parked behind it you can see that my team trucks are all in a line out there there isn't anything phony about it I'll tell you one thing I'll make a bet 11 of $100,000 right now a hundred thousand in cash that I can jump further in the Houston Astrodome than that jump that was made there two weeks ago and I'll take Howard Cosell on the handlebars of the back end of the motorcycle no better no way yeah I'll bet you 100 dollars you won't get me on but I want everybody here in North Richland Hills Texas to know that Meredith has the courage that he displayed for all those years wearing number 17 through the Cowboys he's going to go on with your car head I'm gonna do what you're not going on with them I'm gonna go I'm not going over those trucks with them and you can at least drive off with them watch this folks watch dandy Don it is best with Evel Knievel that's done Meredith at his best showing you the kind of courage that was uniquely his through all of the years Evel Knievel's courage of course a matter now a public record 30,000 people in North Richland Hills Texas to watch Evel Knievel go after his longest leap yet I've got this wind has to be a factor I don't really understand all this stuff yeah one of the world's he do this well he put it philosophically with the three basic questions of life as he sees it where do you come from what are you doing and where do you go from here here right now he's coming down in his first practice warm-up they'll go past the ramp as you saw slow down the speed the platform which leads up to the 11 Mack trucks that he'll be jumping over today he's moving around directly in front of us now and he's getting a final word from his man man Roger by the way has been with him for years and it's Roger reminisce his full name and he's told them the conditions are now in his opinion gut cameras are focused upon evil and the wind is a factor Howard this thing is really ripping down here your Texas area and here he comes only 11 misses and 300 leaves previously and he did it come on over here evil evil is coming over and as I said unbelievable me you sure did make it okay now I had judged from the distance you went past the last truck you planned it by maybe 50 to 55 feet of a landing ramp is 56 feet long I landed right on the bottom of it I'll tell you I plan I haven't done the training and I have done and been in the physical shape I'm in right now I'd have probably broke my back I don't feel very good I'll tell you I'll bet you do Automation it's in slo-mo well you know right there goodbye last Mac truck there it is you're over it in you really big cave that's when I hit there you can see what happened it just splattered you know what there's no better feeling in the world than the land that thing and be hanging on to it no matter what kind of shape you're at that's the story then today dandy Don Meredith Evel Knievel Howard Cosell right here in North Richland Hills Texas and Evel Knievel did the job more than a hundred and fifty feet but jump in Texas was the first major job in Evel Knievel's very busy year of 1974 could say it was his year of living dangerously he had four major jumps in four different locations one in Canada and when jump over a combined total of 41 trucks follower the jump in Highland Falls Texas Evo found himself back in the Memorial Coliseum in Portland Oregon it was March 31st 1974 on the eve of April Fool's Day and Eva was attempting to clear 17 vehicles he had jumped the Memorial Coliseum three years earlier and broke his throttle hand on a hard landing this time around Evel was building his 1974 momentum that was going to lead to the grandest of spectacles by the end of the year Evel had a special announcement about that in Portland let's go to Memorial Coliseum where Frank Gifford has the cost FIBO Knievel has emerged from his van here at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland organ colorfully garbed as he always is evil knievel will attempt to tremendous job tonight good luck thank you Frank colorful in every way Evel Knievel who has become a pop hero if you will around the country traveling with that large van he'll be traveling at a speed between 80 and 85 miles per hour on the take-off ramp is about ready [Music] here he comes [Music] [Applause] not a more perfect evel knievel [Music] [Applause] [Music] and he is happy back at the Coliseum and even I'd say it couldn't be more perfect Frank I'll tell you I can't say enough for the guys who worked hard with me down here the last three days we moved a ramp just before the jump because we thought it was gonna rain and to tell you the truth none of us thought that I could make this jump in here and I want to tell you something I said that earlier Eva like I said something about it I've known it for a long time but I sense something about it you didn't like no but you know we sold this place out tonight and I just as soon missed the jump as having booming out of here and I'm almost to the end of my road and I'm not gonna let that happen yet I went to Idaho and I bought a