Dave Mirra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dave Mirra

Mirra in 2010
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1974-04-04)April 4, 1974 Chittenango, New York
Died	February 4, 2016(2016-02-04) (aged 41) Greenville, North Carolina
Occupation	Extreme sports athlete
Height	5 feet 9 inches (175 cm)
Sport
Sport	BMX, Rallycross
Medal record Summer X Games Representing  United States Gold 1996 Newport BMX Park Gold 1997 San Diego BMX Park Gold 1997 San Diego BMX Vert Gold 1998 San Diego BMX Park Gold 1998 San Diego BMX Vert Gold 1998 San Diego BMX Vert Doubles Gold 1999 San Francisco BMX Park Gold 1999 San Francisco BMX Vert Gold 2000 San Francisco BMX Park Gold 2001 Philadelphia BMX Vert Gold 2002 Philadelphia BMX Vert Gold 2004 Los Angeles BMX Park Gold 2004 Los Angeles BMX Vert Gold 2005 Los Angeles BMX Park Silver 1995 Newport BMX Vert Silver 1996 Newport BMX Vert Silver 2000 San Francisco BMX Vert Silver 2003 Los Angeles BMX Vert Silver 2005 Los Angeles BMX Vert Best Trick Silver 2008 Los Angeles BMX Big Air Bronze 2003 Los Angeles BMX Park Bronze 2007 Los Angeles BMX Park Bronze 2008 Los Angeles RCR Racing Bronze 2009 Los Angeles BMX Big Air Gravity Games Gold 1999 Providence BMX Park
Updated on February 5, 2016.

David Michael Mirra (born April 4, 1974 – died February 4, 2016) was an American BMX rider. He also competed in rallycross racing. Dave Mirra was famous for setting records at the X Games. He won many medals in BMX Freestyle. He earned at least one BMX medal almost every year from 1995 to 2009. Mirra also raced cars for Subaru Rally Team USA. He was part of the team that won the 2014 Race Across America. This was a long bike race across the country. Mirra died on February 4, 2016. He was added to the BMX Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016.

Early Life and "Protown"

Dave Mirra was born in Chittenango, New York, on April 4, 1974. He later went to college at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

In the 1990s, Dave's brother, Tim, moved to Greenville, North Carolina. Dave soon followed him there. Another professional BMX rider, Ryan Nyquist, also moved in with Tim. Dave and Ryan quickly became good friends. They built and rode ramps together. Today, Greenville is home to more than twenty professional BMX riders. Because of this, people in the BMX world call Greenville "Protown."

A Career Full of Action

Mirra joined the Haro Bikes BMX team when he was just 13. This was in 1987. Video makers called Plywood Hoods showed him in their videos in 1988. Mirra got a sponsorship from Vision Street Wear in 1989. He also had sponsors like GT Bicycles and Hoffman Bikes. He rejoined Haro in 1994.

Mirra became a professional rider in 1992. He won at least one medal at the X Games every year from 1995 to 2009. The only year he missed was 2006, when he got hurt during practice. In 2005, Mirra won the Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award. He was one of the fastest athletes to win 14 X Games medals. His record of 24 total X Games medals stood until 2013. He shares the record for most gold medals at the Summer X Games. He has 14 gold medals, tied with Bob Burnquist and Jamie Bestwick. He stopped riding BMX professionally in 2011.

Mirra's Subaru rally car

From 2008 to 2013, Mirra also raced cars. He competed in rallying and rallycross for Subaru Rally Team USA. His best finish was fourth place in the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship. Mirra also became interested in Ironman competitions. These are very tough races that include swimming, biking, and running. He did his first triathlon in March 2013. He even qualified for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Dave Mirra did many things besides riding his bike. He hosted two seasons of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He was also in the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX video game series. Later, he appeared in the 2009 video game Colin McRae: Dirt 2. He wrote a book about his life with photos called "Mirra Images." In the mid-2000s, Mirra signed a deal with DC Shoes. In 2007, he started his own bike company with friends called MirraCo.

Personal Life and Legacy

Mirra and his wife, Lauren, had two daughters. In 2010, Mirra got bacterial meningitis. This is a serious infection. He got better and went back to rally racing.

Dave Mirra died on February 4, 2016. He was visiting friends in the area. The mayor of Greenville, Allen M. Thomas, called Mirra "a great friend and wonderful human being."

After his death, doctors found that Mirra had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This is a brain disease. He was the first action sports star to be diagnosed with it.

Mirra's wife decided to support several charities in his memory. These include research into CTE, the Road 2 Recovery Foundation, and More Than Sport.

Officials in Greenville, North Carolina, are planning to build an action sports park. This park will honor Dave Mirra. The first part of the park will have places for skateboarding and BMX riding.

See also

Dave Mirra para niños