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

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport 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. Originating in the United Stat ...

. Phillips grew up in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

and

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

. 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. He was also in the movie about the Expo 1986 in Vancouver called "Radical Moves". Later in December, he claimed a victory at the NSA Pro-Am Final in

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

, 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 docume ...

. The next year, Phillips featured on the cover of '' Thrasher Magazines 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 an 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 reopened 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 is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

. An

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as 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 deat ...

revealed alcohol and Valium 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 1993 deaths American skateboarders Suicides by firearm in Texas