LIsa Boothe
John Rodney Mullens is an American professional skateboarder who specializes in freestyle and street skating. Mullen also owns and invests in the skateboarding company Almost Skateboards. He is also a public speaker and an influencer.
Rodney Mullen | Early Life & Education
Rodney Mullen was born on August 17, 1966, in Gainesville, Florida. His father, John Mullen, and mother, Anna P.Mullen, gave birth to him.
Mullen’s mother was a pianist, and his father was a dentist who wished for him to follow in his footsteps.
Mullen was devastated when he chose sports because he believed it was not a promising career. It was a dangerous profession with a high risk of injury.
Rodney’s father tried to discourage him from pursuing sports as a career, but he eventually gave up knowing how much Rodney loved sports. Since then, he has been a staunch supporter of Rodney.
Talking about Education, Mullen pursued a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Florida. However, he dropped out of his senior year to concentrate on skateboarding.
Skateboarding Career
Rodney was out with his friends on New Year’s Day 1977, playing and celebrating the new year. His neighborhood friend introduced him to skateboarding at that time.
Rodney tried skateboarding for the first time and fell in love with it right away and began skateboarding more frequently after that.
He desired his own skateboard, but his father was opposed to skateboarding. He thought it was dangerous and that Mullen would be hurt.
Mullen had promised his father that he would not skateboard, but the sport had already captured his heart, and he found it difficult to let go.
So he started skateboarding in the garage of his house, wearing good pads to keep himself safe. Mullen’s father wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt, and it was a condition that allowed him to skateboard.
Mullen had become obsessed with skateboarding by this point and began practicing every day. Therefore, He aspired to be a professional skateboarder and master it.
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Becoming Professional Skateboarder
Mullen competed in a skateboarding competition at the 1978 US Open Championship. He competed in the Boy’s freestyle category despite having only been skateboarding for a year. Surprisingly, he came in fifth place in the competition.
He astounded everyone with his skateboarding skills and passion. Bruce Walker, a skateboard manufacturer, saw this and decided to sponsor him.
Jim Mc Cell, a professional skateboarder who was previously coached by Bruce Walker, was his coach. Mc Cell was instrumental in shaping Mullen’s skateboarding abilities.
Mullen won thirty-four amateur competitions in the 1970s before winning the Oceanside Nationals in June 1979.
In addition, Mullen won the Oasis Pro Competition at the age of 14 after competing against world champion Steve Rocco.
Rodney rose to prominence as a professional skateboarder and member of Powell Parata’s professional skateboarding team Bones Brigade.
Inventing ‘the flat ground ollie.’
Alan Gelfand invented the ollie while performing it on the wall. Mullen used the same method to create his take on the flat ground ollie.
He realized he had been repeating himself for years. He only needed a punch and a little hop.
Furthermore, Mullen claims that the key to this strategy is to drag the foot and level it out, thereby raising the board.
This technique forever changed the face of street skateboarding. Mullen then developed a number of skateboarding tricks and variations.
Shift to street skateboarding
Similarly, Mullen began working for Plan B Skateboards in 1991. Mullen, who began as a freestyle skateboarder, had evolved into a street skateboarder.
Moreover, e innovated numerous street skateboarding tricks, such as the following:
- Godzilla rail flip
- 540 shove-it
- 50/50 Saran wrap
- 50/50 Casper
- Helipop
- Gazelle flip
- No-handed 50/50
- Ollie kickflip
- Heelflip
Rodney VS. Daewon
Mullen intended to create a competition video using his friend Daewon’s song. Rodney Vs. Daewon, a video released in 1997, was well received by the public, and the duo quickly rose to fame.
The concept involved two skaters competing with their skating abilities.
Becoming a business owner and investor
Mullen left his skateboarding team, Bones Brigade, in 1989 to become a major investor in World Industries.
Likewise, he co-owned the company with Rocco, a long-time friend, and former rival. They founded a skateboarding company. However, it struggled to compete with well-established company Powell Peralta.
