Hermosa Beach’s Greg Noll was Da Bull. His surf legacy was even greater than he claimed
by Kevin Cody Five of the six inductees in the inaugural 2003 Hermosa Beach Walk of Fame ceremony were surfboard builders from the ‘60s Golden Era of surfing. Individually, and collectively, they rank among the most influential figures in the sport’s history. “It just goes to show that if you live long enough and you tell enough B.S. surf stories, at some point, everyone will believe you because there’s no one around to dispute you,” Greg Noll, then 66, said during his acceptance speech. The other board builders inducted that day were Hap Jacobs, Bing Copeland, Rick Stoner and Dewey Weber. Former pro surfer, Mike Purpus, the sixth of the inaugural inductees, observed that Noll, Jacobs, Copeland, Stoner and Weber, by themselves, secured Hermosa Beach’s claim to the title of Surf City, no matter what the courts determined in the then pending lawsuit over the title between Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz. 1956 International Surf Festival Taplin Bell champions Mike Bright, Bob Hogan, John McFarlane, Chip Post and Greg Noll, with a Velzy paddleboard. Noll lied about his age to become a Los Angeles County Lifeguard at 17. Photo courtesy of the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum Of the five…
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