Smith, Col (Sydney)

Dynamic Australian goofyfoot surfer from Narrabeen, New South Wales; winner of the 1977 Australian National Titles, and progenitor in the late '60s and early '70s, along with fellow Aussie Wayne Lynch, of high-performance backside surfing. "I just started going up and down the wave instead of along it," he later said with a shrug.

Smith was born (1948) in Sydney, grew up in the landlock suburb by Stanmore, moved to Narrabeen with his mother at age 10 and began surfing on a stripped-down iron...