Corky Carroll, the orginal pioneer of professional surfing, was the first person to be paid to surf and the first to receive endorsements. He won all the events that gave away prize money in the early years.

Carroll started surfing in the mid-fifties in Surfside, California while in the first grade. He competed professionally from 1959 until 1972, when he retired at the age of 24. Five time United States Overall Surfing Champion, three times International Professional Champion, International Big Wave Champion, World Small Wave Champion and named the Number One Surfer in the World by SURFER magazine in 1968.

He is recognized as the first Professional Surfer and to this day is considered one of the famous surfers on the planet. He has been a professional musician for over thirty years with many albums, singles and soundtracks to his credit. This includes one Gold Record with his 1979 hit "Tan Punks on Boards" that was produced by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees.