Rick Rasmussen

Rick Rasmussen, born Richard S. Rasmussen in 1955, was an American professional surfer from Westhampton, New York. Born in New York City to a United States Marine Corps pilot, he moved often as a child and settled with his family in Westhampton Beach, where he attended high school until he ran away from home at fifteen to pursue professional surfing. He became the United States Surfing Champion and was the first East Coast surfer to win the US Surfing Championships. He was also filmed for the television series The American Sportsman. His life ended violently in 1982, when he was shot and killed in a drug deal that went wrong.