2016 BMX Hall of Fame Inductees announced

Filed under General on April 16, 2016 | Comment(s)

It's slated to be one of the biggest days for BMX in 2016: On Saturday night, June 11th in Chula Vista, Ca., the National Hall of Fame will induct six new legends of the sport into the famed hall.  All of this will take place just hours after the U.S. BMX Olympic Trials where the second U.S. Athlete to represent the United States will be decided!

Please join us in welcoming the following six inductees in to the BMX HoF Class of 2016: 

PIONEER RACER: LEE MEDLIN

Known to the BMX world as Pedalin’ Lee Medlin, this year's Pioneer inductee began his BMX quest at the world famous Corona Raceway downhill track and quickly became one of the riders to beat in his class. From the age of 13 to 18, Medlin was a Nationally-ranked Top-3 Am in the NBA and multi-time Grands Champion. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was doubling at the Jag BMX World Championships in 1981 - winning both 16x and the 14 over Trophy Dash. When he turned Pro in 1983 - now riding for Kuwahara, Lee would be considered a contender for "Rookie Pro of the Year." As one of the original members of the GT Factory team, "Pedalin' Medlin" inspired many a BMX racer and motivated his competition to up the their game.

In mid-80's BMX, you either stepped up to Lee's level - or got left behind. 

RACER: TERRY TENETTE

INDUSTRY: JIM ALLEY 

As a big fan of anything that goes fast, Jim Alley founded Profile Racing in 1968 - originally as a race car chassis shop. But by 1978, Jim's kids had began racing BMX and his venture into the bicycle industry was born. Having a background in auto racing, and being familiar with chromoly fabrication and lightweight aluminum components, it was inevitable that Jim the "BMX Dad" could improve on the current BMX products on the market. In 1980, Jim designed Profile's first 3-piece chromoly tubular crank set with a 48 spline spindle  - which is now the industry standard. Coming from the race-car world, Alley knew that he needed a Factory Team consisting of some of the finest nationally ranked riders in the country, to ride, test and represent his products. He would go on to sponsor such superstars as Eric Rupe, Shelby James and Jud Ciancio, to name just a few.

Amazingly, Profile - under Jim's guidance, has continued to manufacture all of their product line in-house in the U.S.A. - 100% American made in St. Petersburg, Florida, still to this day. In the early 90’s, Profile was responsible for bringing cassette hubs to the forefront of the BMX market; again, an industry standard.
Jim is still heavily involved in R&D and design of Profile products with the Elite line being their highest end product. ..and he still welds every pair of Elite cranks.

FREESTYLER: DENNIS McCOY

Few riders can claim to have had such an influence on every discipline and aspect of the modern freestyle scene, as Dennis “DMC” McCoy. Having honed his skills riding with his BMX Brigade on the streets of Kansas City in the early 80's, he joined Haro Bikes as their first non-Californian recruit in 1984. After winning 4 consecutive AFA Masters events as an amateur in 1985, McCoy turned pro in March of 1986. He won the Overall at his debut pro event and finished the year ranked #1 in the Pro Overall and Pro Flatland categories. 

Beginning with his rookie pro season in 1986, until the Overall category was eliminated at the end of the 1995 BS Series season, DMC was the top ranked overall rider for an entire decade (pun intended). McCoy is the only rider to hold pro championship titles in every Freestyle BMX discipline. Along with several BS belts, his varied championship titles include the 1990 2-Hip Meet the Street, 1992 ABA King of Dirt and 1995 King of Concrete, and 10 X Games medals (six in the U.S. and four International). Recognition wise, McCoy has won NORA Cups and BMX Plus! Freestyler of the Year awards.

Of Dennis' many accomplishments, perhaps the most incredible one of all is his undisputed longevity. This year marks his 31st consecutive year competing professionally in major BMX events - giving DMC the longest competitive career in freestyle history.  

FREESTYLER: DAVE MIRRA

In February of this year, the sport of BMX lost a true legend. It is safe to say that no BMXer has ever reached the recognition, fame and notoriety that Dave Mirra has. Up until 2013, the Miracle Boy held the record for most X Games medals - having medaled in every X Games from the first one in 1995, up to 2009. To say that Mirra took freestyle riding to a skyscraper-height level would merely be an understatement. Totaling an incredible 24 X Games medals, he is tied with Tony Hawk in reaching the first 14 medals the fastest. From winning an ESPY Award for Best Male Action Sports athlete to being named one of People Magazine's 50 Hottest Bachelors, to hosting M-TV's Real World / Road Rules Challenge and being featured in the popular video game Dave Mirra Freestyle, he truly became a household name - and put our great sport in a limelight never before achieved.

When Mirra moved to Greenville, North Carolina - building the ultimate riding compound, and bringing many of the sport's top athletes with him, the city became known as "Pro Town." In 2007, he chose to break out on his own and start his own bike brand - MirraCo, and following his BMX retirement went on to race Rally cars for Subaru.

Although his is a life that was ended way too short, there is no doubt that Dave's accomplishments and contributions to BMX, and his legacy, will live on in infamy. 

WOMAN: MICHELLE CAIRNS

The last time an American woman won the UCI World Championships in BMX racing was in 1997 - nearly twenty years ago!  ...and that American winner of the rainbow-striped World Champion jersey was Florida's Michelle Cairns. 

For Michelle Cairns, it capped off what would be one of the most incredible BMX resume's held by a female BMX racer. One that would include multiple No.1 plates and titles - such as eight consecutive NBL National Amateur No.1 plates and two amateur World Championships. In fact, Cairns is the only woman to win all three major titles in BMX - in NBL, UCI and ABA.

She has been NBL No.1 Pro Woman ( 3-times - 1993, 1997 and 1998), a UCI Elite Women's World Championship (1997), and ABA's No.1 Woman Pro title in 1999.

Since that victorious day in 1997, in the bitter cold of Saskatoon, Canada - America's fastest women have come close to re-claiming that long-forgotten Worlds title, but have yet to accomplish what Michelle Cairns was capable of. She set the bar, and she set it very high.  

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

The 32nd Annual Induction Ceremony of the National BMX Hall of Fame will be held Saturday evening - June 11th on site at the Olympic Training Center, 2800 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista, CA 91915. The event will take place near the US Olympic "Eternal Flame", following the much anticipated U.S. Olympic Trials race (held on the Rio-replica course). The U.S. OTC is home of the National BMX Hall of Fame Museum. Both events will be ticketed, with nearly 400 people expected to attend the Hall of Fame induction dinner. 

HOF Induction Ceremony and Dinner Ticket

NOTE: The traditional silent auction has been moved to the USA BMX Grands in November.