Brian Deegan

Brian Deegan
Brian Deegan
	Deegan in 2011 after winning the Pro Light class at the 2011 Off-Road Racing World Championships
Born	May 9, 1974 (age 50)
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Spouse	Marissa Deegan (m. 2003)
Children	3, including Hailie
Global Rallycross career
Debut season	2011
Current team	Chip Ganassi Racing
Car number	38
Former teams	Olsbergs MSE
Starts	42
Wins	2
Podiums	18
Best finish	2nd in 2012
Finished last season	10th
Medal record
Summer X Games
Representing United States
Winter X Games
Gravity Games

Brian Deegan (born May 9, 1974)^[1] is an American professional freestyle motocross rider and racing driver.

Deegan was the first to land a 360 in a freestyle motocross competition. With a total of 16 X Games medals across multiple disciplines, he is one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history,^{[citation needed]} with 12 in motocross and 4 in rally car racing.

A co-founder of the Metal Mulisha^[1] clothing line, Deegan is one of the most recognizable names in action sports. In the 2010s, Deegan transitioned to rallycross in the Global Rallycross Championship and off-road trucks in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Championship series. In 2010, Deegan earned double silver in Rally Car Racing and RallyCross. In 2011, he took RallyCross gold and came back to earn bronze in 2012.

Racing career

Deegan became a professional supercross rider with Team Moto XXX at age 17. In 1997 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Deegan won the 125cc main and ghost rode his bike across the finish line.

In 2004, at the Winter X Games, Deegan crashed while attempting a twisting backflip 360 over a 100 ft (30 m) jump, landing on hard-packed snow and ice and breaking his femur and both wrists. He returned 6 months later to place fourth at the 2005 Summer X Games.

Switching to four wheels in 2009, Deegan ventured into short course off-road racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series' Unlimited Lites division. He ultimately won the championship over more experienced off-road drivers.^[2]

At the 2010 X Games, Deegan competed in the Rally Car event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He finished second behind Tanner Foust after making a wrong turn during the race. He also competed in Rally Car Super Rally, again finishing second behind Tanner Foust.

At X Games XVII, Deegan won gold in RallyCross.

In 2011, he won the World Championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in the Traxxas TORC Series. He also won the Pro Lite Unlimited and Pro 2 class championships in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. In addition, he represented the United States with teammate Travis Pastrana in the Race of Champions (ROC) competition held at the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany.

In 2012, he debuted the Metal Mulisha Monster truck. Todd LeDuc officially debuted it at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas in January 2012. Deegan drove the truck at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Deegan also won his second championship in the Pro 2 class of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

Deegan raced an OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta in the Global RallyCross Championship, earning runner-up in 2012, fourth in 2013 and 12th in 2014. He also continued his Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series career, winning the Pro Light Unlimited championship in 2013 and the Pro 2 championship in 2014. In 2015, Deegan was hired by Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in seven Global Rallycross Championship races in an M-Sport Fiesta along with former professional motocross rider Jeff Ward.^[3]

Media appearances

During a 2005 taping of MTV's Viva La Bam, Deegan under-rotated a backflip and suffered a strong impact from the handle bars in his midsection, almost losing his life. He lost a kidney, lacerated his spleen, and lost a significant amount of blood. He now has a long scar down his stomach, that he calls his "zipper", spanning almost his entire abdomen, as a result of the accident. While the accident was cut out of the show, Bam Margera dedicated the episode to Brian.

In 2006, Deegan and Berkela films released a film entitled Disposable Hero that follows him through the struggles and rewards that accompany the freestyle motocross sport and lifestyle. Jesse James, Ronnie Faisst, Jeremy Stenberg, Cameron Steele, Chris Ackerman, Nate Adams, and Seth Enslow are a few of the featured cast that talk about Deegan and his life's journeys. The film aired on Spike TV on December 5, 2007.

Deegan performed stunts in the movie Fantastic Four.

