Скачать или смотреть 2015 Wake of Fame Inductee Bob McCord

The Wake of Fame Awards recognize the contributions, legends and industry leaders in the Personal Water Craft boating community. Our focus is on Personal Water Craft (PWC) and Rescue Water Craft (RWC), its history and the people who built it and became the sport, and saved lives. They defined who we are and what we do today as a boating community.

2015
Wake of Fame
Inductee
Bob McCord

Bob McCord
Nickname: Big Mac
Bob was born in September 1947 in Portsmouth New Hampshire. He grew up in San Diego area and went to school at Oceanside High. He played all the usual sports, Football, Baseball and Track. He took up scuba diving, free dive and of course Surfing. He worked on fishing boats going out of O Side Harbor for 7 years.

While on vacation at Carlsbad lagoon in 1972 he was bothered by some little item that was creating chop as he was looking for glassy waters. He finally decided he’d had it and was going to have a talk with the two guys tearing up the good water. As he stood at the water’s edge waiting, one of the guys came to shore. Bob stepped towards the guy, who extended his hand and said “Hello, you want to try this?” Well that’s how he met Norm Harris, Fred Tunstall and Gordy Garant, the original Jet Ski Team. Bob took his demo ride and the rest, as they say, is History.


Bob joined the Kawasaki test team. He was an aggressive rider with a big personality. As he rode the skis he “Infected” many with his passion for the sport. Kawasaki was struggling with the product in early months of testing trying to figure out if it fit a market. The “Big Wigs” and engineers from Japan came to the U.S. to make a decision on whether to “Pull the plug” on the project or not. The Testers met with them at Carlsbad Lagoon and Bob hit the water. He showed them how “We” saw the use of the skis. He jumped wakes, raced around buoys and threw giant slides for their viewing. He showed them the vision shared by the Test team and taught them to ride in a different manner than they had thought about. The result being that Kawasaki proceeded with the project.

During his promotional work with KMC, Bob traveled and did advertisement for Canadian Club Whiskey, he taught “Ponch and John” from the TV show CHiPs, how to ride. He appeared on the Mike Douglas show teaching several women to ride.

When Racing started in 1977, Bob was a major competitor. He won every Freestyle event he ever entered which was 3 years worth of events. He had moves he performed on the ski named after him. The long slide into a tail spin was called the “McCord turn”. In Slalom and Tri-oval he was always a front runner.
He now lives in Beaverton, Oregon with Kelly Jo. They have been together for 20 years. Together they share 1 son and 7 daughters and 4 grand children.