Rodney Mullen

Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen Scarewalk 1988
Internet Links
Links
Profile
Native Name	John Rodney Mullen
Nickname	Mutt
Division	Pro
Nationality	American
Location	Redondo Beach, CA, USA
Stance	Regular
Pushing Method	Regular Push
Company	Almost Skateboards Tensor Trucks World Industries
Born	(1966-08-17) Template:MONTHNAME 1966
Skating Since	(1977-01-01) Template:MONTHNAME 1, 1977
Deck Models	Rodney Mullen Decks
Tricks Invented	Impossible Ollie Impossible Saran Wrap
Books Authored	The Mutt Book
Sponsors	Independent Powell Peralta Tensor Trucks Walker Skateboards
Awards	Inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2013

Bio

Rodney Mullen won his first world skateboard championship at the age of 14; over the following decade, he won 34 out of 35 freestyle contests, thus establishing the most successful competitive run in the history of the sport. Over the following years, he turned from freestyle, translating his accumulated skills to a newer, different form of skateboarding. He is widely considered the most influential street-skater in the history of the sport, having invented many— if not most— of the tricks used today, including the street Ollie, kick-flip, 360-flip, Impossible, etc. As a consequence, Rodney was deemed “Godfather of modern street skating” in the Tony Hawk video game series, which featured his character over a span of about 8 years.

Publications: In 2004, Regan Books published his autobiography, co-written with Sean Mortimer. In their December 2006 issue, Los Angeles Magazine included him among their top 100 most influential people. In 2011, Cole Louison wrote The Impossible, a book on skateboarding as a whole, largely from the perspective of Mullen’s influence. Most recently, Rodney’s board was inducted into the Smithsonian– where he was chosen for a Professional Fellowship– and subsequently inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame. He is also featured in the Sundance acclaimed documentary, Bones Brigade, An Autobiography.

Beyond Skating: Mullen studied math and engineering at the University of Florida before co-founding World Industries, the largest skate company in the 90’s, which eventually was acquired by Globe Shoes, traded publicly on the ASX. He continues to skate and design, having earned his second patent for a board and truck design, just this year. His skating background combined with his more analytic interests have also opened the door to the TED community, giving talks at two TEDx’s as well as other similar— often tech— forums, such as PopTech, Foo Camp, etc.

Signature Decks

Almost Rodney Mullen Freestyle Mutt R7 Deck

Capital Mullen Freestyle Throwback Deck

Decomposed Rodney Mullen 10th Anniversary Deck

Decomposed Rodney Mullen Chess Piece Deck

Decomposed Rodney Mullen Chess Piece Limited Edition Deck

Decomposed Rodney Mullen Chess Piece Single Kick Deck

Decomposed Rodney Mullen Double Skeleton Deck

Enjoi Rodney Mullen Freestyle Deck

Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen Chess Re-Issue Deck

Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen Mutt Re-Issue Deck

World Industries Rodney Mullen Dog Food Deck

World Industries Rodney Mullen Pooh Bear Deck

Tricks Invented

• Flatground Ollie
• Godzilla Railflip
• 540 Shove-It
• 50-50 Saran Wrap
• Helipops (360 Nollie)
• Gazelles
• No Handed 50-50 Kickflip
• Heelflip
• Double Heelflip
• Ollie Impossible
• Sidewinder
• 360 Flip
• 360 pressure Flip
• Casper 360 Flip
• 50-50 Sidewinder
• One footed Ollie
• Backside 180 Flip
• Ollie Nosebones
• Ollie Fingerflip
• Airwalks
• Frontside Heelflip Shove-its
• Switchstance 360 Flip
• Helipop Heelflip
• Kickflip Underflip
• Casper Slide
• Half Flip Darkslide
• 540 double kickflip
• Caballerial impossible
• Half-cab kickflip underflip
• Handstand flips
• Rusty slides
• Kickflip

Photo Gallery

• 

  Fingerflip

• 

  Mullen Christmas ornament, circa 2015

• 

  Advertisement for the original Mutt deck from the November 1981 Thrasher Magazine.

Further Reading

• "The Mutt: How to Skateboard and not Kill Yourself." By Rodney Mullen (2005), Regan Books