Tony Hawk

TONY HAWK wasn't around in 1964 when Jan & Dean were singing about "Sidewalk Surfin'," and by the time he was born four years later, the skateboard boom had busted. But when the second wave hit in the '70s, Hawk was ready, and since then he's been riding it like no one else. Hawk has three sons -- Riley, 12; Spencer, 6; and Keegan, 4 -- and a fiancee, Lhotse Merriam, whom he's marrying in January.

Skateboarding legend and millionaire businessman Tony Hawk has soared high and landed hard for years. Nothing has intimidated him -- until now. Hawk, who has three sons, and wife Lhotse are proud parents of a daughter, Kadence Clover, who was born June 30. Said Hawk to Success magazine: "With three sons, I know what they like and how to make them laugh. It's a bit scary and exciting to have a daughter. I'm actually looking forward to hosting a tea party with her.

At 40, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk is still living the adolescent dream -- pulling tricks on his board and making video games. Hawk is working on his 10th game, Adrenaline, due out next fall from Activision. The Tony Hawk video game series is one of the most popular franchises in the industry, having sold several million copies and generated more than $1 billion in sales since the line was introduced in 1999.

Skateboard icon Tony Hawk has signed an exclusive deal with Kohl's Corp. to sell footwear under his brand through the mid-level retailer. Hawk will begin selling his shoes at Kohl's 800-some stores and its website this month, the company was set to announce today. The fashion and skate shoes will be targeted to young men and boys. Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Kohl's plans to price the Hawk line at about $40 a pair.

Simple and elegant, instead of complex and convoluted, Skate shows us how all skateboarding games should be controlled. Watch out Tony Hawk, there's a new king of the kickflip. For as long as there have been game systems, there have been Tony Hawk skateboarding games. As they aged, each required more complicated button sequences to be followed to get your skater to pull off the requisite tricks.

He may be a college dropout, but Bobby Kotick could never be accused of being a slacker. From his days at the University of Michigan, where he founded a software company in his dorm room, Kotick has had a knack for spotting promising trends and making risky bets that have paid off. Sunday's proposed sale of a controlling stake in Activision Inc., the video game company he runs, to the French water company Vivendi could be his biggest score yet.

He's a video game star, radio show host, ringleader of a traveling show. There's roller coasters and phones bearing his name, a clothing line and watches at Kohl's, drapes and bed linens at Target. He runs a charitable organization and a film production company, has a corporate office in Southern California. He has appeared on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, posed for the cover of MAD Kids magazine, given big for Oprah, proven he's not smarter than a fifth-grader. He is Tony Hawk, master marketer, action sports mogul, iconic figure in the same league as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Sidewalk surfers might nominate skateboarding as America's favorite pastime, but while nearly every town has its ball field, free public skateparks are few and far between. Los Angeles, the birthplace of skateboarding, has scant few at present--but that state of affairs is going to change if champion boarder, video game impresario, endorsement star and skateboarding ambassador Tony Hawk has a say in the matter.

Tony Hawk gave the X Games a parting gift Sunday, something to remember him via the highlight reel. The Babe Ruth of skateboarding waited until the final seconds of his last competition to hit one out of the park -- becoming the first person in the sport's history to nail a 900-degree spin within official time of the vert best trick final at Staples Center. Hawk is the only person to successfully perform a 900.