Statue dedicated to Greenville native and BMX legend Dave Mirra

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A local skate park is now the site of a statue honoring the late Greenville native and BMX legend Dave Mirra.

BMX pros and aspiring riders gathered on Sunday to hit the ramps at Jaycee Park’s Extreme Park – all to celebrate the life and legacy of the Greenville icon.

Mirra’s family unveiled a permanent statue designed by his friends and welded by fellow BMX pro and close friend, Mike Laird. Mirra’s daughter Madison says the monument serves as a powerful reminder of her dad.

“It’s really special to be adding onto his legacy after all these years and just keep it going,” said Madison Mirra. “I think it’s good for this whole community to just have a little attraction here to represent that and everything he did.”

Jaycee Park is a precious place for the Mirra family. It became Mirra’s second home when he moved to North Carolina back in 1995, shaping him into the most decorated bike rider of all time. His daughter Mackenzie says her father inspired others to move to Greenville to get into the sport.

“As I get older, it’s just really inspiring to see that I understand that he really did impact others and not just me and my sister,” said Mackenzie Mirra.

His family says in 2016 while suffering from CTE, Mirra took his own life, but his legacy lives on, especially in the Greenville community.

“Dave would be so pleased. He’d be so pleased to see this crowd today,” said Mirra’s publicist and long-time friend Katie Moses Swope. “There are dads here that grew up with Dave and now their kids are here, and I hope it’s great for Greenville. It’s a great place to learn how to ride a bike.”

The Mirra family says they’re thankful to everyone who came to the event Sunday, including those who knew Mirra and those who are inspired by his legacy.

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