One of the legendary stories about Noll occurred in December of 1969, when he surfed what is known as one of the largest waves anybody had ever surfed. It was this attitude of taking on the unthinkable that has etched Greg into the history books as one of the larger than life figures in the surfing arena, past or present. By the way, Greg executed an expected huge wipeout on that particular ride, but that's not really what was important, or what was remembered. Similar surfers that are mentioned in the same breath as Knoll are Mickey Munoz, Peter Cole, and George Downing.

Noll had an interesting background, which had him earn experience as a Los Angeles lifeguard, which, along with his apprenticeship building balsa boards, gave Noll a special outlook on life as a surfer. Riding the short balsa "Chip" boards that Dale Velzy had influenced him with, it is strange that Noll earned early recognition as a paddler. It was this paddling that earned him a position on a U.S. lifeguard team in 1956. The 1956 Olympics were in Melbourne, Australia, and the competitive experience was a valuable one for Noll. He took this experience and ran with it, plying his trade in competitions and free surfs up and down the west coast and Hawaii.

Noll lived and breathed surfing and any observer could tell that it meant more to him than anything. It was almost a liberating form of self-expression and conquering of fear. Noll was making a statement every time he stepped on one of his vintage boards. For such a big personality who enjoyed having a good time, it is not such a surprise that Noll was known for his trademark fashion as well. He told the story of how he became known for wearing "jailhouse shorts" that he became well-known for. Apparently, he started using old clothes from the Salvation Army, cutting them off at the knees and surfing in them. The stripes ran horizontally like zebra pants, and they made a rebellious type of statement that caught on like crazy among surfers everywhere. The black and white stripes stood for fearlessness, big surf and further established Noll as a cultural icon.

Noll later parlayed his influence to build unique surfboards in Hermosa Beach, California. Later, in the late 60's, Noll hung it up. His story is chronicled in the big wave documentary, "Riding Giants". It is undeniable the effect that Noll had on the surfing culture, and his Southern California community. The way that surfing liberated the culture was the very thing that Noll will be remembered for.

You can check Greg's website out at www.gregnoll.com.

Surfing

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