Anthony Sewell
Encyclopedia
Anthony Sewell was a professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1978 to 1984. He was nicknamed "The Panther". He got the moniker jumping curbs in his neighborhood and neighborhood kids likened his jumping to that of a cat. This was soon converted to Panther. He was also known as "The Professor" due to his glasses with their thick lenses.
Started Racing: 1974 at 12 years old at the Palms Park race track. Sewell was an accomplished track star in the 120 meter low hurdles. He made it to the state finals but they were held on Saturdays and Sundays, the same days BMX races are typically held. He had to make a choice: He decided on BMX.
Sanctioning body:
First race bike: A girl's Schwinn.
First race result:
First win (local):
Home sanctioning body district(s): National Bicycle Association (NBA) District "X" (Orange/Los Angeles County);
First sponsor:
First national win:
Turned professional: 1979 at 17 years old.
First professional race result:
First Professional win:
Height and Weight at height of his career (1978–1983): Ht:5' 6" Wt:~145 lbs
Retired from Senior A/AA pro racing: 1986 at age 24. He raced in England until the spring of 1986. He then returned to the United States and raced sponsorless for a few months in early 1986, then dropped out of sight. Briefly reappeared at the ABA U.S. Nationals in Bakersfield, California
in April 1988. He then dropped out of sight again. His disappearances became somewhat of a running joke.
(NBA)
National Bicycle League
(NBL)
United Bicycle Racers
(UBR)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Independent races; Pro Series and Invitational Championships
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicross Magazine: (French Publication)
BMX Action Bike: (British Publication)
Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication)
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under one name change):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under two name changes):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1978 to 1984. He was nicknamed "The Panther". He got the moniker jumping curbs in his neighborhood and neighborhood kids likened his jumping to that of a cat. This was soon converted to Panther. He was also known as "The Professor" due to his glasses with their thick lenses.
Racing career milestones
----Started Racing: 1974 at 12 years old at the Palms Park race track. Sewell was an accomplished track star in the 120 meter low hurdles. He made it to the state finals but they were held on Saturdays and Sundays, the same days BMX races are typically held. He had to make a choice: He decided on BMX.
Sanctioning body:
First race bike: A girl's Schwinn.
First race result:
First win (local):
Home sanctioning body district(s): National Bicycle Association (NBA) District "X" (Orange/Los Angeles County);
First sponsor:
First national win:
Turned professional: 1979 at 17 years old.
First professional race result:
First Professional win:
Height and Weight at height of his career (1978–1983): Ht:5' 6" Wt:~145 lbs
Retired from Senior A/AA pro racing: 1986 at age 24. He raced in England until the spring of 1986. He then returned to the United States and raced sponsorless for a few months in early 1986, then dropped out of sight. Briefly reappeared at the ABA U.S. Nationals in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
in April 1988. He then dropped out of sight again. His disappearances became somewhat of a running joke.
Professional
- JAG BMX: January 1978-December 31, 1980
- Kuwahara Cycles, Ltd.: January 1, 1981-Mid May 1981. "Kuwahara" means "Mulberry Meadows" in Japanese. The company is named after Sentaro Kuwahara who founded the company in 1916 in Osaka, Japan. Sewell left Kuwahara for undisclosed reasons shortly after the 1981 ABA Rondo Classic.
- Huffy Corporation: Late July 1981-September 11, 1981. His first race for Huffy was the NBL War of the Stars National in Hamilton, OhioHamilton, OhioHamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
on August 1, 1981. This seemed to have been a limited sponsorship with Anthony wearing Huffy uniforms and racing their bicycles. He was sponsored by them for four races before Sewell signed permanently with Murray Ohio.
- Murray Ohio Corporation: September 12, 1981 – September 1984
- KHS (Kung Hsue She): February 1985 – Early Summer 1985
- KHS/Birmingham Wheels (Birmingham, England): Mid 1985–Late Summer 1985. He was living and racing in England and at this time and Birmingham Wheels was his sponsor along with KHS when he was there. Birmingham Wheels had invited him over and supported him ensuring that he was able to live and race for his time in the UK to replace departing Trevor Robinson. Chris Lawther, Janis Lawther and ex-racer Simon Lawther their son travelled with him from meeting to meeting keen to help him show off the skillz that this talented young american dude had to offer. Interestingly Andy Ruffell, one of Britain's most respected pro racers at this time lead a campaign on the behalf of other UK pros to bar American professional racers from racing in United Kingdom BMX Association (UKBMXA) races. The National BMX Association (NBMXA) did not ban the Americans but the larger, rival UKBMXA did, forcing Sewell to race only the NBMXA circuit. Unlike in the United States, British racers had a strong players' union in BMX.
- GT Racing (England): Late Summer 1985 – December 1985. Sewell returned to the United States in early 1986 after his guest stint on Birmingham Wheels and on the British affiliate of GT Racing was over, racing sponsorless in the meanwhile. He failed to get a sponsor in 1986 due to the paucity of hiring by the major companies caused by both the slump in popularity of BMX racing and the wish to expand their freestyle teams in light of the rise in popularity of BMX Freestyle. By mid 1986 Anthony Sewell had quietly faded out of the racing scene.
