Former AMA President Passes
F
ormer AMA President Ed
Youngblood passed away
on March 10, 2024. He was 80
years old.
Born on September 28,
1943, in Muskogee, Oklahoma,
Youngblood bought his first
motorcycle—a 165cc Harley-
Davidson—at the age of 14. After
graduating from college with
a Master's degree, he went to
work with AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Famers Chuck and Sharon
Clayton as an editor of Cycle
News East.
In 1970, Youngblood joined
the AMA staff as managing
editor of AMA News, which later
was replaced by American Mo
-
torcyclist. In 1978, he was put in
charge of the AMA's government
relations department.
In 1981, Youngblood was
appointed AMA executive direc-
tor. He led the organization
until 1999. During his tenure,
Youngblood focused on improv-
ing member communication,
growing the AMA's government
relations efforts, and building
stronger ties to the Federation
Internationale de Motocyclisme.
For 25 years, Youngblood was
a delegate to the FIM, and he
eventually became the deputy
president, with the second-high
-
est rank in the organization.
Youngblood also helped es-
tablish the AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Fame. He was instrumental
in forming the American Motor
-
cycle Heritage Foundation in the
early 1980s to raise funds for
the Hall of Fame Museum. The
American Motorcycle Heritage
Museum was opened in 1990
within the AMA's old headquar-
ters in Westerville, Ohio.
During Youngblood's tenure
the AMA's headquarters was
relocated to Pickerington, Ohio,
which remains the AMA's home
today. The American Motorcycle
Heritage Museum followed the
AMA to Pickerington, assuming
a new name: The AMA Motor
-
cycle Hall of Fame Museum.
Youngblood resigned from the
AMA to focus on his interests
in history and writing in 1999
and was inducted into the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame later
that year.
CN
WIND
IN THE
P24
Former AMA president
and Cycle News East
Editor Ed Youngblood
passed away at the
age of 80.