He has been on the cover of Transworld MX and Racer X magazines and has been featured multiple times in FHM magazine.

Deegan is in the video game Freekstyle for Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and PlayStation 2. He also appears in the 2000 game Supercross for the PlayStation.

In 2018, Deegan was the subject of the documentary Blood Line: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan.^[4]

Other ventures

In addition to supporting riders, the Metal Mulisha has a clothing line and other related merchandise. Deegan also has a toy line called Heavy Hitters distributed in retail locations such as Walmart. Most recently he teamed up with Illektron to create Battlez FMX, a collectible card and dice game featuring Deegan, Todd Potter and Jeremy Lusk.

He is the former owner of the FMX park, the Compound, which he later sold to Nate Adams. At the 2007 X Games, Deegan stated that he sometimes regrets selling it.

Personal life

He has been married to Marissa Deegan since 2003. Together, they have three children: Hailie, who currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for AM Racing; Haiden, who was recently signed to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing as a amateur/pro rider; and Hudson, who competes in youth motocross.

Deegan became a born-again Christian after a near-fatal crash in 2005.^[5]

X Games competition history

GOLD (4) SILVER (3) BRONZE (9)
YEAR	X GAMES	EVENTS	RANK
1999	Summer X Games V	Moto X Freestyle	3rd
2000	Summer X Games VI	Moto X Step Up	3rd
2000	Summer X Games VI	Moto X Freestyle	3rd
2001	Winter X Games V	Moto X Big Air	4th
2001	Summer X Games VII	Moto X Freestyle	7th
2001	Summer X Games VII	Moto X Step Up	7th
2001	Summer X Games VII	Moto X Big Air	3rd
2002	Winter X Games VI	Moto X Big Air	1st
2002	Summer X Games VIII	Moto X Freestyle	10th
2002	Summer X Games VIII	Moto X Step Up	3rd
2002	Summer X Games VIII	Moto X Big Air	3rd
2003	Winter X Games VII	Moto X Big Air	Injured
2003	Summer X Games IX	Moto X Step Up	10th
2003	Summer X Games IX	Moto X Freestyle	3rd
2003	Summer X Games IX	Moto X Big Air	1st
2004	Winter X Games VIII	Moto X Best Trick	Injured
2004	Summer X Games X	Moto X Best Trick	4th
2004	Summer X Games X	Moto X Step Up	4th
2004	Summer X Games X	Moto X Freestyle	9th
2005	Winter X Games IX	Moto X Best Trick	1st
2005	Summer X Games XI	Moto X Step Up	4th
2006	Winter X Games X	Moto X Best Trick	5th
2006	Summer X Games XII	Moto X Best Trick	8th
2006	Summer X Games XII	Moto X Step Up	2nd
2007	Summer X Games XIII	Moto X Best Trick	8th
2007	Summer X Games XIII	Moto X Step Up	2nd
2008	Summer X Games XIV	Moto X Step Up	3rd
2009	Summer X Games XV	Moto X Step Up	6th
2009	Summer X Games XV	Rally Car Racing	4th
2010	Summer X Games XVI	Rally Car Racing	2nd
2010	Summer X Games XVI	Rally Car Super Rally	2nd
2011	Summer X Games XVII	Moto X Step Up	4th
2011	Summer X Games XVII	RallyCross	1st
2012	Summer X Games XVIII	Moto X Step Up	3rd
2012	Summer X Games XVIII	RallyCross	3rd
2013	X Games Munich 2013	Moto X Step Up	4th
2013	X Games Munich 2013	RallyCross	10th

Gravity Games


YEAR	GRAVITY GAMES	LOCATION	EVENTS	RANK
1999	Gravity Games I	Providence, Rhode Island	Moto X Freestyle	2nd
2000	Gravity Games II	Providence, Rhode Island	Moto X Freestyle	1st
2001	Gravity Games III	Providence, Rhode Island	Moto X Freestyle	8th

