Bill Curry at Station One 1967 Photo Jimmy Allen

The First Annual Carolina Surfing Championships is held on the Isle of Palms, SC (November 5-6). One hundred and twenty surfers compete in the contest. Local surfers place in the competition: Richard Verzaal (Men's Open, 2nd; Junior Men's, 2nd), Mike Curry (Men's Open, 3rd; Junior Men's 1st), Robert Parker (Senior Men's, 1st), Joe Funderburg (Senior Men's, 3rd), Kathy Dean (Women's Open, 3rd), Dean Monk (Boy's, 1st), Billy Curry (Boy's, 3rd), and Wayne Sutton (Novice, 2nd).

1979

Bill Curry captures first place in the longboard and kneeboard divisions at the Eastern Surfing Championships.

1980

Bill Curry wins the Men's Division at the Eastern Surfing Championships, becoming the first North Carolinian to do so.

1981

Bill Curry takes fifth overall in the US Amateur Surfing Championships and wins the Iron Surfer award for accumulating the highest point totals at the event (July).

1982

Bill Curry is named the Outstanding Surfer in the East Coast and US Surfing Championships. Curry places in the longboard (1st), individual paddle race (1st), men's kneeboard (2nd), master's (3rd), and bodyboard (4th) at the Eastern Surfing Championships (September 5-8). His paddle-race team also places first at the contest in Hatteras. Attending the US Championships, he places first in the longboard, first in the individual paddleboard, third in the kneeboard, and eighth in the master's division (September 9-13).

Bill Curry wins the Master's and Longboard Divisions at Surfabout '82 (September 25-26). Will Allison finishes second in the Master's Division followed by Mike Quinn and Walker Purden. Behind Curry in the longboard division was Richard Markett, Charlie Hunt, and Ken Curry.

1984

Kim Watters finishes second in the Women's Kneeboard, Jo Whaley places third in the Senior Women, and Bill Curry finishes third in the Longboard Division at the Eastern Surfing Championships in Cape Hatteras, NC.

1985

The Record Bar Pro-Am is held in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), it is the largest professional surfing tournament on the East Coast. Featuring Tommy Carroll (top-seed), Matt Kechele, Derek Ho, and Mark Richards, among others, Gary "Kong" Elkerton wins the Pro Division while Wilmington's Brian Tracey finishes third in the Men's Amateur Division, Gina Blakenship finishes third in the Women's Amateur, and Bill Curry finishes first in the Open Longboard and is followed by Carolina Beach's Charlie Hunt in third place, and Mike Curry in sixth place. Bill Curry also finishes fourth in the Master's Division. Jo Whaley takes fifth in the Women's division. The event is sponsored in-part by Surf City Surf Shop. Scandinavian freestyle skater, Per Welinder, provides a exhibition at Surf City Surf Shop as well. (September 18-22).

1986

Bill Curry is named to the 1986 ESA Allstar Team. The only other North Carolinian is Tod Martin from Morehead City.

1987

Bill Curry captures first in the Longboard and Men's Paddleboard divisions, and receives the Iron Man Award at the 1987 ESA Eastern Surfing Championships held at the lighthouse in Cape Hatteras, NC. He also finishes third in the Master's and sixth in the Senior Kneeboard divisions. Jo Whaley takes first in the Senior Kneeboard and receives the Ironwoman Award. Ed Fawess captures first in the Senior Men followed by Will Allison in second place. The Southern North Carolina team consisting of Will Allison, Bill Curry, Jon Jones, and Clark Wallin takes first place in the Men's Team Paddleboard event.

At the United States Amateur Surfing Championships in North Padre Island, TX, Will Allison (1st, Senior Mens) and Bill Curry (1st, Longboard) won the titles in their divisions. Jo Whaley, also of Wilmington, placed fourth in the Senior Women's Division. Allison and Curry were also members of the winning east coast paddleboard team that included Bill McMillan and Bruce Walker of Florida (November).

1988

Team USA member, Bill Curry, places 3rd in the Open Longboard division at the ISA World Surfing Games in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Wrightsville Beach's Bill Curry places first in the Senior Men's Division, second in the Longboard, second in the Senior Kneeboard, first in the Men's Paddleboard, and captures the Iron Man Award at the 1988 Eastern Surfing Championships in Cape Hatteras. Carolina Beach's Fisher Culbreth finishes seventh in the Junior Men's division while Wilmington's Bryan Tracey takes seventh in the Master's division (September).