- S&M (Greg Scott & Chris Moeller) Bicycles: April 16–17, 1988. After dropping out of racing for two years he raced at the ABA Bakersfield Nationals in Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. It was in response to Chris Moeller jokingly posted signs around the Orange YMCA BMX track as part of the "search" for Sewell. Sewell heard about the search and the posters and went to the Orange YMCA track for those responsible. Not at all angry he was happy that people still knew of him after his retirement. He struck a deal with S&M Bicycles and given a bicycle two uniforms and his entrance fees paid. He was sponsored for only the weekend. He did not make any mains. He crashed in all three qualifying motos both days. Later, his S&M race bicycle was stolen. He then disappeared from the racing scene once again.
Amateur
National Bicycle AssociationNational Bicycle Association
The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981...
(NBA)
- 1978 Jag BMX 16 year old class and Overall World Champion* (NBA/NBL sanctioned)
National Bicycle League
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- None
United Bicycle Racers
United Bicycle Racers Association
The United Bicycle Racers was a short-lived Bicycle Motocross racing sanctioning body based in Modesto, California which was started by John Valdez, a bike shop owner, on his 18th birthday that lasted from 1977-1983. At its peak it had 34 tracks in California and Nevada...
(UBR)
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA...
(ABA)
- None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Professional
National Bicycle Association (NBA)- 1980 National No.1 Pro
National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 1980 Pro and 14 & Over Open* Grandnational Champion (Doubled)
- 1980 National No.1 Pro
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- 1982 Jag Pro Cruiser World Champion (ABA Sanctioned)
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- 1982 Pro Cruiser Murray World Cup of BMX I Champion
Independent races; Pro Series and Invitational Championships
Notable accolades
- Antony Sewell became the first official World Champion in 1978 by winning the trophy dash at the 1978 Jag World Championships.*
- He did on screen stunt work for the BMX race subplotSubplotA subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
in an episode of the American television series CHiPsCHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
which originally aired on March 3, 1979. Fellow racers John George and Charlie Litsky also appeared. It was entitled "CHP-BMX" (Season 2, Episode 21). - He is credited as being the first person to do "No-Handers", a jump in which you launch yourself off a high jump and take you hands off the handlebars (the farther and longer you get your hands away from the handlebars the better) and quickly grabbing back onto the bars before you land.
- He became the first pro to hold the No.1 pro title in two different sanctioning bodies simultaneously: The NBA and the NBL in 1980.
- Mr. Sewell is a 1998 Inductee to the ABA BMX Hall of Fame.
Racing habits and traits
- Noted for his thick Coke bottle bottom thick glasses to correct his HyperopiaHyperopiaHyperopia, also known as farsightedness, longsightedness or hypermetropia, is a defect of vision caused by an imperfection in the eye , causing difficulty focusing on near objects, and in extreme cases causing a sufferer to be unable to focus on objects at any distance...
until he switched to contact lenses at the end of the 1980 racing season.
- He was considered a noted sprinter down the first and last straight with minimal technical skills concerning going over obstacles and setting up passes in turns. He also was reputed to be a "concrete specialist," at his best on flat, dirtless indoor stadium tracks with slick concrete or wooden floors and wooden moguls and flat, bermBermA berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.- History :...
less turns. The Jag BMX World Championships first four races were held on these dirtless courses and he was its first Overall Champion in 1978.
- He also had the habit of dropping out of sight for periods of time being a very private person. There was even an underground tongue in cheek video of the search for him called "The Search". After coming back for one ABA National at Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
in April 1988 he dropped out of sight again, unofficially retiring. In hindsight it was his goodbye race.
Post BMX career
- After a period of not being in contact with the BMX community Sewell started to attend BMX reunions with his former competitors and participating in BMX online forums in the last few years. Sewell died peacefully in his sleep on April 3, 2009
BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles
- "The Complete Racer: Sewell Rules!" Bicycle Motocross Action May 1981 Vol.6 No.5 pg.78
- "Anthony Sewell!" BMX Plus! December 1981 Vol.4 No.12 pg.35
- Short blurb in BMX Plus! October 1982 Vol.5 No.10 pg.82
- "Flashback: Anthony Sewell" Snap BMX Magazine May 2000 Vol.7 Iss.5 No.43 pg.90 Brief retrospective of the career of the "Old School" racer.
BMX magazine covers
Bicycle Motocross News:- None
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- December 1979 Vol.6 No.12 (M/BMXA)
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- April 1984 Vol.9 No.4
BMX Plus!:
- January 1979 Vol.2 No.1 main image. David ClintonDavid ClintonDavid Clinton is an "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "Dynamite" early in his career David Clinton could be truthfully said to be the sport's first true superstar...
in insert. - December 1984 Vol.7 No.12 (13) in insert behind Pete LoncarevichPete LoncarevichPeter Loncarevich is a former Bicycle Motocross racer. Loncarevich was an "Old School" professional BMX racer whose prime competitive years were from 1980 to 1994....
(73) (bottom center) In other inserts Eric RupeEric RupeEric Fitzgerald Rupe is an "Old School" American professional bicycle motocross racer. His prime competitive years were from 1978 to 1990....
(22) & Clearance Perry (20) (top center); freestylers Mike Dominguez (top left); Woody Itson (top right); Rick Avella (bottom left); Ron Wilkerson with Shawn Buckley clowning around.
Total BMX:
- January 1982
Bicross Magazine: (French Publication)
- October 1983 No.13
BMX Action Bike: (British Publication)
- February/March 1983 Vol.1 Iss.6
Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication)
- None
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under one name change):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under two name changes):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
Non BMX magazine covers
- August/September 1979 Ebony Jr. magazine with fellow JAG BMX teammates.