They later considered selling World Industries to Globe International for $46 million. Mullen, on the other hand, began working for Globe through Dwindle Distribution. It is now the world’s largest manufacturer of skateboards.
Rodney Mullen established A team in 1997 with Marc Johnson, Gershon Mosley, Dave Mayhew, and Chet Thomas.
They wanted to put together a super team. Later, he left A team to co-found Almost Skateboards with Song. Back then, the duo was quite popular.
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Rodney Mullen | Net Worth and Salary
He amassed his fortune as a professional skateboarder, businessman, public speaker, author, and inventor of skateboarding tricks.
The total wealth of Rodney Mullen is $40 million.
Rodney Mullen | Awards and Achievement
- Transworld Skateboarding Reader’s Choice Award for Skater of the year 2002.
- Third position in 30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time 2011.
- Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2013.
Rodney Mullen | Relationship History
Mullen’s Ex-wife
He was previously engaged to and married Traci Mullen, a former saleswoman for World Industries, in which Rodney was a partner and board maker.
In fact, the couple married in April 2000, but their relationship ended in 2013 when they decided to divorce. Rodney filed for divorce from Traci in May 2013, under the jurisdiction of County Judge Robert B. of Los Angeles.
This is a prenuptial agreement he signed one month before his marriage to Traci, which relieved him of the burden of paying spousal support if the couple divorced. Rodney cited insurmountable differences as the reason for the split.
Who is Rodney Mullen’s Girlfriend?
Rodney Mullen is currently engaged to Lori Guidroz, his longtime girlfriend. Just after his divorce from his wife, the skater met his supportive girlfriend.
It didn’t take long for Rodney to divorce his wife when he began dating hair designer Lori Guidroz in 2014, just a year after their divorce. Since then, the couple has been frequently spotted spending time together.
Rodney and Lori were spotted at the premiere of the film Seattle Road in 2016. Moreover, This couple appears to be very supportive of each other’s careers in addition to enjoying each other’s company.
In addition, Lori tweeted about Rodney, mentioning him as her husband and how proud she is of the skateboarding legend.
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Rodney Mullen | Social Media Presence
Rodney Mullen’s Instagram handle is @Rodney Mullen. His Instagram account has over 531k followers.
Similarly, he has over 838k followers on Facebook @ Rodney Mullen.
Rodney Mullen | Age, Height, and Weight
Physical beauty demonstrates how much your favorite celebrities care about their appearance and fitness. Likewise, the beauty of physical stats, such as height, weight, and eye color, has always trailed behind the others.
Rodney Mullen is 56years old. He stands 511 (181 cm) tall. Mullen currently weighs 73 kg (161 lb).
FAQs
Rodney Mullen has what kind of disability?
Mullen was born with pigeon toe, a condition in which both of his feet point inward. It was a significant disadvantage for Mullen because feet are everything in sports, especially skateboarding. But, because of his ability, he never told the world about his disability.
Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk are they friends?
Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk have been friends since they were children. Similarly, the two skateboarding legends met at a skateboarding tournament, where they became close and lifelong friends.
Rodney Mullen is still skating?
Yes, Rodney Mullen still skates.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | John Rodney Mullen |
| Nickname | Godfather of Skateboarding |
| Birth Date | August 17, 1966 |
| Age | 56 years old |
| Birth Place | Gainesville, Florida, United States |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Chemical engineering Drop out |
| University | University of Florida |
| Star Sign | Leo |
| Father | John Mullen |
| Mother | Ann P. Mullen |
| Siblings | N/A |
| Height | 5’11” (181 cm) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Eye Color | Grey |
| Hair Color | Light brown |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Ex-Wife | Traci Mullen |
| Girlfriend | Lori Guidroz |
| Profession | Skateboarder, Entrepreneur, Inventor & Public Speaker |
| Debut Year | 1978 |
| Skateboarding style | Freestyle, Street Skateboarding |
| Coach | Jim McCall |
| Net Worth | $40 million |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram |
| Merch | Shoes, Skateboard |
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