Mark Hubbard – R.I.P.
October 27, 1970 – June 8, 2018
Independent
George Orton – 2020
Find George on social Media George Orton was one of the most bio vert skaters of the late 1970s. Born in Long Beach, California, George was a hyperactive kid with ADHD who was always involved in school sports. At age seven, he discovered surfing and skateboarding on a Black Knight with clay wheels. Around 1974, …
Terry Lawrence – 2020
Find Terry on Instagram Terry Lawrence, (formerly she/her, now he/him) was one of the most hard-charging female vert skaters of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Born in July 1962 in Long Beach, California, Terry started skateboarding at the age of eight on a neighbor’s Roller Derby with metal wheels. Terry’s first skateboard was a …
Rick Blackhart – 2020
Find Rick on Social Media Skateboarding’s rude bad boy, Rick Blackhart grew up in San Jose, California, where he first started pushing wood way back in 1969 on a Black Knight with metal wheels. In 1975, he turned pro for Tunnel, and by the next year he started ripping the gigantic 30-foot diameter Bombora full …
Ray Barbee – 2020
Follow Ray on Instagram With smiles for miles and a loose, flowing skating style, Ray Barbee is simply one of the most beloved pro skateboarders to have emerged from the late-1980s and early-’90s. Born in San Francisco, California in 1971, Ray started skateboarding at age 12 in 1983 when his friend Danny got a Variflex …
Micke Alba – 2019
Follow Micke on Social Media Born in the Badlands of Southern California, Michael “Micke” Alba enjoyed a career as one of the top vert pros from the late 1970s to the late-’80s. Starting out skating freestyle around 1975, Micke switched over to vert at the Bel Air Pool, the Central Pool, the famous L Pool …
Brad Bowman – 2018
Find Brad on Social Media Brad Bowman is widely recognized as one of the most stylish skateboarders of the late 1970s. His appearances on the pages of Skateboarder magazine ripping backyard pools and skateparks comprise some of the most memorable and beloved photos of that time period. Brad’s first metal-wheeled skateboard ride–in Indiana in the …
Jim Phillips – 2017
Born in San Jose, California in October 1944, Jim Phillips is a graphic artist best known for his surf and skateboard art. In terms of skateboarding specifically, Jim is responsible for three of the most recognizable logos ever created within the sport: the Santa Cruz “Dot” logo (co-created with Jay Shuirman in 1978), the Independent …
Eric Dressen – 2017
Find Eric on Social Media Eric Dressen was born on September 16, 1967 in Los Angeles, California and got his first skateboard at the age of eight. Only a year later, Eric was discovered by Laura Thornhill while skating a pool in Torrance. Impressed by his obvious natural talents, she introduced him to Skateboarder magazine …
Mofo – 2016
Find Mofo on Social Media Richard Knoll, aka Mofo, joined Thrasher magazine as their second official employee only months after it was founded in January 1981 and rose with the success of the San Francisco based publication to become one of the most influential photographers, writers, graphic artists, and personalities in the skate media world …
Steve Alba – 2016
Find Steve on Social Media Having stepped on a skateboard for the first time in third grade, Steve Alba would refine his vertical skateboard skills over the next few years before winning the first pool contest in skateboarding history at the Spring Valley stop of the Hester Series in 1978. From there, the man known …
Duane Peters – 2015
Follow Duane on Instagram Born on June 12, 1961, Duane Peters (aka the Master of Disaster) is best known for being one of the first pros (along with Steve Olson) to introduce punk rock music and fashion to skateboarding. He is also credited with inventing a host of now staple tricks to the sport, including …
John Cardiel – 2015
Follow John on Instagram Simply one of the biggest and enduring legends of skateboarding, John Cardiel was born on December 14, 1973 in San Jose, California. He grew up in Half Moon Bay and later Grass Valley. Transcending multiple generations and beloved worldwide, his “All hail Cardiel!” folklore was built not on any technical innovation …
Cara-Beth Burnside – 2015
Find Cara-Beth on Social Media Cara-Beth Burnside is a pioneer of women’s professional skateboarding and snowboarding. Born on July 23, 1968 in Orange, California, Cara-Beth first began skateboarding around age 10 with her older brother, honing her skills at the legendary Big O Skatepark. From the early ’80s to the mid ’00s, she solidified herself …
Fausto Vitello – 2014
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 7, 1946, Fausto Vitello’s influence on skateboarding could be deemed critical if only for his entrepreneurial role in co-founding Thrasher, Independent, and Deluxe Distribution. Having fled Argentina and the oppression of the Revolución Libertadora political regime with his family at age nine, Vitello was raised on Frederick Street in …