Luke Egan (January 24, 1970-)

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If pro surfers chose the world champion themselves, Luke Egan would have won several times over. Possibly the most underrated pro surfer of all-time, his powerful approach and oversize frame was a rare advantage in a sport made up of predominantly munchkins. A classic Australian in every sense, he stands as a living legend without ever having reached his ultimate goal.

Born to Sam Egan and his wife Margaret, Luke John Egan is a fourth generation Australian of mainly Irish descent. Sam, a Merewether, Newcastle lifesaver and one of the area's first shapers (he still shapes Luke's big boards), owned a surf shop where Margaret ran the books and Luke found inspiration in local hero Mark Richards.

After peewee cricket and rugby, Luke took up surfing by age seven. As a member of the Merewether Boardriders, he rose under the shadow of the prodigal Nicky Wood while developing his powerful approach based on heroes Tom Carroll and Mark Occhilupo. Despite his stature (5'11" and 185 pounds at his professional peak), Egan was highly successful as an amateur, winning the Australian Under-17 Australian Schoolboys' Championship. While his early record was marred by annual family trips to Indonesia causing him to miss key events, the experience in critical reef surfing would later serve him well.

After a couple of fruitless seasons as an ASP trialist, his pro career lurched forward with a finals berth at the 1988 Billabong Pro in flawless Pipe, narrowly losing to World Champion Barton Lynch. At just 18, Egan was already regarded among the best on the North Shore.

Highly respected by his peers for an uncompromising smooth and powerful style, he struggled several years as a middle-rung seed on the WCT before breaking out in 1996 to finish fourth. Regardless of rankings, his stock soared, garnering solid backing from Billabong and others as well as considerable popularity internationally.

Egan finally won his first WCT event in 1997, using his Indonesian experience to capture the Quiksilver G-Land Pro in perfect conditions. In 2000, he earned his second win, this time at another ideal left-hand reef, Tavarua's Cloudbreak. From there, he spent the rest of the season tailing Sunny Garcia in the world title race, never meeting the Hawaiian in a heat and unable to close the ratings gap. "I don't feel like I lost a world title because I never had it," explains Egan of his near miss.

That was the closest he would come. In 2005 -- though still ranked 17th -- Egan left the tour to become Marketing Manager for Billabong where he became even more involved in the crowning of champions. Besides running contests at spots like Tahiti and Mundaka (the site of his fourth and final WCT victory), he also began coaching title-hungry team riders such as Joel Parkinson, who led the ratings for most of 2009 under Luke's guidance -- only to lose to Mick Fanning in Hawaii. As usual, Egan took the year in stride, telling Stab Magazine in a pre-Triple Crown interview: "For me, to be the best surfer when the waves are good is something to be proud of."

A feeling Luke himself is plenty familiar with.


-- Jason Borte (updated, December 2009)