Taylor Knox (born May 15, 1971) is an American professional surfer. Knox was born in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

and began surfing at 8 years old. He moved with his family to

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

at 13 and continued to pursue his dream of becoming a pro surfer. At age 15, he had to undergo back surgery after a damaged

lumbar vertebra The lumbar vertebrae are located between the thoracic vertebrae and pelvis. They form the lower part of the back in humans, and the tail end of the back in quadrupeds. In humans, there are five lumbar vertebrae. The term is used to describe the ...

from a

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

accident threatened to paralyze him. He spent the next six months in a cocoon-like body

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

. In 1990, Knox participated in the World Amateur Championships in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He finished fourth place, ahead of fellow USA teammate

Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer who has been crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. He is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, and holds 56 Championship T ...

, who placed fifth. He began his ASP World Tour campaign in 1993. In February 1998, Knox won the inaugural K2 Big-Wave Challenge, an event that offered $50,000 to the surfer who caught the biggest wave of the winter and had photographic evidence. The winning wave was a 52-foot ride at Todos Santos during the Reef Big-Wave World Championships. In 1999 Knox took a one-year

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

from the World Tour. He returned in 2001 and achieved his highest ASP World Tour rating of 4th place. In August 2011, Knox was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame at

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

alongside George Downing and Chuck Linnen. Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai said Knox had "influenced an entire generation of surfers". As of 2011, his total career earnings are $1,028,422.00. The 2011 season is his 18th season on tour. In addition to surfing, Knox was also involved with the video game ''

Left 4 Dead ''Left 4 Dead'' is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Valve South and published by Valve. It was originally released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Mac OS X in October 2010, and is the first title in the '' Left 4 ...

'' released by

Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or Slurry, slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically Pip ...

in 2008. Taylor Knox provided his face to be used as a reference model for the survivor character Francis. Taylor's trademark brand of power

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

led to an uncommon

surfboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa hee ...

design in 2012 when he worked with Al Merrick to create the Channel Islands Dagger; a surfboard with an abnormally deep double concave and downturned rail. Taylor Knox is known for his ferocious frontside hacks, where he utilized his power and speed to put himself on the most critical sections of the wave.

Rating history on the ASP World Tour

*2013: Retired *2012: 31st *2011: 21st *2010: 17th *2009: 12th *2008: 23rd *2007: 14th *2006: 9th *2005: 24th *2004: 22nd *2003: 7th *2002: 25th *2001: 4th *2000: 28th *1998: 35th *1997: 18th *1996: 6th *1995: 5th *1994: 20th *1993: 24th

References

http://surf.transworld.net/1000164612/news/taylor-knox-wins-four-seasons-maldives-event/

External links

Official ASP Surfer ProfileMedication (film) on YouTube starring Knox
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Taylor American surfers 1971 births Living people Sportspeople from Carlsbad, California World Surf League surfers