“Surfer Poll: 1964’s Top Surfers,” SURFER magazine, July 1965

The Duke was there. So were other familiar surfing names: Chew, Edwards, Doyle, Carroll. They came from scattered spots. Duke Kahanamoku, Fred Hemmings, and Butch Van Artsdalen had flown in from the Islands only that afternoon. Joyce Hoffman had driven a few hundred yards from her home down the curving beach. Ken Adler was en route to Australia from the World Contest at Peru.

But there they were—the cream of world surfing talent—gathered at the Capistrano Beachcomber Club for the Second Annual SURFER Poll Awards Banquet. And everyone wanted to know—who’s Number oOne?

Brennan “Hevs” McClelland, at the microphone, made the most of the suspense. He announced the women’s champion first: Joyce Hoffman, who had ripped apart last year’s competition. Then he started naming the men’s winners, beginning with 10th place Dewey Weber. Names were reeled off: Strauch, Farrelly, Cabell, and, finally, there were only two surfers left—Fred Hemmings and Mike Doyle.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the world’s top surfer during 1964—probably the most competitive and versatile surfer in the world today—Mike Doyle!”

Heavy applause underscored the popularity of the choice. The voting had been truly international with ballots from the March SURFER coming in from all over the nation, as well as England, France, Peru, Australia, and other corners of the world. Ballots had been tabulated by an independent firm, the Accounting Corporation of America.

Competition was the keynote of this year’s awards. Hevs McClelland underlined this theme by quoting a venerable Olympic Games maxim:

“The essence of competition is not victory—but competing. Let the critics cry out—but hear them not. For the man in the arena is looking at a man in the stands and the man in the stands is not doing anything—but looking.”

Joyce Hoffman and big Mike Doyle are competitors all the way. Joyce scored an unprecedented five victories in surfing contests last year—including a first place at Makaha. Hoffman, 17, was taught to surf in front of her oceanfront house by step-father Walter Hoffman, famous tandem star of the 1950s. She plans to keep on entering contests next year and promises to be tough to knock out of the number one woman’s spot.

Doyle is equally at home paddling, tandem, dory racing, or going for broke at contests anywhere from Punta Rocas to Oceanside.

The Duke, in rare form, warmly recalled that in the Roaring Twenties he had dedicated the Beachcomber Club’s pool along with a couple of other great swimmers of the era—Fred Cady and Dutch Miller.

“You’re misnamed,” grinned Hevs, “You’re not the Duke—you’re the King.”

Hevs told that as a curly-haired youngster at Laguna Beach in the early ’30s he had seen the Duke bodysurf all the way to the beach from the second reef at Brooks Street.

"For those of you who know Brooks Street, you realize how difficult that was—and without fins,” Hevs said. “For those unfamiliar with Brooks Street—let me say the Duke’s feat, to my knowledge, has never been duplicated.”

The Banquet crowd rose for a standing ovation as the Duke was presented with the SURFER Cup, symbolizing Outstanding Contribution To The Sport of Surfing. The award will be made annually.

1964 SURFER Poll Awards

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