The 2028 Olympics are being hosted in Los Angeles, with some events scheduled to be held at locations in Orange County. The Honda Center in Anaheim will be the designated venue for Olympic volleyball, and Trestles Beach in San Clemente will be the designated site for Olympic surfing.
In the spirit of the Olympics, here’s a look at some of the famous athletes and sports legends that have come out of Orange County, plus some very important people who contributed to the development of sports culture in OC.
Surfing
Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater is an 11-time World Surf League champion that was Florida-born, but deeply tied to Orange County through major competition wins and a long-term presence in Huntington Beach surf culture and winner of the US Open. Rumor has it, Lower Trestles in San Clemente is one of his favorite surf spots.
Laird Hamilton
Laird is a big-wave pioneer and tow-in surfing innovator often associated with OC surf culture and industry events. He is known to have surfed Salt Creek, the Wedge in Newport Beach, San Onofre, and the Huntington Beach pier. He has family in Laguna Beach and he is immortalized in cement at the Surfer’s Hall of Fame in downtown Huntington Beach.
Rob Machado
World-class pro surfer known for style and smooth wave riding. One of OC’s most iconic surf exports; heavily tied to the areas surf identity, and inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk Of Fame in 2011, and winner of the US Open.
Herbie Fletcher
Legendary surfer and board designer; father of Christian and Nathan Fletcher; major figure in OC surf innovation and WSL-era development. Lived in Huntington Beach and frequented waves at Trestles in San Clemente.
Christian Fletcher
Revolutionary aerial surfer who practiced often at Lower Trestles in the 1980s. Helped define modern freestyle surfing in OC surf breaks. Christian is the oldest son of Herbie Fletcher and was seen hitting surf competitions as recently as 2025 at age 55.
Nathan Fletcher
Nathan is a big-wave and tow-surfing pioneer, becoming a key part of OC’s surf progression into extreme ocean riding. Son of Herbie Fletcher and brother of Christian Fletcher. He was born in San Clemente.
Tom Curren
3-time World Surf League champion; Tom regularly competed in Orange County events during peak career years. He was born in Newport Beach and his father is big wave surf pioneer Pat Curren.
Cherie Dewey
Cherie Dewey was an early women’s surfing competitor connected to OC, Dana Point, and Southern California surf development.
Lynne Boyer
Early competitive female surfer tied to Southern California surf growth and OC competitions. Inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame in 2008.
Hobie Alter
Surfer and skater who became a legendary surfboard maker that started out of a garage in Laguna Beach. His first shop opened in Dana Point in 1954. The same year, he was the winner of the 2nd Brooks Street Surfing Contest in Laguna. In addition to being one of the most well-known surf board makers, he also created the Hobie Cat catamaran and a number of other products.
Skateboarding
Christian Hosoi
Vert skating icon known for style and innovation in the 80s. Strong ties to OC ramps and surf/skate crossover culture. Hosoi lives in Huntington Beach, and he was ordained as assistant pastor at the Sanctuary Church in 2004.
Ryan Sheckler
Pro skateboarder and one of the youngest X Games gold medalists. Star of Life of Ryan. He was born in La Palma, went to San Clemente High School, and grew up skating San Clemente’s parks and is closely tied to the local surf/skate culture.
Nyjah Huston
One of the most dominant (and highest paid) street skateboarders in history. Not OC-born, but frequently trained and competed in Orange County’s major skateparks and contests, and lived in Laguna Beach.
Ed Templeton
Born in Garden Grove and now based in Huntington Beach, Ed Templeton is a pro skater, artist, and founder of Toy Machine. He was one of the most influential figures of OC skate culture and Huntington Beach’s street skating era. He was inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame in 2016.
Steve Olson
Steve Olson is a professional skateboarder and artist who grew up in Rossmoor. He was an early skateboarding pioneer from the Dogtown era and an influential figure in shaping modern street skating that later exploded in OC. He was the first vert skateboarding champion and was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2014.
Jason Lee
Jason Lee is a former pro skateboarder turned actor, filmmaker, and photographer (My Name Is Earl). Part of the OC skateboarding-to-Hollywood pipeline. Lee was born in Santa Ana and raised in Huntington Beach and is co-founder/co-owner of Stereo along with long-time friend Chris Pastras.
Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen is a street skating pioneer credited with inventing the kickflip and flatground ollie, among many other tricks. While not an OC-native, he regularly competed and filmed in Orange County during skateboarding’s boom era. He is considered one of skate industries most influential people and was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2013.
Greyson Fletcher
Greyson Fletcher is part of the famous Fletcher surfing/skateboarding family who blends surfing, skating, and snowboard-style riding. The skater, surfer, actor and artist is from San Clemente and is the son of Christian Fletcher, and grandson of Herbie Fletcher. He often frequented the San Clemente skate park when it opened.
