Tony Hawk was born in Carlsbad, California, on May 12, 1968. He has an elder brother named Steve, as well as two older sisters named Lenore and Pat. Tony was reared in San Diego, California, by his parents, Frank Peter Rupert Hawk and Nancy Elizabeth Hawk. ¹⁾

Hawk was nine years old when his brother Steve, who was also a surfer and skater, handed him an original blue fiberglass Bahne skateboard. ²⁾

Tony ran into a fence the first time he took up his brand new skateboard since he didn't know how to turn. ³⁾

Tony's original Bahne skateboard is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. ⁴⁾

At the same time as he began skating, the little Hawk was playing the violin. ⁵⁾

Tony purchased his first pair of Vans skateboard sneakers when he was ten years old. ⁶⁾

Dogtown Skateboards was his first sponsor when he was 12 years old. ⁷⁾

Tony Hawk began his professional career when he was 14 years old. He was already regarded as the finest skateboarder in the world two years later. ⁸⁾

He was a founding member of the Bones Brigade, a skating team founded in 1979 by George Powell and Stacy Peralta, along with Steve Caballero, Alan Gelfand, Lance Mountain, Rodney Mullen, Mike McGill, Steve Rocco, and Tommy Guerrero. ⁹⁾

Cindy Dunbar, the Hawk's high school girlfriend, married him in April 1990. ¹⁰⁾

After nearly declaring bankruptcy, Tony Hawk and Per Welinder founded the skateboard business Birdhouse in 1992. ¹¹⁾

Birdman is Tony Hawk's most well-known nickname. ¹²⁾

Tony Hawk won two gold medals in the X Games in 1995 and 1997. ¹³⁾

Hawk became the first skateboarder to execute a 900 - two and a half aerial revolutions - at the X Games on July 27, 1999. ¹⁴⁾

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (THPS), a multi-platform skating game that would become one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, was released in September 1999. ¹⁵⁾