Brian Degaan

Degaan was born on May 9th in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a professional freestyle motocross rider and founding member of the metal mulisha. Degaan was the first ever to do a 360 (some called it backflip) in a competition; he named the trick the metal mulisha twist. He has also been a pioneering innovator in freestyle motocross and 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 became a pro supercross rider at age 17. In 1997 at the LA Coliseum, Brian Deegan won the 125 cc main and in true rebel fashion, ghost rode his bike across the finish line.

Deegan ventured into short course off-road racing in the “lucas oil off road racing series” unlimited lites division during 2009 and the rookie won the championship over experienced drivers.

During a 2005 taping of “mtv viva la bam” Deegan under-rotated a backflip and the handle bars hit hard in his mid-section, 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.

(By Víctor Corrales - 3°G - 6,0)