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Mark Richards (March 7, 1957-) |
 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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To kids today, Mark Richards is just the old guy whose record Kelly Slater broke. But not long ago, MR had another title, that of the greatest surfer of all time. So dominant was he, that no one regarded him with anything but awe, even as he paddled out in a silver wetsuit with a Superman logo on his board. It's doubtful that even Kelly could pull that one off.
Richards was born in Newcastle, Australia, the only child of a car salesman. He was surfing by age six at Mereweather Beach, and his dad's car dealership eventually transformed into a surf shop. His mom and dad surfed a bit themselves, but the majority of early inspiration came from Nat Young. On the Australian amateur circuit, Richards routinely surfed in and won the age group above his own. Never keen on traveling for surf, he'd rather go out at home in Mereweather no matter what the conditions. Professional surfing still hadn't been invented, so as Richards rose through the ranks, his only goal was an Australian Senior Title. "Pro surfing," he says, "just sort of happened." In the groundbreaking winter of 1975, MR was on the front lines of the North Shore along with Shaun Tomson and Rabbit Bartholomew, as the limits of performance surfing were redefined. Riding Lightning Bolt single fins shaped by Tom Parrish, his wins in both the Smirnoff and the World Cup helped bust down the door of Hawaiian supremacy. As it turned out, the rise of pro surfing coincided with that of MR. In 1976, he won the richest event on the fledgling IPS tour, the Coke Surfabout in Sydney, but he hovered near the top for three years before putting it all together. Building on the influences of shaping legends Parrish, Reno Abellira, Dick Brewer and Spider Murphy, Richards began shaping his own boards. He developed a short, winged swallow twin-fin design perfectly suited to his loose, angular style. At 6'0", his swooping turns earned him the nickname "The Wounded Gull." His patented bottom-turn/snapback combination was ages ahead of its time and set him apart from the single-fin sluggishness of the time. By 1979, with the twin-fin perfected, MR assumed the throne. For four consecutive years, he dominated the world tour, winning in every type of surf. Even as the thruster gained popularity, he clung to his beloved twinnie and suffered nothing for it. Unfortunately, he developed back problems early on, and upon claiming his fourth world title, he slipped into semi-retirement. Coupled with the mental and physical fatigue of holding the title for four straight years, he tore ligaments in his ankle that kept him landlocked for six months. MR retreated to Newcastle, where he shaped boards, worked in the surf shop and married his longtime girlfriend, Jenny. Already the most successful surfer in history, he could have hung it up as a legend at 25. In 1985, after competing in only selected events for a few years, Richards arrived on the North Shore for the Billabong Pro. He dominated the early rounds at Waimea and finished the job at Sunset. The next season, at nearly 30 years of age, he won it again, this time at maxed out Waimea and Sunset. In the world's most challenging arena, he met the alleged new guard and gave them a clinic. It was a perfect encore. MR still lives in Newcastle with his wife and three children. He still runs the family surf shop and is a masterful shaper, currently working on what he calls the "Supertwin." Swimming keeps the bad back in check, but he has to take it easy in the water -- which is fine with him. Unlike many of his former rivals, MR is comfortable with the fact that he has nothing left to prove. Nevertheless, he returned in 2001 to claim victory in the World Masters Championships over 40 division in Ireland, taking down all his old foes and inching ever closer to Slater, the only human with more world titles.-- Jason Borte, Septemebr 2001
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