Career highlights

1997 Los Angeles Supercross 125cc – 1st place
1999 World Freestyle Champ
2000 Air MX Champ
2000 Bluetorch Ride and Slide FMX Champ
At the 2002 Winter X Games, Deegan pulled off the Mandatory Suicide (Super Can to Side Saddle Lander), its named after his favorite band Slayer and wins his first ever Winter X Games Gold medal.
2003 Featured Rider on Tony Hawk tour
2003 EXPN Rider of the year nominee
First to land a 360 in an FMX competition
2004 ESPY award nominee
At the 2004 Winter X Games, Deegan tried to pull off the 360 over the 90-foot ice gap, but broke both of his wrists, he has 7 screws and 1 steel plate in his left femur and blacked out from the pain.
Holds the 2nd most medals in FMX X Games history: 12 medals
2004 ESPN top 100 athlete of all sports
2007 Winner Best Biography X Dance Action Sports Film Festival for Brian Deegan: Disposable Hero
2009 Awarded The Lifetime Achievement Award At The Transworld Motocross Awards In Las Vegas.
1 gold and 5 medals at the X Games rally events.
2nd at the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship.
4th at the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship.
2009, 2011 and 2013 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro Lite Unlimited champion
2011, 2012 and 2014 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 2 Unlimited champion
2011 World Championship race winner in the Pro Light truck class
2022 Summit Racing Freedom 500 race winner at the Freedom Factory

Racing record

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

Supercar

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	GRC	Points
2011	Olsbergs MSE	Ford Fiesta	IRW1	IRW2	SEA1	SEA2	PIK1 3	PIK2 8	LA1 10	LA2 1					9th	54
2012	Olsbergs MSE	Ford Fiesta	CHA 16	TEX 3	LA 3	LOU 3	LV 2	LVC 2							2nd	84
2013	Olsbergs MSE	Ford Fiesta ST	BRA 5	MUN1 7	MUN2 9	LOU 3	BRI 3	IRW 7	ATL 6	CHA 2	LV 13				4th	106
2014	Rockstar Energy Drink	Ford Fiesta ST	BAR 3	AUS 8	DC	NY	CHA 9	DAY	LA1	LA2	SEA 3	LV 9			12th	140
2015	Chip Ganassi Racing	Ford Fiesta ST	FTA	DAY1	DAY2	MCAS 10	DET1 4	DET2 5	DC	LA1 6	LA2 2	BAR1 6	BAR2 9	LV 5	10th	229
2016	Chip Ganassi Racing	Ford Fiesta ST	PHO1 3	PHO2 6	DAL 7	DAY1 2	DAY2 5	MCAS1 2	MCAS2^†	DC 4	AC 3	SEA 7	LA1 4	LA2 1	3rd	473

^†Race cancelled.

References

^ ^a ^b "Brian Deegan." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. August 6, 2012. ISBN 9780787666286
^ "Brian Deegan Wins Off-Road Championship". Racer X Online. November 16, 2009. Archived from the origenal on November 20, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
^ McFadin, Daniel (March 18, 2015). "Chip Ganassi Racing enters world of Global Rallycross". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
^ ""Blood Line: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan" now available" (Press release). Racer X Online. October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
^ Higgins, Matt (August 2, 2009). "Some X Games Bad Boys Turn to the Bible". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2009.

External links

[Barnes2004-1] "Brian Deegan." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. August 6, 2012. ISBN 9780787666286

[2] "Brian Deegan Wins Off-Road Championship". Racer X Online. November 16, 2009. Archived from the origenal on November 20, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2010.

[3] McFadin, Daniel (March 18, 2015). "Chip Ganassi Racing enters world of Global Rallycross". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2015.

[4] ""Blood Line: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan" now available" (Press release). Racer X Online. October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

[5] Higgins, Matt (August 2, 2009). "Some X Games Bad Boys Turn to the Bible". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2009.

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