piece of the Snake River Canyon it's my Canyon they cannot take it away from me and the only way they're gonna stop me from jumping is with an anti-aircraft gun they're gonna have to shoot me out of the air September the 8th I'm gonna go like hell and I want to get across that thing faster and further than you ever seen I first came in contact with Evel Knievel about five years ago when I got a call from his agent in California at that time Evel was considering jumping in the Grand Canyon and couldn't make connections with the government so he came into Twin Falls and took over some property out here and now is planning to jump the Snake River Canyon which is quite a jump and I'm just glad he's doing in and not not myself but I'm not gonna ride behind him I think evils maybe a little bit off his rocker but this is his business and not mine we go now to August 20th 1974 just 18 days before the Canyon gym Snake River hype is in full swing but evil first had to take care of some unfinished business north of the border it was gonna jump 13 trucks in Toronto at the Canadian National Exposition the Toronto event also marked the debut of evils sons Kelly and Robbie Keith Jackson has the call the sons Kelly 14 Robbie 11 this is the first time as Evel pointed out his two boys had performed and it's an auspicious time because they've walked in in a mammoth football stadium and they're looking at more than 22,000 people but you can't see a nerve in their body can you after they inherited that from their dad this is the moment of psyche this is the moment where he sells himself on the idea that he can do it he's done it so many times before but every circumstance is different every obstacle is different visually it is different it is a long way across [Music] many many times we thought that he was can be claimed to severely but what about the sky [Music] he hit it right on target [Music] and so the feed is done and the applause rings through the night let's take another look there's Evel Knievel clears 13 part Mack trucks 104 feet see him hit the rent a little bit out of shape who owes the big 750 back into shape hurtling five hundred and fifty pounds onto the ramp in exactly the spot he wanted to get so in Toronto the kids were all right people showed up Robbie and Kelly and cleared the unlucky number of 13 trucks after his Canadian success evil could now step up the full-scale Snake River height the people were starting to wonder hey who is this guy anyway we get the cover of Sports Illustrated just six days before the Canyon jump but ABC's space program reporter Jules Bergman wanted more information here's Jules asking who is Evel Knievel and why is he about to climb into a steam-powered sky rocket in Twin Falls Idaho [Music] is it just a form of summer madness or as Evel Knievel a reflection of our times a backlash against weary frustrations and hidebound convention or on the other hand could Evel Knievel just possibly be for real the last of the true originals struggling against nearly impossible odds and outrageously insane risks to accomplish what no one else would dare attempt another possibility is Evel Knievel a con man's supreme out to pull one of the all-time stunts pocketing a cool million dollars or more in the bank then walking off into the Montana sunset laughing his head off September 8th is the firmly committed date for the long-awaited Snake River Canyon jump Evel Knievel will be either a national hero or a dead screwball there is no in-between will he or won't he jump the canyon if you're somewhere anywhere in this country in a crowd out there wherever that guy should have never jumped that Canyon you know he hit that he was losers by bus and he was crazy do me a favor don't let you saw me here and the regardless of what I was I know me and I kept my word we're at t-minus 24 hours here at the Snake River Canyon launch site and the X to sky cycle rocket directly behind our ABC Sports headquarters here it's beginning to look like it may actually be ready to fly tomorrow the work crews that do it work the final touches on the engine and ready on the power a crowd would estimated six to eight thousand persons have already gathered here in motorcycle events it looks like the flight and we actually go tomorrow has impressed me as an extremely articulate individual and knows exactly what he's doing he's apparently got a good engineering background I've got nude and go that far the man does whatever he says he's going to do and he gives it a real good try I think I think you should pro you'll make it we're back at the think of a Kenyan launch site at t-minus 25 hours for Evel Knievel's one man Canyon flight in this vehicle the x2 which must fly across this 600 foot deep canyon a third of a mile wide or evil may not survive at all it's spectacular terrain and it's spectacularly gunny mission the major new element here in this last day before launch has been evil short-tempered outbursts the flight separation seemed to be on time and the x2 behind us should be ready for blast-off tomorrow at around 