NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the most daring and hyped stunt ever attempted by the greatest daredevil to ever live.
But a few months before his infamous (and failed) attempt to leap the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, Evel Knievel made a stop in North Texas to hype up that jump and perform another record-setting motorcycle flight.
In February of 1974, plenty of fanfare surrounded Knievel’s arrival to Dallas aboard his private jet emblazoned with his name across the fuselage. One of the many media members present asked him why a person would tempt fate with the motorcycle jumps he was attempting.
“I do them because I am Evel Knievel. What you are asking is the question ‘Why?’ The three mysteries of life are where we came from, why we do the things we do and where we are going. Nobody knows the answer to those questions, and I do not know either.”
Later at a press conference to discuss the physics and challenges of the Snake River Canyon jump, Knievel offered a unique perspective on the possibility his unbridled bravery might lead to his untimely death.
“If I make it, I’ll grab a fistful of dirt and thank God I am alive,” he said. “If I die, I will just get somewhere where you are going quicker and I will wait for you.”
First things first, Knievel had a warmup jump to perform at the Green Valley Race Track in North Richland Hills. On February 17, 1974, legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell, Dallas Cowboy great “Dandy” Don Meredith and ABC’s Wide World of Sports were on onsite with 30,000 fans to televise Knievel’s jump over 11 Mack trucks, a personal best.
When it came time to fly, Knievel had no problem clearing the trucks with plenty of room to spare but still ended up in a hospital the following day because of a rough landing.
“I’ve broken my back 2-3 times,” Knievel told WFAA in a bedside interview now archived at SMU’s Jones Film Library. “When I landed, it knocked my feet off and I knew I’d broken my back.”
But even though doctors told him to take the next two months off, he vowed to be back on the bike within 30 days and back on the golf course within two weeks.
He even had plans for that very night.
“Since it is my last night in Dallas, if I am feeling better by 8 or 9, I might go out on the town.”
On September 8, 1974, Knievel’s jump across the Snake River Canyon was unsuccessful due to a parachute malfunction on his Skycycle X-2 but he escaped with only minor injuries.
Check out previous WFAA REWINDs:
