In 1995, ESPN introduced The Extreme Games to the masses. Billed as a weeklong competition, The Extreme Games (later changed to X Games) brought out the top action sports athletes in the world, across skateboarding, BMX, inline skating and more.

At the time, Tony Hawk was one of a few veteran pro skateboarders on the scene, successfully making the jump past the skateboarding craze of the 1980s, into a more underground, authentic scene spawned during the 1990s. But all that was about to change. With a boost of commercial exposure from ESPN and The Extreme Games, Tony Hawk would become one of the most recognized names in skateboarding throughout the world. And to this day, Tony’s name is synonymous with skateboarding, thanks in part to the momentum created here. Take a look back at Tony’s first vert and “street” runs from July, 1995.

And oh yeah, Tony took home the first Extreme Games gold medal in Skateboard Vert.