Brian Deegan (rider)

Brian Deegan  (born May 9, 1974 ) is an American professional freestyle motocross rider, racing driver, and a founding member of the Metal Mulisha. Deegan was the first ever to do a 360 in competition; he named the trick the "Mulisha Twist". He is the most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history. With 10 total medals (3 Golds and 7 Bronzes), he is the only rider to compete in at least 1 event in every X Games; he later to be surpassed by Danny W. Tucker (13 Golds and 1 Silver). He became a born again Christian after a near fatal crash in 2005.

Racing career
Deegan was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He became a pro supercross rider with Team Moto XXX at age 17. In 1997 at the LA Coliseum, Brian Deegan won the 125cc main and in true rebel fashion, ghost rode his bike across the finish line. This was the beginning of what we know today as Freestyle Motocross.

In 2004, at the Winter X Games, Deegan crashed while attempting a 360 over a 100 ft snow double, breaking his femur and both wrists. He came back 6 months later to place fourth at the Summer X Games. Deegan was also the first rider ever to land a 360 (Mulisha Twist) in competition.

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, winning the championship over experienced drivers.

At the 2010 X Games, Deegan competed in the Rally Car Racing event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Deegan finished second behind Tanner Foust due to a wrong turn he made during the race. Brian also competed in Rally Car Super Rally where he also finished 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 competed at the Race of Champions. He also won the championships in the Pro Lite Unlimited and Pro 2 classes of the Lucas oil Off Road Racing Series.

In 2012, he debuted the Metal Mulisha Monster truck. Todd LeDuc officially debuted it at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas in January 2012. Deegan himself drove the truck in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field. He was scheduled to drive the truck at the Monster Jam World Finals 13, but injured himself in driving practice. Todd LeDuc replaced him. He also won his second championship in the Pro 2 class of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

Deegan raced an OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta at the Global RallyCross Championship, resulting 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.

Media appearances
During a 2005 taping of MTV's Viva La Bam Deegan under-rotated a back-flip and the handle bars hit hard 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. At the end of the episode when it originally aired, Bam dedicated it to Brian. The accident was cut out of the show.

Also during taping of the same show, Bam Margera's uncle, Don Vito, was forced by his nephew to lay down on the ground with the intention of Deegan and two others to jump over him, for what Margera and Deegan called the "Fatboy Jump World Record". Vito was held by the feet and arms by Margera and Raab Himself in order to restrain him. The bikers jumped over Vito, with Deegan narrowly missing him by less than a foot away, which startled Vito. That bit was featured in the show.

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 Faist, 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 is also working on a reality show for MTV. There is no scheduled air date yet.

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

Deegan was in the Xbox/Nintendo GameCube/PlayStation 2 video game Freekstyle.

Other ventures
In addition to supporting riders, the Metal Mulisha have a clothing line and other related merchandise. Deegan also has a toy line called Hevy Hitters distributed in retail locations such as Wal Mart. 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 he sometimes regrets selling it.

Personal life
Deegan's daughter, Hailie, also competed in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. She was a NASCAR Drive for Diversity member in 2016 and is a member of the 2017–18 NASCAR Next program. She currently drives the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing full time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and part time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

Career highlights

 * 1997 Los Angeles Supercross – 1st place
 * 1999 World Freestyle champ / Gravity Games Silver
 * 2000 Gravity Games Gold
 * 2000 Air MX Champ
 * 2000 Bluetorch Ride and Slide FMX Champ
 * 2001 Moto x Big Air – Silver
 * 2002 Winter X Games Gold
 * 2003 Featured Rider on Tony Hawk tour
 * 2003 Summer X-Games Gold
 * 2003 EXPN Rider of the year nominee
 * First to land a 360
 * 2004 ESPY award nominee
 * Hold the most medals in FMX X Games history: 10 medals
 * 2004 ESPN top 100 athlete of all sports
 * 2005 Winter X Games Gold Medalist
 * 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

Supercar
†Race cancelled.