On the flipside, he dominated the 1982 World Cup at eight-to-ten foot Sunset. As Mark Richards stepped aside, Tom Carroll filled the void, winning three consecutive events and becoming the first goofyfoot to earn a professional world title. He repeated in 1984 by staving off a late-career effort by Shaun Tomson and putting Tom Curren’s destiny on hold. Carroll also won the USA based Surfer Poll that year, proving he was a surfer’s surfer and the people’s choice.
In 1985, Tom Carroll took a personal stance against South Africa’s policy of apartheid, contributing to the loss of his title to Curren. Carroll’s boycott of the South African events established him as a freethinking leader, and this inspired other pros to join his cause.
By the late 80s, while fighting to reclaim his lost title, Carroll became the acknowledged master in Hawaii. His ascendancy at Pipeline from finalist in his first attempt in 1979 to the first three-time Pipe Masters champion, bridged the gap between gerry Lopez and Kelly Slater. His first win, in 1987, was driven by pure emotion the day after his sister died in an auto accident. In 1991, in perfect 8- to 12-foot surf, he executed the most committed late drop and the heaviest under-the-lip snap in history to stamp his supremacy on the wave. Carroll’s performances were equally dominant at Sunset, Haleiwa, Rockpile and later along Hawaii’s outer reefs.
Throughout his career, injuries have kept Carroll from full potential. Beginning with an infected fin gash in Bali in 1978, he has been plagued: stomach rupture in 1979, knee reconstruction in 1981, fin up the arse in 1988, multiple ankle ligament tears, various cuts, lower-back strains and a concussion in 1996. His strict training regimen on tour saved his career several times.
In 1988, when he appeared set to reclaim his crown, Carroll earned surfing’s first million-dollar contract with Quiksilver. A careless paddling interference at Pipe cost him the title and caused a step back. The tour was a serious grind in the 80s, with more than twice the number of events today, and Carroll persevered through the guts of it. He married longtime girlfriend Lisa in 1991 and, at age 30, returned to third in the world ratings before leaving competition in 1993.
Still anchored in Newport, Tom Carroll has three daughters, Jenna, Mimi and Grace. The Quiksilver relationship has persisted throughout, and he works for on the international pro staff team and travels the world conducting training camps. His surfing, in waves of consequence, remains on par with the best in the world.
During Carroll’s 14-year tenure on the world tour, he racked up 26 victories (third behind Curren and Kelly Slater), finished in the top five a record nine times and never wavered as the most powerful surfer on earth. In the sport’s most challenging arena, Hawaii, Tom Carroll was without equal, proving, at a height of just 5’6′, the old maxim: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. — (Profile written by Jason Borte, as posted in full on Surfline.com)
Tom Carroll was voted in at number 7 on Surfer Magazine’s list of the “Greatest Surfers of All Time”