1989

Oak Island's Jon Jones wins the Senior Men's Division at the US Amateur Surfing Championships in Oceanside, CA. Another Cape Fear surfer, Bill Curry, places sixth in the Senior Men's and fourth in the Longboard Division (mid-July).

Wrightsville Beach's Bill Curry wins the Senior Men's Division at the 1989 ESA Eastern Surfing Championships in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina while also capturing first place in the Men's Paddleboard and winning the Iron Man Award. He also places fifth in the Senior Kneeboard. Wilmingtonian, Tamara Paul, takes first place in the Women's Kneeboard and second in the Women's Bodyboard, while Sonia Seigler places third in the Women's Kneeboard and third in the Women's Bodyboard. Jill Longordo, places fifth in the Girls Division, while Jon Jones takes second place in the Longboard and Randy Griffin places third in the Junior Kneeboard (September).

1992

Wrightsville Beach's Bill Curry wins the Senior Men's, Open Longboard, and Individual Paddleboard Divisions while taking third in the Senior Men's Kneeboard Division at the 25th annual Eastern Surfing Championships in Buxton, North Carolina (September 13-17).

1993

Bill Curry captures first place in the Open Longboard Division and the Senior Longboard Division at the US Amateur Surfing Championships in Oceanside, CA (August 2-7), and earns a spot on the USSF 1993 US Team.

At the 26th annual Eastern Surfing Championships the following placed: Ben Bourgeois (1st, Boys); Bill Curry (1st, Senior Longboard; 2nd, Senior Men); Mark Hunt (5th, Men's); Chris Curry (5th, Menehune); and Guion Lee (7th, Junior Men's).

1994

Bill Curry wins the Open and Senior Men divisions at the 1st Annual Bette Marsh Memorial Classic in Atlantic Beach, NC. His son, Chris, places second in the Boys division while Guion Lee finishes second in Junior Men, and is followed by Kyle Kight in third (April 2-3).

Team USA member, Bill Curry, places 3rd in the Open Longboard division at the ISA World Surfing Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Chris Curry places first in the Menehune division at the Eastern Surfing Championships at Cape Hatteras (September 11-17). Mitch Baker places third in the Boys division while Ben Bourgeois finishes third in the Juniors division. In the Men's division, Carolina Beach legend, Fisher Culberth, places fourth and is followed by Mark Hunt in seventh place. Guion Lee places fourth in the Junior Longboard and Marty Mentzer places sixth in the Junior Women division. Bill Curry places fifth in the Senior Men, third in the Senior Longboard, and second in the Kneeboard divisions.

At the 1994 U.S. Amateur Surfing Championships, held at Sebastian Inlet, FL, Ben Bourgeois wins 1st place in the Junior division. Carolina Beach surfer, Fisher Culberth wins the Men's division while Bill Curry wins the Senior Longboard division and places third in the Kneeboard division (November 20-29).

1996

The Ninth Annual Sweet Willy's Pro-Am Surf Challenge is held in Emerald Isle, NC. Bill Curry wins the Longboard Pro Division (June).

Southeastern North Carolina fares well in the 29th annual Eastern Surfing Championships in Hatteras (September 8-13). Boys: Matt Gilligan (2), Chris Curry (3); Juniors: Ben Bourgeois (1), Mitch Baker (8); Men: Mark Hunt (4), Tony Butler (7); Grandmasters: Will Allison (5); Women: Marty Mentzer (4); Senior Longboard: Billy Curry (2); Kneeboard: Billy Curry (3); Tag Team: Southeastern North Carolina; and Junior Hot Wave: Ben Bourgeois.

1997

Bill Curry places first in the Senior Men's Longboard Division at the 37th Annual U.S. Amateur Surfing Championships in Oceanside, CA. Will Allison places second in the Grandmaster's Division. Marty Mentzer, of Ocean Isle Beach, places second in the Women's Division (July 14-19).

2004

Wrightsville Beach surfer, Bill Curry, is inducted into the East Coast Surfing Legends Hall of Fame. He and nine other surfers join the existing group of 71 surfers already in the Hall (January).

Bill Curry Reef Pro-Am July 2006 photo courtesy Onufrock

Citing This Page:

"A Timeline of Surfing in the Cape Fear Region." Cape Fear Surfing Archive. William Randall Library, University of North Carolina Wilmington. [Created: March 1, 2004; Last Update: Wednesday 28 January, 2009 ; Cited: ]. Available from http://library.uncw.edu/surf/timeline.htm