At first, the Katin Pro-Am in Huntington Beach was the best international-level pro contest in California because it was the 

 international-level pro contest in California. When the Op Pro touched down in '82, all lit up like the Close Encounters spaceship—the Katin was still best, if for no other reason than it was held in winter, not summer. The Katin almost always had decent waves. The crowd was small but hardcore, the team format made the whole thing more collegial, more fun. Nancy herself—aged, tiny, grim-faced, and noble—was there on finals day, until death removed her to that big quality-first trunk-making operating in the sky, and her presence put everybody on their best behavior.

The contest field was huge. Nancy and Walter Katin were always for the little guy, and wanted as many people to get a start as possible. To make the finals you had to surf eight or 10 or 12 heats. The cream always rose to the top. In that sense, the Katin was predictable. World tour stars would swoop into town after the Hawaiian winter season like plundering Norsemen to grab the treasure (a '77 Katin victory paid $4,250, while a Pipe Masters win that year paid a meager $1,500). Shaun Tomson, Michael Ho, Larry Bertlemann, Martin Potter, young Tom Curren, Shaun again . . . who's going to beat those guys?

Greg Mungall, that's who. The Icepick. Greg Mungall was the new guy in town for the '79 Katin, showed up out of the blue—or somewhere in Florida, who the hell knew which part, we Californians were too cool to care—and you couldn't keep your eyes off him. Big bright smile, porny mustache, thundering voice, haymaking top-turn, and purple-blue skin—for God's sake, here it was the first week of January ("the coldest winter in 15 years," SURFER reported), and the crazy bastard is 

. And not just getting through heats, but dominating. World tour heroes were but wheat 'neath Mungall's Astrodeck-covered sickle. During the last few matches of the day, Drew Kampion wrote, "Mungall was incredible. He pulled more speed and power out of the waves than anybody had in the contest thus far. He looked like a regular Nat Young." In the semis, Mungall beat Nuuhiwa, Ho, and Horan. In the finals ("the best for surf and surfing the Katin has yet experienced," reported 

), Mungall beat Ho, Bugs, Rabbit, PT, and Banks. Just ran the table.

At the awards ceremony on the beach a half-hour later, every top-finishing surfer marched up to claim his check wearing pants and a T-shirt and a team jacket. Except Greg. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else.

GREG MUNGALL GOES FULL POLAR BEAR; WINS '79 KATIN!

Subscribe or Login

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Interviews

Features

The Sunday Joint

Videos

Contests