5:20 p.m. Eastern Time when is a motorcycle daredevil ever had a NASA style t-minus countdown for one of his jumps there was abundant tension on the rim of Snake River Canyon on September 8th 1974 30,000 fans had arrived on the scene and turned it into a Woodstock style party the local police alarmed at the loose party atmosphere called in reinforcements the officers watched over the crowd with shotguns poised on hips meanwhile Evel Knievel had suffered a sleepless night he was coming to grips with his probable death that was about to be seen on pay-per-view and a week later on Wide World of Sports even purchased a family plot and a cemetery right before the Snake River jump who better to do the play-by-play of Evil's monumentals Snake River jump the David Frost he was joined by ABC's Jules Bergman aunt astronaut James Lovell the commander of the famous Apollo 13 mission let's get to it now the moment everyone had been waiting for Evel Knievel's September 8 1974 attempt to clear the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls Idaho in a steam-powered Skycycle well we're here we are with the great man pant sitting right here beside me as Jim Lovell was saying just now evil you never normally get a chance to talk to an astronaut just before blast-off and can I ask the question therefore to you as an astronaut that millions are asking at this moment what what do you think your chances are I think my chances right now or 90% go I've got a team behind me with mr. 2x and all the boys that are a hundred percent and I think we'll do it I wish the wind wasn't blowing so hard but I think we'll do it you think your best not only come back here for our second conversation Alison do you think you'll do it without mishap oh you mean you think you'll come through whatever happened well I hope so that that's the only feeling I have are you afraid at this moment I think that a man was put here on earth to live not just to exist and today is the proudest day of my life I'm living a dream that they thought could never be done but it'll be done happy landings even I'll be back see you in a few minutes up there he'll be back where Evel Knievel he'll be back everything he bout to mark we're now counties that was averted 1 minute 49 seconds this is classic Wide World of Sports on ESPN Classic [Music] [Music] okay he will stay with the bird stay with the bird looks like you're gonna go into the canyon premature here we have a good sheet on this come on and stay with the vehicle stay with the vehicle put your visor up see it now we there she goes use the rim of the cannon is going to crash obviously in the derivatives okay those coming out about 17 slowly going on [Music] it looks like he is in the water Robert Frane Knievel appear to have landed in the Snake River it looked like well it looks like he didn't hold on to the handle like we did yeah look like he died in the water no I'm Freddy's down in the rocks on this side but I can't see Robert Cray Knievel did not clear the 1600 foot Snake River Canyon he has landed in the Snake River Jim it appeared to me as if he made no attempt to try to get out of the vehicle wasn't it because he was not up high enough well there'd be no attempt to try to go out of the vehicle that time land is better day and let the remain shoot to recover you which he did do the family and we're racing around to them now is hysterical and in shock crying they think evil may be dead or maybe drowning in the river [Music] let's quickly see again what happened there it is the rocket ready to go off the pad and a burst of white hot steam and there's the chute much too soon what went wrong no one is sure Evel Knievel is standing the board and waving he is alive and well I think at this point we can all say thank God what do you guys think now I think he's a very very brave man I think he's a help man Bambi's word he did it I can't believe he did it but he did it took a lot of good good morning up kids would you have done it no way but not even for 6 million Bart not even for 6 minutes less than 20 minutes after blast-off Evel Knievel is back at his launch pad now on a cloud of dust dream it to a parachute deployment he couldn't hold the chute but he landed safely in the water he's walking on his own looks like he had the bloody nose he drew the eyes a little bit [Applause] anybody even I don't know Julie yeah I'm rough with the landing hills and bounced down but I was strapped in tight and came to it all right I don't know what happened you off the spring I couldn't hold it it went sideways good turn now I don't know what happened down here but Ron and Bob both told me if I saw the canyon wall and not the sky for Christ's sake to let it go and when it turned I let her fly I didn't know what had happened it just about knocked out how are you rescued Eva I think well gee we came and got me out down there in the trees and put me in the boat I couldn't get my safety belt believe Horace I'm harnessed to find a gun in the river I had never got out of here from twittered you land right on the shore