What Was Dave Mirra's Net Worth?
Dave Mirra was an American BMX rider, rally car driver, and businessman who had a net worth of $15 million at the time of his death in 2016. At one point during his career, Dave Mirra held the record for winning the highest number of X Games medals, but his record was broken by skateboarder Bob Burnquist in 2013. Dave also held the honor of medaling in each X Games from 1995 to 2009, minus 2006 (due to injury).
Over the course of his BMX career, Mirra won 14 gold medals, six silver medals, and four bronze medals at the Summer X Games. He was sponsored by Haro bikes for many years, and he eventually started his own bike company, MirraCo, in 2007. Dave hosted the MTV series "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" from 2004 to 2005, and he guest-starred on "Las Vegas" and "George Lopez" in 2004. Mirra was featured in multiple video games, including the "Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX" series, and he appeared on television shows such as "The New Tom Green Show," "Punk'd," "Late Show with David Letterman," and "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory." He had sponsorship deals with GT Bicycles, Recarco, Monster Energy, Nike, Puma, Maxxis Tires, Bell helmets, Subaru, and Snafu, and he was noted for riding a gold plated bicycle in the 2005 X Games that was reportedly worth $7500.
After retiring from BMX riding in 2011, Dave took up rallycross racing. Mirra won an ESPY Award for Best Male Action Sports Athlete in 2005, and he was posthumously inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame in 2016. Tragically, Dave died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 4, 2016, at the age of 41.
Early Life
Dave Mirra was born David Michael Mirra on April 4, 1974, in Chittenango, New York. Dave was a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. After his brother, Tim, enrolled at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, in the '90s, Dave moved to the city as well. Tim's roommate was Ryan Nyquist, a professional BMX rider who went on to win more than a dozen medals (four of them gold) at the Summer X Games. Mirra and Nyquist became friends and began building ramps together. Greenville eventually became the home of more than 20 professional BMX riders, earning it the nickname "Protown" among the BMX community.
Career
In 1987, 13-year-old Dave became a member of the Haro Bikes BMX team, and the following year, he was featured in videos by producers Plywood Hoods. In 1989, he entered into a sponsorship with Vision Street Wear, and in the '90s, he was sponsored by GT Bicycles, followed by Hoffman Bikes, and a return to Haro Bikes. In 1992, Mirra turned professional. He won a silver medal in the BMX Vert at the 1995 Summer X Games, and he won his first gold medal in the BMX Park in 1996. That year he also won a silver medal in the BMX Vert. In 1997, 1998, and 1999, he won gold medals in the BMX Park and BMX Vert, and he also took home a gold medal in the BMX Vert Doubles in 1998. In 1999, he won a gold medal in the BMX Park at the Gravity Games as well. At the 2000 X Games, Dave won a gold medal in the BMX Park and a silver medal in the BMX Vert, and in 2001 and 2002, he won gold medals in the BMX Vert. In 2003, he won a silver medal in the BMX Vert and a bronze medal in the BMX Park, then he returned to winning gold medals in 2004, for both the BMX Park and BMX Vert. Mirra won a gold medal in the BMX Park and a silver medal in the BMX Vert – Best Trick at the 2005 X Games, and in 2006, he had to sit the games out due to suffering an injury during a practice run.
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Dave returned to the X Games in 2007, winning a bronze medal in the BMX Park, then he won a silver medal in the BMX Big Air and a bronze medal in RCR Racing in 2008 and a bronze medal in the BMX Big Air in 2009. In 2011, Mirra retired from BMX riding. From 2008 to 2013, he was a member of the Subaru Rally Team USA, and at the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship, he finished in fourth place, a career best. He also took part in Ironman competitions, and he participated in his first triathlon in 2013 and qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2014. In 2003, he published the book "Mirra Images," which "captures all of Dave's most daring and explosive tricks — carving flairs, wallride-to-tailwhips, and his record-setting nineteen-foot air — in stunning color." In 2004, Mirra was named one of "People" magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors." In the mid-2000s, he entered into an endorsement deal with DC Shoes after he left Adidas, and he launched his own bike company, MirraCo, in 2007.
Personal Life
Dave married Lauren Blackwell on February 18, 2006, and they remained together until his death in 2016. The couple welcomed two daughters together, Madison and Mackenzie. In March 2010, Mirra became ill with bacterial meningitis, and he fully recovered before he returned to rally racing.
Death
Dave Mirra died of a gunshot wound to the head on February 4, 2016. He was 41 at the time of his death, and police reportedly found him "sitting in a truck with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."
Greenville Mayor Allen M. Thomas released a statement about Dave's death, writing:
"We mourn the loss today of a great friend and wonderful human being who touched the lives of so many around the world with his gift. He called Greenville, North Carolina, home and was as humble a guy talking with kids on a street corner about bikes as he was in his element on the world stage."
After his death, it was discovered that Mirra had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He had suffered several concussions during his career, and at the age of 19, his skull was fractured when he was struck by a car. Dave was the first action sports star to receive a CTE diagnosis. Mirra's widow has supported numerous charities in Dave's memory, such as the Road 2 Recovery Foundation and CTE research organizations. In 2019, it was announced that Greenville city officials were working on a plan to "create an action sports park to bolster local BMX and skateboarding communities, increase tourism and honor the legacy of Dave Mirra."
