Departures of note

On November 6, 1993, during the seventh round of the Evander Holyfield–Riddick Bowe heavyweight title fight at Caesars Palace, James Miller descended into the arena on a powered paraglider after circling for ten minutes. His lines tangled in the overhead lights, dropping him onto the ring's top rope, where he clung briefly before falling into the crowd. Spectators and security attacked him, knocking him unconscious; he was hospitalized, then charged with dangerous flying and released on $200 bail. The media dubbed him 'Fan Man' for the paramotor attached to his harness.

Miller, born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, in 1963, had moved to Alaska with his family in 1976 and later earned a computer programming degree from the University of Alaska at Juneau. After moving to Las Vegas in the late 1980s, he took up paragliding, starting with a jetpack and moving to two-cycle engines, setting altitude and distance records with a reputation for reckless daring. His ring crash was his first major stunt, though he later called it accidental, citing mechanical problems, and joked that he was the only one knocked out in the fight.

He staged further stunts: flying over a Los Angeles Coliseum playoff game in January 1994, buzzing a Bolton Wanderers–Arsenal match in England later that month, and landing on Buckingham Palace in February, where he was arrested and deported after revealing green-painted legs. Miller claimed he intentionally landed in the ring to oppose violence, but his younger brother suggested he was 'bucking society' and mocking rules. After receiving death threats, he moved to Valdez, Alaska in 1996, where he flew ultralights, gave lessons, and ran a computer business.

In 2001, Miller was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, underwent double bypass surgery with complications, and endured two additional operations. He faced constant chest pain, could no longer fly or hike, and closed his computer business due to medical debts. In September 2002, he disappeared while driving to the wilderness; his body was found in March 2003, and an autopsy ruled his death a suicide by hanging, with police noting he had veered deep off-trail. His girlfriend gave birth to their son shortly before the discovery, and his suicide became widely known later that year when ESPN sought him for a SportsCenter anniversary segment.