(Left to right) Sammy Tanner, Everett Brashear and Carroll Resweber after Brashear won the 1958 San Jose Mile.
Motorcycle Hall of Famer Everett Brashear was one of the top racers of the 1950s. He won 15 AMA Nationals and countless regional races.
Brashear had a secret that precious few people knew. He was blind in his left eye. It happened early in his racing career in a regional race in Montgomery, Alabama, in May of 1954. Everett won the bulk of his nationals after he lost vision in his eye.
Here Brashear talks a bit about how he lost his eyesight in that eye and some of the ways he dealt with it during his racing career.
Brashear on how he lost the vision in his left eye.
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Talking about coming back and winning that same year at Langhorne.
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How he adapted to racing with just one good eye and the surprising thing that bothered him most.
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Did Everett ever get blamed for coming down on another rider who was on his left?
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You can view Brashear’s Hall of Fame bio here.
Rider Files 
Hello, Was he completely blind? I think there is a typo………
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John
It was a typo… Thanks for catching it.
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Mr. Lawrence, you addition of audio works super. This adds alot to your site. #25 Everett Brashear was one of my favorite riders, a real bright guy & class act. Got to see him up close when he rode my friend Bobby Hoh’s KR at the Springfield, IL 50 Mile National in 1964. 5th place as I recall.
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Larry
Thank much for the comments. Everett’s always been one of my favorite interviews. I met him once briefly at the Springfield Mile and he’s a class act all the way.
LL
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Does anyone know how to get in touch with him?
I live in Beaumont Texas, He used to ride motorcycles with my mom
Thelma Byars. I would love to hear some of the old time stories
and fun they all had together. My mom is passed on, she used to
talk about Everett a long time ago..would love to contact him. I have
written him a letter, but not sure if it got to him or not. Tommy Byars and my mom were brother and sister.
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