Yancy Spencer III

Yancy Bailey Spencer III was an American surfer from Pensacola, Florida, born on July 2, 1950, who is widely regarded as the founder of Gulf Coast surfing. He was the son of Yancy Bailey Spencer Jr., who served in the United States Navy from 1938 to 1962 and reached the rank of Chief Petty Officer, and of Patricia Lee Rice. He married Lydia Ann Brown, and the couple had three children, among them his namesake Yancy Spencer IV, the actress Abigail Spencer and Sterling Spencer. He died on February 14, 2011, after surfing at County Line Beach in California; the cause of death was a heart attack. A statue of him stands on Pensacola Beach in Florida.