Ben Pappas
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin James Pappas |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born |
13 May 1978 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 4 March 2007 (aged 28) Victoria Dock, Melbourne, Australia |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Skateboarding |
Benjamin James "Ben" Pappas (13 May 1978 - 4 March 2007) was a professional Australian skateboarder and younger brother of skateboarder Tas Pappas. In the late 1990s, Pappas was ranked the #2 skateboarder in the world; his older brother Tas was #1 at the same time.
Ben Pappas was born in Melbourne, Australia to Bill and Kerry Pappas (nee Bardot) and he and his older brother Tasou Micah "Tas" Pappas were raised in the Melbourne suburb of St Albans. Their father was born in Egypt and is of Greek descent. In the 2014 documentary All This Mayhem, Tas Pappas said that their childhood was "pretty hectic."
In October 1990, Pappas traveled to the United States for the first time and began skating in various competitions internationally. In 1992, Ben, his older brother Tas and their father moved from Melbourne to the United States so that both brothers could pursue careers in professional skateboarding. The brothers soon won sponsorship from Hardcore with clothing and skateboards provided in return for demos at shopping centres. In 1994, Ben Pappas placed sixth in the New Jersey demo. He participated in the Slam City Jam in Vancouver in 1995 and placed ninth in the event in 1997. In 1999, he placed fifth in the Mountain Dew U.S. Open, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
By 1996, he was ranked the #2 skateboarder in the world while his brother Tas was #1. The two quickly earned a reputation for their confrontational behaviour and partying. Around this time, both began using cocaine. In 1999, Pappas was arrested for attempting to smuggle 103 grams of cocaine into Australia in the sole of a skate shoe. As a result of the conviction, he was banned from traveling internationally for three years and his passport was seized. The conviction effectively ended his pro skateboarding career as he was no longer able to travel for competitions.
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