Daredevil motorcycle stuntmen are a rarity, far outnumbered by auto racers, skiers, or track-and-field athletes, let alone players from all sports. For years, Evel Knievel has had this field virtually all to himself. His successes—and his spectacular failures—have earned him a fame saved for mainstream athletes and movie stars.

Evel Knievel jumps over six Mack trucks in Cleveland, Ohio, in May 1974. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

Knievel—who was born Robert Craig Knievel—has an unusually varied background. He has been a ski-jump champion, a professional hockey player, a car salesman, a hunting guide, a con man, and a safecracker. He entered the profession that would earn him international fame in 1965 when he created an outfit called Evel Knievel's Motorcycle Daredevils. He won headlines on New Year's Day in 1968 when he successfully jumped his motorcycle over the fountains in front...