David Michael Mirra was an American BMX rider who later competed in rallycross racing. Mirra held the record for most X Games medals in BMX Freestyle, and medalled in every X Games from when they started in 1995 up to 2009. As a BMX rider, he was known primarily as a vert ramp and park rider. He had also competed for several years with the Subaru Rally Team USA as a rallycross driver. He rode and was sponsored by Haro Bikes from the mid 1990s until starting his own bike company. Mirra was a member of the team which won the 2014 Race Across America four-person male category. Mirra died by suicide on February 4, 2016. He was inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016.
While still living in Chittenango, Mirra joined the Haro Bikes BMX team in 1987, at the age of 13. Video producers Plywood Hoods featured him in their videos in 1988. Mirra gained a sponsorship from Vision Street Wear in 1989. He was also sponsored by GT Bicycles through 1991, and then joined Hoffman Bikes in 1992 before re-signing with Haro in 1994. Mirra turned professional in 1992. He won a medal at the X Games in every year from 1995 through 2009, with the exception of 2006. He won 24 medals at the X Games which stood as a record until 2013. He tied Tony Hawk and Joe Parsons as the fastest to reach 14 X Games medals. In 2005, Mirra won the Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award. His 14 gold medals are second-most to Shaun White. He retired from BMX riding in 2011. From 2008 through 2013, Mirra competed in rallying and rallycross as a member of Subaru Rally Team USA. He had a career-best fourth-place finish during the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship. Mirra became interested in Ironman competitions, competing in his first triathlon in March 2013. He qualified for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Mirra's success took him to numerous outlets besides riding his bike, such as hosting two seasons of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He is featured in the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMXvideo game series and more recently appeared in the 2009 video game . He published a photo-biography titled "Mirra Images", and was once one of People Magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors". In the mid 2000s, Mirra signed an endorsement deal with DC Shoes. In 2007, Mirra started his own bike company, called MirraCo.
Video games
Mirra worked with Acclaim Max Sports to produce the video games Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, released in 2000, and Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, released in 2001. Mirra featured as the game's lead character, along with other professional riders of the era. He also appeared as one of the celebrity racers in ''Codemasters game ', released in 2009.
Mirra and his wife, Lauren, had two daughters. Mirra contracted bacterial meningitis in 2010. He recovered before resuming rallying. On February 4, 2016, Mirra died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Greenville, North Carolina. Authorities responded to a reported suicide and discovered his body inside his black Ford F-150. He had reportedly been visiting friends in the area. Allen Thomas, the mayor of Greenville, called Mirra "a great friend and wonderful human being". Mirra was two months short of his 42nd birthday. Mirra was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In addition to the "countless" concussions he suffered during his career, his skull was fractured when he was hit by a car at 19 years old and he took up boxing after retirement. He became the first action sports star to be diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. Mirra's wife chose to support several charitable causes in her late husband's memory including CTE research, , and . City officials in Greenville, North Carolina are working on plans to create an action sports park to honor Mirra's legacy. The first phase would include the skate and BMX facilities and parking, restroom and concession facilities.
