Joe Lopes

Joe Lopes was an American professional skateboarder, born on 28 October 1964 and killed in an auto accident on 24 March 2002. He started skateboarding in the late 1970s in San Leandro, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he and his father Tony are credited with building one of the first half-pipes in their backyard there. Professional and amateur skaters from around the world skated that ramp, including a young Tony Hawk, and in 1983 he was the first pro to host a backyard pro jam format contest. During his professional career he was sponsored by Venture Trucks, Op clothing, Rector protective wear and Schmitt Stix skateboards, and his barbecue graphics, designed by the professional skateboarder Neil Blender, were considered among the most popular skateboard graphics of the late 1980s.