well I hit no I landed into the wall on this side then bounced down but I don't know what happened it's just I think level I don't know I just can't say I'll have to let Bob Rotella take damage are you gonna try it again well I don't know what I'm gonna do I I sat in it and gave it my best I don't know what to tell you well thirty thousand watched evil in his premature parachute fall into the canyon live the rest of the country had to settle for paid admissions at movie theaters to see evil soar ABC's Wide World of Sports rebroadcast the Snake River jump the following week ratings for the Evel Knievel Snake River jump are the 9th highest in wide world of sports history not bad for a tape delayed event so Evel Knievel who had failed but survived his battle with the Snake River Canyon was about to take his act overseas some Englishman had lined up some buses in Wembley Stadium and by Jove he was going to jump them [Music] Chris Fowler here welcoming it back to classic Wide World of Sports on May 31st 1975 Evel Knievel entered the venue of Legends London's Wembley Stadium having put the Snake River Canyon debacle of nine months earlier behind him hustling to promote his own event in London evils appearances around the city gave a late boost to ticket sales 90,000 fans packed Wembley to see if he could clear 13 double-decker buses friend and Evel Knievel expert Frank Gifford who always seems to be lurking outside of Evil's ban was of course on hand with the call let's go to Wembley to see if evil can do it on May 31st 1975 it's a turned on crowd at Wembley Stadium as Evel Knievel returns to action when people have stared at the ramp at the 13 buses almost in amazement they say it can't be done Evo says I can do two times as many people in this ladies you have them in your tire hometown of Montana well it's a wonderful feeling I think maybe I'd rather be home you know evil one has to wonder after the Snake River you never said you would retire you never said that was it or anything else but one has to wonder why you continue well I sometimes think that maybe I should quit but you always want to keep going and I'm kind of proud of that red white and blue number one I wear on my shoulder I want to keep it on there I'm glad you're here today you know I've never had an accent when you're around you're gonna have wonder they came to London I'll tell you that one other thing to lay off though you haven't you haven't jumped in over a year yeah well I may not be as good as I always once but you're gonna find out today as always this is long an hi good luck he will be going about 90 miles an hour when he leaves the round yes to myself number a hundred and forty feet [Music] in 1966 hurt himself ndo [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] ladies and gentlemen I got to tell you that you are the last in the world who will ever see me jump because I will never ever ever jump again I'm through enough man you've proved tomorrow let's get the stretcher let me get off the road please help me walk off the ramp Frank take me out I got you buddy whatever you want you got [Music] evel knievel always delivered what he said he was going to do here he was in Wembley Stadium before somewhere between 80 and a hundred thousand people he knew he had a part missing to his bike he knew he probably couldn't make it all the way across he was implored to cancel a jump but even wouldn't do it he was not going to risk his reputation from bailing out an event he would rather risk his life than risk his reputation welcome back the classic Wide World of Sports and our look at the daring duo of Evel Knievel and his now-famous x-rays let's get back to the issue of Sports Illustrated for a minute was it the famous SI cover jinx that kept him from landing on the other side of Snake River we'll never know but we do know that in that cover story one of Knievel's partners in the Skycycle venture had referred to evil as the white Muhammad Ali and he was talking about evils penchant for exaggeration with the press has put on red herrings and how he constantly rewrote his self history with the romantic retirement announcement on the landing ramp at Wembley evil showed that he did have a little boxing style showmanship in it well evil statements never even hit it at the poetry spouted by Ali there was a certain bravado that brought out evils own brand of individualism that said evil would later claim that he was in shock when he announced that Wembley was his last jump he lied to the blokes evil was destined to jump again in October of 1975 perhaps following the overseas theme he picked Kings Island an amusement park outside of Cincinnati Ohio that is known for its replica of the Eiffel Tower let's throw it wide world style - who else Frank Gifford again finding himself outside of Evil's van this time he's at Kings Island Ohio were 14 Greyhound buses stand between evil and pay dirt on October 25th 1975 we understand he is about ready to make his appearance and here he comes right now Robert Craig Knievel [Music] welcome to Kings