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Mark Occhilupo (June 16, 1966-) |
 The Largest Surfing EncyclopediaA-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Advertisement
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Elvis is dead. Occy's the King. In the early '90s, Mark Occhilupo swelled into a slobbish couch potato. If he'd continued the Elvis route -- stuffing his face until he croaked right on the shitter -- he'd have gone out a legend.
But he did what Elvis couldn't; he took care of business. He hauled his ass off the sofa, carved himself into a Greek god and executed a comeback that won't be matched until Elvis rises from his Graceland tomb and shakes his jelly hamhocks once again. Occhilupo was born in Kurnell, New South Wales, where he began surfing at the age of nine. He soon progressed to neighboring Cronulla, a lazy Australian industrial town near Sydney. He won his first amateur Schoolboys contest at 13 and followed up with two Cadet State Titles. After the 10th grade, he left home as an ASP trialist. Virtually unnoticed, he sneaked into the Top 16 at year's end, securing a seed for the following year. In 1984, Occy shot to the top of the ASP ratings as a cocky 17-year-old. He set performance standards over the next few years that still haven't been matched. At Jeffreys Bay, his power and aggression turned backhand surfing into an advantage. Even in America, where Tom Curren had become a deity, Occy was adored. In surfing's biggest spectator event, the Op Pro, the two engaged in a rivalry. With aspirations in the acting field, Occy played himself in the 1987 Hollywood flop North Shore. Professional surfing was peaking, and Curren and Occy were the superheroes, delivering the surf industry unprecedented wealth. He hovered around the top five in the ratings, and some unfortunate influences steered him from a world title that many felt he deserved. Then, in 1988, it was over. From a Spartan existence of vegetarianism and yoga, he began sucking cigarettes and scarfing everything harmful. Burned on the tour, he threw a quarterfinal heat at the Op and headed home to Cronulla. At that point, he struggled with motivation and his ever-fluctuating weight. Over the next several years, he made a couple half-hearted comeback attempts and remained in the public eye as a repeating star of Jack McCoy's Billabong videos. His abilities were clearly still intact as he was featured demolishing Reunion Island, G-Land, J-Bay and other secret locations around the world. But this newly invented Occy would soon fade. Married in 1993 to Beatrice Ballardie, he built a house near Kirra, sat on the couch and basically didn't get up for more than a year. From his 245-pound peak, he began a training program under McCoy in West Australia that helped him shed 75 pounds and regain his form. The 1995 Billabong Challenge was his coming-out party, and he showed the world -- and himself -- that he could still compete. He finished 20th in the WQS the following year, capping it off with a finals berth in the Pipe Masters after coming through the trials. He had returned from the brink. In 1997, Occy was runner-up to Kelly Slater for the world title -- the highlight of his season being a $55,000 payday in the non-rated skins event at Bells. The next year, he earned his first world tour victory in a dozen years by winning the Rip Curl Pro, also at Bells. His rating dipped slightly after that, but he came back in 1999 with his only obstacle, Slater, in semi-retirement. Occy claimed victory in Tahiti, Fiji and Mundaka -- all big lefts -- and garnered a long-overdue world title with an event to spare. Already a national hero in Australia, he achieved god-status at the age of 33. From his home in Billambil Heights, Queensland, where he lives with Beatrice and stepson Raynor, Occy's long overdue reign has finally begun. -- Jason Borte, October 2000
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