Mat "Condor" Hoffman
Age: 33
DOB: 1/9/1972
Birthplace/Residence: Edmond, OK
Ht./ Wt.: 6'/160lbs.

Anywhere you go within the Freestyle BMX scene, the name Mat Hoffman is bound to come up. In fact, Hoffman's reputation stretches beyond the bicycle stunt world and into the mainstream. He is, without question, the greatest Vert-ramp rider in the history of the sport.

Hoffman's enthusiasm for the sport is a direct reflection of his enthusiasm for life. "If you want to experience all of the successes and pleasure in life, you have to be willing to accept all the pain and failure that comes with it," he said. "I don't want to hold myself back from anything life has to offer. I want to experience all life has to offer."

Hoffman entered the Freestyle BMX circuit as an amateur at the age of 13. After quickly rising to the top of the amateur class within three years, Hoffman leapt to the pro ranks. At age 16, he was the youngest pro the sport had ever seen. An article in Ride magazine wrote, "What's left to say about a guy who ignored all established limits and redefined vert riding - at age 15?"

With a resume that includes taking his bike base-jumping off 3,500-foot Norwegian cliffs and clearing 26.5 feet above a 24-foot-tall vert quarter pipe (more than 50 feet above the ground and exceeding the world record of 15-feet, for which the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records recognized Hoffman as the High Air World Record holder for a BMX bike.), Hoffman is a true innovator, defining the sport with the invention of more than 100 revolutionary tricks like the 900; Flip faki (backflip which includes landing backwards); and Flair (backflip with a 180 degree turn) - to name a few.

Hoffman's unparalleled accomplishments as a rider are equaled by his success in the business world. By 1991, Hoffman had already surpassed amateur rank, seized the pro division and brought the sport to new heights never thought possible, inventing the majority of the Vert tricks today. Frustrated at having someone else in the driver's seat of his career, Hoffman left his primary sponsor and began his own promotion company: Hoffman Promotions. He assembled a team of the best Freestyle bike riders and began organizing show tours such as the Sprocket Jockey Bicycle Stunt Team.

Hoffman pushed the limits on the design technology the bike industry offered at the time. He was going through bikes by the dozens. He needed a bike that could stand up to the rigorous pounding required in Freestyle riding and realized that he wasn't the only one. With ever-increasing ambition, Hoffman decided to design and build his own bike, thus creating his second business: Hoffman Bikes.

All of these experiences could easily fill a lifetime. For Mat Hoffman, however, it was all accomplished by the age of 20. Since then, he has been a key player in building the sport. He developed the Bicycle Stunt (BS) Series to give riders a place to compete and showcase their talents. The enormous success of the BS Series inevitably attracted the attention of ESPN, which joined forces with Hoffman Promotions in 1995 to produce and televise the series each year.

The growth of Hoffman Promotions gave birth to the Hoffman Sports Association (H.S.A.), which is the organizing body for Freestyle BMX events worldwide, such as ESPN's highly coveted X Games and all international X Games bicycle stunt events. Hoffman and his team were also selected to take part in the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., in a production called "Sport as Art." In 1999, H.S.A. developed Mat Hoffman's Crazy Freakin' Bikers Series (CFB), which provides amateur and professional Freestyle bikers a venue in which they can compete. Not only does the H.S.A. promote, organize and host the series, but it also produces all the television programming for the CFB Series, which is aired on ESPN2.

The H.S.A. organizes Freestyle BMX portions of annual U.S. and international events, including the X Games and all international X Games qualifiers. The year 2003 marked the 12th consecutive year of competition production for Hoffman Promotions.

Hoffman has produced, directed and hosted several television series for ESPN including "Kids in the Way," "HBtv," "Mat's World," a nine-episode segment on X-2day and, most recently, the CFB Series. Hoffman also created "Mat Hoffman's Crazy Freakin' Stunt Show" for Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, which debuted in April 2003 and will continue with the next run in Spring 2005. Ratings for the show have been of the highest in Universal's show history.

For the past four years, Hoffman has partnered with Activision to produce Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX video game and Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 video game - released in August 2002, in conjunction with the release of Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX2 Tour TV show, which aired on ESPN2 and is available on DVD and VHS.

And Hoffman is not stopping there. Recently he has been involved in a number of film projects: "Keep Your Eyes Open," produced by Tamra Davis and starring Spike Jonze; IMAX film "Ultimate X"; "Triple X," a Rob Cohen film, starring Vin Diesel; and "Jackass-The Movie." He also was the host of a series of behind-the-scenes segments for "Tomb Raider 2," which was released in June 2003, and will be on the cast of members for MTV's Trippin', hosted by Cameron Diaz in the Spring 2005.

In September 2002, he released his autobiography "The Ride of My Life," which was released with Regan/Harper Collins Publishers. The paperback version was released in September 2003 and a screenplay adaptation is in progress.

Despite numerous injuries and 15 operations, Hoffman continues to ever-challenge life. In 2001, Hoffman competed at the X Games, earning the Bronze Medal. In 2002, he stunned the industry and fans, alike, when he set another record by successfully completing the first-ever No-handed 900 at the 2002 X Games, resulting in the Silver Medal.

Hoffman participated in the highly successful Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam in 2002 and 2003 and is gearing up for the 2005 tour. For the year of 2004, Hoffman was exposed to more than 86 million people and 446 million households worldwide through his involvement in television, film, radio, print media and live audiences.

Only Hoffman knows what the future holds. As he said during his speech at the 2002 Action Sports and Music Awards, accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, "I feel like I'm just getting started. Here's to tomorrow."

Mat Hoffman's Business Relationships

Founder/Owner of Hoffman Bikes, Hoffman Sports Association/Hoffman Promotions and Hoffman Enterprises, Inc.

Hoffman Bikes is bicycle company, specializing in high-quality 20-inch BMX Freestyle bicycles and is highly regarded in the industry.

Hoffman Sports Association is the organizing body for action sports events worldwide.   Some properties organized by the H.S.A. are the BMX Freestyle competitions for all ESPN X Games events (worldwide) and Soul Bowl events – United States and England.

Hoffman Enterprises/Hoffman Promotions is responsible for the creation and organization of Mat Hoffman's Crazy Freakin' Stunt Show at Universal Studios Orlando, which is the highest rated show ever for Universal Studios theme park.   It runs three times a year, a total of 10 weeks, to a total live audience of over 1 million a year.

Personal Sponsors

Hoffman Bikes
Target
Right Guard
Jones Soda

Licensing Deals

Activision released two video games – Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX and Pro BMX2.   Contract is complete.

Spin Master Toys released an action hero line with figure and bike accessories in 1999-2001.   Contract is complete.

Released Autobiography through Harper Collins publishers in September 2002 and is currently working adapting to screenplay.

Organizations