MARK “M.R.”
RICHARDS

Pro surfer Mark “M.R.” Richards from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia is the first person to win four consecutive world championships (1979-82); described by Australia's Surfing Life magazine as the country's "surfing saint." Mark's father was a surfer who, in 1961, opened Newcastle's first surf shop. Mark began riding a surfboard at age six. He placed second in the Juniors division of the 1972 Australian National Titles (losing to future tri-fin innovator Simon Anderson), and made the national team for that year's World Surfing Championships in California. Mark began shaping his own boards and developed a short, winged swallowtail twin-fin design perfectly suited to his loose, angular style. An imposing frame at 6’ tall, his swooping turns earned him the nickname “The Wounded Gull.” His patented bottom-turn/snapback combination set him apart from the single-fin sluggishness of the time. By 1979, with the twin-fin perfected, M.R. assumed the throne and 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 twin and suffered nothing for it. Unfortunately, he developed back problems early on, and upon claiming his fourth world title, he slipped into semi-retirement. This board was shaped by M.R. and shows heat damage in the nose area.

This board is on loan from the Spencer Croul Collection.
Portrait photo © Dan Merkel/A-Frame