Santa Cruz

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, …

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Micke Alba - 2019 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inductee

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 …

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Eric Dressen - Skateboarding Hall of Fame

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 …

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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 …

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Duane Peters - 2015 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inductee is best known for being one of the first pros to introduce punk rock music and fashion to skateboarding.

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 …

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Steve Olson – 2014

Find Steve on Social Media Credited with introducing skateboarding to punk rock at the end of the 1970s, along with being the original tester of the Independent Stage 1 truck (which was released in ’78), and whose iconic Santa Cruz Checkerboard model became the first use of full-board graphics on seven-ply laminated maple, Steve Olson …

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Natas Kaupas - 2014 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inductee

Natas Kaupas – 2014

Find Natas on Social Media Born in 1969 and raised in south Santa Monica, California, Natas, Kaupas along with Mark Gonzales, repurposed Rodney Mullen’s flatground Ollie and outright invented modern street skating. Ollies, kickflips, wall rides, handrails, and, of course, fire hydrants— all became realities through the critical years of 1984 through ’89 thanks to Natas. Originally …

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NHS- 2013 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inductee

NHS – 2013

Find NHS on Social Media Founded in 1973 by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman, NHS, Inc. has grown into a veritable empire in skateboarding, consisting of a wide variety of brands, including Independent, Flip, Krux, Ricta, Mob Grip, Nor Cal Clothing, OJ Wheels, Creature, Santa Cruz Skateboards, Santa Cruz Surfboards, Santa Cruz Snowboards, …

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