Martin, Joey (September 8, 2014). "40 Years Later And Gearing Up For Another Jump". KMVT.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Knievel had partnered with Six Flags St. Louis to name a new wooden coaster after "America's Legendary Daredevil". The amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, Missouri, opened the ride on June 20, 2008. The Evel Knievel Roller Coaster operated for three seasons before being renamed American Thunder in 2011. [72] Declining health [ edit ] Knievel’s daring made him an American folk hero and he was portrayed in films by Sam Elliott and George Hamilton. He tried to become a movie star himself in 1977’s Viva Knievel, co-starring Gene Kelly. MacDonald, Brady (November 25, 2010). "LA Times Report Rethemed Rides at Six Flags". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012 . Retrieved August 18, 2011. Severo, Richard (December 1, 2007). "Evel Knievel, 69, Daredevil on a Motorcycle, Dies". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017 . Retrieved March 7, 2011.

a b Emmis Communications (December 1975). Cincinnati Magazine. Emmis Communications. p.10. ISSN 0746-8210. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023 . Retrieved January 2, 2020. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Knievel kept up his pursuit of the United States government to allow him to jump the Grand Canyon. To push his case, he hired famed San Francisco defense attorney Melvin Belli to fight the legal battle for obtaining government permission. ABC's Wide World of Sports started showing Knievel's jumps on television regularly. His popularity, especially with young boys, was ever-increasing. He became a hero to a generation of young boys. A.J. Foyt made Knievel part of his pit crew for the Indianapolis 500 in 1970. Evel Knievel's huge fame caused him to start traveling with bodyguards, who became life-long friends. [ citation needed] Ideal Toys [ edit ] A printed advertisement for the pinball machine

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Evel, an upcoming biographical limited series written by Etan Frankel and starring Milo Ventimiglia as Knievel, was searching for a TV network as of 2020 [update]. [94]

Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution: the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p.293. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada Leigh, Montville (2011). Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. p.80. ISBN 978-0385533676. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023 . Retrieved February 1, 2017. On April 1, 2007, Knievel appeared on RobertH. Schuller's television program Hour of Power and announced that he "believed in Jesus Christ" for the first time. [74] At his request, he was baptized at a televised congregation at the Crystal Cathedral by Schuller. Knievel's televised testimony triggered mass baptisms at the Crystal Cathedral. [75] Death [ edit ] Knievel died on November 30, 2007, at the age of 69 due to diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was buried in his hometown of Butte, Montana. Posthumously, Knievel has been honored through various exhibits, a museum, and tribute jumps. His legacy also lives on in television commercials featuring his iconic stunts. Evel Knievel Baptized at Crystal Cathedral; Rev. Schuller Admires Daredevil's "Possibility Thinking" ". ABC 7. KABC-TV. Associated Press. April 20, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007 . Retrieved October 4, 2007.

Potempa, Philip (July 5, 2010). "Off Beat: Evel Knievel remembered and honored with new museum exhibit". NWI times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010 . Retrieved August 5, 2010.

Knievel's most famous stunt was an attempt to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace, which resulted in severe injuries. Despite never successfully jumping the Grand Canyon, Knievel became a legendary figure, breaking numerous records and suffering hundreds of bone fractures throughout his career. In 1999, Knievel celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Snake River Canyon jump at the Twin Falls mall. His memorabilia was then stored at Kent Knigge's farm in Filer, Idaho, seven miles west of Twin Falls. During the same year, Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Evel Knievel". The Economist. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009 . Retrieved August 5, 2010. Jump fails, but Knievel uninjured". Spokesman Review. (New York Times). September 9, 1974. p.1. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020 . Retrieved May 6, 2020. In 1997, Knievel signed with the California Motorcycle Company to release a limited Evel Knievel Motorcycle. The motorcycle was not built to jump but was rather a V-twin cruiser motorcycle intended to compete with Harley-Davidson street bikes. Knievel promoted the motorcycle at his various public appearances. After the company closed in 2003, Knievel returned to riding modern street Harley-Davidson motorcycles at his public appearances.Bornhop, Andrew (August 7, 2015). "Doug Danger Breaks Knievel's Record Daredevil jumps 22 cars at Sturgis, on Evel Knievel's 1972 Harley XR750". Cycle World. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016 . Retrieved September 20, 2016. Knievel realized that to make a more substantial amount of money he would need to hire more performers, stunt coordinators, and other personnel so that he could concentrate on the jumps. With little money, he went looking for a sponsor and found one in Bob Blair, owner of ZDS Motors, Inc., the West Coast distributor for Berliner Motor Corporation, a distributor for Norton Motorcycles. Blair offered to provide the needed motorcycles, but he wanted the name changed from Bobby Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils Thrill Show to Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel did not want his image to be that of a Hells Angels rider, so he convinced Blair to at least allow him to use the spelling Evel instead of Evil. Evel Knievel's Latest Challenge: Hurdling Weapons Charge, Civil Suit | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022 . Retrieved October 9, 2022.

He was the greatest stuntman of his age, who broke almost every bone in his body and was instantly recognisable for his Stars and Stripes leather jumpsuit. For many he was the ultimate American daredevil. “God,” he liked to say, “never made a tougher son of a bitch than me.” On July 18, 2012, Audi of America recreated Knievel's Snake River jump in a promotional commercial for the Audi RS5. The commercial depicts the RS5 being driven by a professional driver and jumping the canyon off a jump ramp. [87] [88] Portrayal in film [ edit ]Goldberg, Lesley (July 14, 2020). "Evel Knievel Drama Starring Milo Ventimiglia Scrapped at USA Network (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021 . Retrieved May 18, 2021. Evel Knievel (2004), a biographical film directed by John Badham and starring George Eads as Knievel. [91] Robbie sold limited-edition motorcycles from his company, Knievel Motorcycles Manufacturing Inc. Although two of the motorcycles refer to Evel (the Legend Series Evel Commemorative and the Snake River Canyon motorcycle), Evel did not ride Robbie's bikes.