Jeff Phillips (June 11, 1963 – December 25, 1993) was an American professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...

. Phillips grew up in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

and started skateboarding at 10 years old. In 1973, his grandmother Annice gave him a Shark skateboard with steel wheels. Jeff and his father, Charles, crafted skateboards at home out of scraps of

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and

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. As a teenager he frequented “Wizard Skateboard Park” in Garland and then a few years later “Skate Time” at Bachman Lake, in Dallas featuring the infamous “Blue Ramp/Clown Ramp”. Phillips won his first contest as a sponsored amateur in July 1982 at the Kona/Variflex Summer Nationals. In March 1986, Phillips placed third at the opening NSA Pro-Am event in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Later in December, he claimed a victory at the NSA Pro-Am Final in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, defeating competition favorite

Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...

. The next year, Phillips featured on the cover of ''

Thrasher Magazine ''Thrasher'' is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also ...

s March 1987 issue. During his career, Phillips featured in magazine adverts for such brands as Sims Skateboards, G&S and Tracker Trucks. Phillips popularized the skateboarding trick that he called the 'Phillips 66'. The trick was adapted from the Fakie 360 invert, which Phillips credited to Shawn Peddie. In the late 1980s, as Phillips' career as a competitive sponsored skater was winding down, he bought his own indoor skateboard park and named it 'The Jeff Phillips Skateboard Park'. Phillips ran the park with fellow Zorlac skater Billy Smith. However, by 1993 the park had developed financial difficulties which led Phillips to consider selling it. The park stayed closed for several months after Phillips' death until Charles Kieser, an in-line skater who had known Jeff, rented and renovated the park, recovered some of the old ramps and re-opened in April 1994 as Rapid Revolutions.

Death

On Christmas Day, 1993, Phillips' family members became concerned when he did not appear at his parents' house as previously planned. Later in the afternoon, Phillips' friend and neighbor, Judy Walgren, discovered Phillips slumped over on his bed with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a .357 Magnum

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

. An

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

revealed alcohol and

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in Phillips' body. Phillips was buried at Restland Memorial Park with locks of his friends' hair and the last skateboard he rode.

References

External links

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1986 Interview; Society Menace Zine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Jeff 1963 births 1993 suicides American skateboarders Suicides by firearm in Texas