Island thank you good crowd ready to go looks like there's enough of them to blow me over if I can't get that harley-davidson Oh worth the wind we'll talk about that again evil gusting a problem well it looks from the side of the flags that it may have died down a little bit but I'm gonna go Frank there's no wind gonna stop me not even a hurricane this total concentration now is getting that bike off the approach ramp and onto the landing ramp and he's not hesitate he'll go [Music] [Applause] [Music] April you have to be a little bit relieved I know how tight you were attention where although you will mean so really the practice town susceptor we're gonna take a look at on the replay and you perhaps tell us where it went right where we're wrong it ever goes wrong with you make it doesn't well Frank you can see here the whole site at the motorcycle is busted up and when I came off a take off I was a little bit crooked I tried to get straightened up look at that front end almost lost of her boy that suspension held right on top of that 14th bus and went on down and landed ok and right there I'm saying boy Frankie I'd like to say something before we get off the air you've been a friend and a great guy from my backbone well maybe I didn't have it I want to thank you personally for it glad to do it okay Frank thank you evils final jump on Wide World of Sports but not the last one on his storied career was over seven buses inside the Seattle Kingdom here's Frank Gifford with the call of evils last Wide World of Sports jump in Seattle October 30th 1976 warming up at the table now adequate word of Roger Raymond says he is ready again keep your eye on that one area where he will sink down onto the bike and then he must get himself into control for the takeoff approach for power on leaving their hand well it's hard to say 65 70 miles-per-hour traveling at a distance to clear these seven Greyhound buses approximately 80 feet in I believe is going to go [Music] the relatively easy Seattle Kingdom jumped didn't even hit the charts among Evel Knievel's domination of the Wide World of Sports ratings the Kings Island jump by the way remains to this day as the all-time ratings champion of wide world of sports it pulled in a twenty two point three for roughly 52 percent of the household share many of evils other jumps also ranked among the top rated shows in y world history after the ho-hum Seattle jump evils next jump was to be over a shark tank in Chicago a landing mishap on the practice jump resulted in more serious injuries for Knievel he had a concussion and two broken arms and a cameraman was also seriously injured in the jump after the message Chicago evil was facing his 40th birthday his bones were taking longer to heal he had infections from repeated hospital stays so as the Bicentennial came to a close he retired again and his public address introduction of evil at the Kingdome jump Frank Gifford had called Knievel the greatest showman in the world soul singer James Brown might have a problem with that label but a lot of kids who grew up in the 1970s would agree with Gifford Hollywood had taken a shine to evil George Hamilton portrayed evil a 1971 film Evel Knievel and evil played himself in the 77 film Viva Knievel with an all-star cast of Lauren Hutton Gene Kelly red buttons Leslie Nielsen I don't want to shoot your last jump I don't want you to ever have a bastion that's the nicest thing you said to me since I first met you evils acting much like many of his landings was a bit shaky but the film has become somewhat of a cult classic Ralph Waldo Emerson once said the only sin is limitation for motorcycle Daredevils and entertainers like Evel Knievel nothing rings truer Evel said it himself motorcycles do not have wings there is a point of no return having to constantly upgrade the thrills and challenges of each jump should make for a short career for Daredevils but Evel Knievel's legacy has managed to live on well into the 1990s evils son Robbie is of course taken up his father is passionate for the jump circuit as the heir to the throne that is the king of dare down bravi Knievel graduated from those few meek wheelies we saw in Toronto back in 1974 who was jumped with the Grand Canyon fulfilling a dream his father had but never realized his landing may have been rough but he survived just like his dad did a generation before Knievel's motorcycle and jump memorabilia are among the displays of the smithsonian institute in washington DC immortalizing him as america's legendary daredevil we hope you enjoyed this special edition of classic Wide World of Sports I'm Chris Powell we'll see you next time [Music] what is made is mango there's nothing she won't [Music]

Channel: HODIUSDUDE

Views: 175,153

Keywords: Chris Fowler, Wide World of Sports, Bill Fleming, Don Meredith, Snake River Canyon Jump, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, 1974, Wembley Stadium, Kings Island, Robbie Knievel

Id: kTiUt6N4d2s

Length: 42min 16sec (2536 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 06 2017