Daredevil recalls near-fatal jump at resort

Fresh from a kidney transplant that gave him a new lease on life, daredevil Evel Knievel returned to Caesars Palace Friday to relive memories of his near-fatal motorcyle jump at the resort.

"Without Caesars Palace, my career wouldn't have escalated to what it escalated to," Knievel said after riding a new limited-edition motorcycle bearing his name through the resort's posh casino.

With trumpet music blaring, Knievel rode past the resort's famous fountains, up the front stairs on a red carpet, then through the casino as gamblers gawked at the show.

Knievel nearly died when he crashed his motorcycle after jumping the fountains in front of the resort Dec. 31, 1967. He broke nearly every bone in his body and the event left him with a limp until he had a titanium hip replacement.

With young children and older fans providing the audience, Knievel recounted Friday how he was unconscious for 29 days following the jump.

"The doctors put me back together. When I woke up I felt lucky I was still alive."

The new motorcycle is produced by California Motorcycle Co. of Gilroy, Calif. It includes a rendering on the right side of the fuel tank of Knievel flying off his cycle after landing in the ill-fated Caesars jump.

"You might know I'd be sitting on the side with the crash on it," Knievel said as he posed for photographers.

Knievel, 60, said he's undergone 16 or 17 operations over the years, most for injuries from errant jumps. But his latest - nearly two months ago in Tampa, Fla. - may have been his most important.

Knievel, suffering from hepatitis C, was told by Tampa doctors he had only 20 to 30 days to live unless a kidney donor was found.

He headed for his winter home in Clearwater, Fla.

"I felt if I was going to die, I wanted to die at home."

On his way home he received a call from his doctor saying if he could get back to the hospital within an hour he could receive a kidney that had been harvested from someone in Miami.

Knievel said the transplant has given him a new lease - and a new outlook - on life. He used Friday's appearance to appeal for organ donors.

"You can't buy your way into heaven, and you can't buy your way out of hell," Knievel said. "What way would God smile on you more than to give an organ so someone can live?"

Knievel has homes in Florida, Montana and Las Vegas. His son, Robbie, has followed in his father's cycle tracks, and is scheduled to jump a motorcycle over a portion of the Grand Canyon April 28.

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