Fittingly inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame the same year as his former Powell-Peralta teammate and fellow Floridian, Alan Gelfand, Rodney would be more than worthy of this honor for his adaptation of Gelfand’s vertical ollie to flatground alone. When Rodney innovated the freestyle ollie pop on flat ground in 1982, it became the single most influential trick in skateboard history—the cataclysm for an entirely new dimension to the sport, which literally got skateboarding off the ground—then later up on curbs, over benches, and onto handrails. Most amazingly, however, for Rodney, this milestone accomplishment was only one of probably hundreds of other equally pivotal innovations he contributed between 1982 up through 1990 that would ultimately become the very building blocks of street skating.
The magic flip in ’83 would become the kickflip, the helipop around that same time would open the door to nollies (popping the board off the nose). The 360 flip would come a few years later, along with the Ollie impossible, the heelflip, backside flip, double flip, Ollie grabs, dark slides, and onward ad infinitum. Rodney Mullen essentially built modern skateboarding from the ground up then passed on his creations for the entire world to continue evolving. A humble genius, Mullen’s creative vision and legendary self-discipline are only surpassed by his passion and love for the sport. Following his rise with Powell-Peralta, Rodney also proved a key player in the industry shake-up of the early ’90s when he co-founded World Industries with Steve Rocco. Since then, he has spawned a host of brands, ranging from his patented Tensor Trucks to almost.
