Johnny surfing at Marine Street, Manhattan Beach, circa 1955. Photo: Johnnyrice.com
Although surfing is well known for its ancient Hawaiian roots, the sport is rarely associated with mainland Native Americans. Even coastal tribes with strong ties to the ocean have very few connections to surfing. However, upon taking a closer look into surfing’s rich history, one name stands out. The respected Native American waterman and revered surfboard shaper Johnny Rice not only bridged this gap, but his contributions shaped the evolution of the high performance surfboard.
Rice was born in Indiana in 1938 to a non-native mother and a full-blood father of the Prairie Band Potawatomie. Both a naval commander and a medical doctor, Rice’s father moved the family to Santa Cruz. Then in 1945, Rice’s father left the family, never to be heard from again. Without the presence of his father, Rice was raised solely by his mother. At the time, Native Americans faced forced assimilation, and as a result, the disintegration of tribe and culture. His mother urged him never to reveal his heritage in order to shield him from prejudice. However, Rice’s denial of his heritage instilled him with shame that he struggled with for years to come.
As a teenager, Rice moved to Southern California with his mother and stepfather. He attended Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach where he met his future wife, one of California’s first female surfing champions, Rosemari Russell. In Southern California, Rice embraced surfing, and he became a part of the elite Malibu crew amongst the likes of Mickey Munoz, Greg Noll, Mickey Dora, and Dewey Weber. In addition to mastering Malibu, Rice learned the art of surfboard shaping. Under the tutelage of the renowned Dale Velzy, Rice honed his skills, and he became one of the first shapers to pioneer the use of polyurethane foam. While most surfboards at the time were carved from heavy balsa wood, a small pool of cutting edge shapers experimented with the much lighter foam. This development produced much more responsive surfboards which opened the door to high performance surfing.
After graduation, Rice joined the coast guard, and in 1959 he moved to Hawaii. By this time Rice was an accomplished surfer and watermen, and he stood out from the local talent. He won the prestigious Diamond Head Paddle Race. The coast guard took him around the world, but it always kept him near the water. He lived in Brazil for a number of years in the ’70s where he influenced a young generation of Brazilian surfers. Despite his travels, he always returned back to his hometown of Santa Cruz, where he resides to this day.
Although he lived a carefree lifestyle, Rice struggled with drug and alcohol abuse throughout most of his young adulthood. It remained a battle for him until he reunited with his high school sweet heart, Rosemari Russell, in 1986. The two were married three years later, and she encouraged him to research his Native American family tree. Reconnecting with his family and his heritage brought Rice peace, and one day he decided to quit drinking cold turkey. He overcame his addictions, and he became a drug and alcohol counselor in 1994.
In the 1990’s he shared his love of surfing with the Washington State Quinault Nation. He sent the isolated community surfboards and wetsuits to help reinvigorate the tribe’s ocean based traditions. He spread surfing and shaping as a mechanism for spiritual healing and sobriety within the coastal tribe.
Today, Rice operates Johnny Rice’s Custom Surfboards in Santa Cruz with his wife Rosemari, and the couple lives steps away from Steamer Lane. Rice will forever be celebrated as one of surfing’s most influential shapers and one of the first Native American surfing pioneers.
Find out more about Johnny Rice at Johnnyrice.com
