SKATEBOARDING IN THE 80'S: THE BONES BRIGADE / POWELL PERALTA

[D. MARQUIS]

Photo Courtesy of The Easy Rider

I wanted to shine some light on a much overlooked Action Sport that got really big in the 80's-mostly due to an extremely talented and Creative Team of Skateboarders who dubbed themselves:
"The Bones Brigade". This Crew would go on to cement their legacies in the world of Skateboarding like no others- and are still held as some of the best in the
world.

                     Stacy Peralta -Circa 1970's -Photo from Pinterest

Stacy Peralta- a Skateboarding Icon who reigned in the 1970's was famously known for his thrilling downhill maneuvers at high speeds. As his career slowed down, he'd team up with George Powell of Powell Skateboards to create Powell Peralta- one of the most famous Skateboard Companies ever created. Stacy was determined to build a great competitive team and he beyond exceeded that with his hand picked athletes that would go on to dominate in every tournament they competed in.

Tony Hawk, Mike Mcgill, Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, and Tommy Guerrero - each contributed a unique style that fans would gravitate to and come to love.

TONY HAWK

Photo Courtesy of Know your Meme

Easily the most famous Professional Skater on the planet, Tony was the first member Stacy Peralta chose to be on the team. After watching him in his competitions- he saw "The Fire in his Eyes". Tony's determination to be the best developed quickly as he became "A Master of Tricks".

STEVE CABALLERO

                                Photo Courtesy of Acclaim Magazine

The Smallest Member of the Brigade was a fresh mix of Street and Vert ( Vertical or Ramp Skating) who was a threat in any competition, originally questioned Peralta as to why he was originally picked for the team after placing 5th in a competition Peralta first saw him in. It proved to be a great gamble. Caballero developed quickly and created a number of tricks that always got the fans going.

MIKE MCGILL

                          Photo Courtesy of Mike McGill Twitter

I always thought of McGill as "The Quiet" Member of The Bones Brigade- that is until he came up with one of the most dangerous and beautiful Skateboarding Tricks ever "The Mc Twist". Mike skates with a smooth aggressive style that's fun to watch.

LANCE MOUNTAIN
Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

Lance, probably the most under-rated skaters of the Bones Brigade, showed that you don't have to be a master of tricks to enjoy the sport. He was definitely the most outspoken and probably the craziest member that provided "Comic Relief" to The
Brigade, but was / is extremely passionate about skateboarding.

RODNEY MULLEN
            Photo courtesy of Pinterest

The Members of The Brigade again, brought very specific and unique skate talents to the team, however, Rodney Mullen was the team member who although the most introverted had a skill set unlike any other skater ever seen at the time. He was a freestyle skater

TOMMY GUERERRO
Photo courtesy of The Chrome Ball Incident

Tommy was the Brigade's Street Skater who took pride in carving up any obstacle in his path skating in the streets. He made it look totally easy and would rip curbs, walls, hills, curves, all that was in his way.

The video below will give you idea of how amazing these guys were. (From "The Search for Animal Chin")

A LASTING BOND THROUGH THE LOVE OF SKATEBOARDING

Photo courtesy of Powell Peralta

The Bones Brigade both together and separately have permanently etched their legacies forever in the hearts of their fans and inspired countless thousands of skaters who would follow in their footsteps to skate. This group of Dudes in my opinion couldn't have had a better Mentor than Stacey Peralta. He sought them out when they were young kids and saw the greatness in them. He encouraged them, pushed them, and they trusted him to help them develop into the Amazing skaters they all would become. They would all grow into Men with visions like their Mentor- forming companies that would continue to impact the Skateboard Industry to this day.
Photo courtesy of IMDB

Stacey had such a great vision about this team so long ago that he filmed all aspects of these young athletes growing up and skating through the years. He put together a phenomenal documentary of The Bones Brigade that I highly recommend you check out.
He masterfully narrates the story of how he put the team together, and their paths to greatness.
Watch it below.


No matter how you feel about skaters or skateboarding, these guys tapped into their genius and took the sport to levels unimagined from tricks to Professional sponsorships that made them tons of money-but most importantly LEGACY. This crew was totally awesome and they are still skating and ripping it up today.

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