Gary Leo Ellis Jr. (born March 21, 1966, in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.) was one of the last American "Old School" professional bicycle motocross (BMX) racer whose careers started in the 1970s to early 1980s.
The place of his birth was also a factor in the nickname since it was a stereotypically American lumberjack region of the United States.
Plus, there was an apocryphal story that he sawed down a tree that was in the right of way of a practice track he was building in his front yard.
[3] His first local race result was fourth place at the Tacoma Jaycees BMX track.
His first national amateur win was at an American Bicycle Association (ABA) in 15 Expert in Portland, Oregon, in 1981.
His first pro race result was a first place in junior "A" pro at the joint 1983 American Bicycle Association (ABA)/Canadian American Bicycle Association (CABA) Canadian-American BMX Championships pre race in Monroe, Washington, on December 10, 1983.
He moved himself up to "A" pro after the 1983 Jag World Super Bowl Championship which was held on December 29, 1983.
Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question.
Note: Listed are district, state/provincial/department, regional, national, and international titles in italics.
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF) Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)* Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)* *See note in Professional section.
American Bicycle Association (ABA) *There is controversy surrounding Gary Ellis's 1995 title.
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)* Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)* Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)* *Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC, the amateur cycling arm of the UCI, had been holding joint world championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993.
Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI.
The NORA Cup would not be awarded for another six years until 1998 when Snap magazine brought it back with Gary Ellis winning in 1998.
Unlike many former top pro BMXers, he has never raced again in BMX after his retirement in 1998, not even the Veteran and Masters classes in the ABA and NBL respectively, not even for fun.
Some like Eric Rupe and Harry Leary made it a second career to race in the junior "A" pros and/or ABA's Veteran Pro and NBL's Masters classes.