BMX
Mat Hoffman
Originally from Oklahoma, Mat Hoffman is a BMX legend and vert pioneer. He was heavily involved in the SoCal BMX Scene and OC X Games-era of BMX. In 1989 at a pro contest, Mat was the first to land a 900, after only attempting it once before. Mat started his bike brand Hoffman Bikes in 1991.
Chris Moeller
Chris Moeller grew up in Huntington Beach, took to BMX in the 80s and was a test rider for BMX Action Magazine. He went on to co-found S&M Bikes in 1987 (now located in Santa Ana) to create some of the best bikes in the industry. Chris is considered the King of American BMX thanks to his dedication to the sport and American made bikes.
MMA / UFC
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, one of OC’s most famous fighters, and longtime Huntington Beach resident. He served as the Mayor pro tempore of Huntington Beach for six months in 2020-2021. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tank Abbott
Born and raised in Huntington Beach, Tank Abbott is an early UFC heavyweight known for his raw fighting style and being part of Southern California’s MMA evolution. He was a wrestler at Cypress College and trained at the Westminster Boxing Gym.
Basketball
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was a Lakers legend. He lived in Orange County on the Newport Coast during peak career years and post-retirement. Kobe is known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, spent 20 years playing for the Lakers, won 5 NBA Championships, and was an all-star 18 times.
Baseball
Shane Bieber
Shane Bieber is a MLB pitcher and Cy Young winner with strong OC baseball development background. He has played with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians/Guardians. Shane was born in Orange and went to Laguna Hills High School.
Reggie Jackson
MLB Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson played for the California Angels in Anaheim from 1982-1987. During that time he lived in the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa Area.
Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire was a home run legend in major league baseball. Although he played for the Oakland A’s and the St. Louis Cardinals, he was a southern California native and continued to live in the Irvine area. McGwire was a 12-time All Star and hit 583 home runs during his career.
Football
Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez is a former NFL QB who led USC to prominence and played on multiple NFL teams including the NY Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. He was born in Long Beach and grew up in the Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo area.
Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart is a Heisman Trophy winner, USC star, and NFL quarterback who played for the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Oakland Raiders. Matt was born in Santa Ana, grew up in the area, and attended Mater Dei High School. Orange County has the Matt Leinart Flag Football League for kids who want a competitive, non-contact football experience.
Tony Gonzalez
This Hall of Fame tight end and football analyst grew up in Orange County and attended Huntington Beach High School. Tony played 12 season with the Kansas City Chiefs and five with the Atlanta Falcons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a professional football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft. Amon-Ra grew up in Anaheim Hills. He attended and played football at Servite High School and Mater Dei High School.
Equanimeous St. Brown
Equanimeous St. Brown is a professional football wide receiver. He played college football for Notre Dame and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He grew up in the Anaheim Hills area, attended Orange Lutheran High School, then transferred to Servite High School where he played football for the Friars.
Marcedes Lewis
Marcedes Lewis, also known as “Big Dog”, is an American professional football tight end. He was born in Los Alamitos and attended Long Beach Poly High School. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, where he earned All-American honors and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He currently plays for the Denver Broncos.
Soccer
Julie Foudy
Julie Foudy is an retired soccer midfielder, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She played for the United States women’s national soccer team from 1988 to 2004. Julie was raised in Mission Viejo and graduated from Mission Viejo High Schools where she was a two-time First-Team All-American and named player of the year from 1987-1989. She played for the teams Stanford Cardinal, Sacramento Storm, Tyreso FF, and San Diego Spirit.
Tennis
Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport Leach is a former professional tennis player who lives in the Laguna Beach area. She was ranked as the world Number 1 in women’s singles by the Women’s Tennis Association for 98 weeks, and as the world Number 1 in women’s doubles for 32 weeks.
Golf
Tiger Woods
Known as one of the greatest golfers of all time, and became the youngest person to win the Master’s at age 21. Woods has many records and outstanding achievements. He was born in Cypress, raised in Orange County, and attended Western High School. He started golfing with his father at age 2 and frequented several courses in the area like the Navy course and the former Cypress Golf Course.
Volleyball
Misty May-Treanor
Misty May-Treanor is a retired professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most successful female beach volleyball players, having won 112 tournaments in domestic and international competitions. Misty grew up in Costa Mesa and attended Newport Harbor High School where she was named a CIF Player of the Year and selected by USA Today as the best high school volleyball player in the nation. She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Swimming
Amanda Beard
Amanda Beard is a swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist with two gold, four silver, and one bronze medal. She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke. Amanda was born in Newport Beach, attended Irvine High School, and trained at Irvine Novaquatics. During her time on the Irvine swim team she won the CIF championships five years straight. Amanda was only 14 when she competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Janet Evans
Janet Evans is a former competition swimmer who swam from 1989 to 1992 for Stanford University and specialized in distance freestyle events. Janet was born in Fullerton and grew up in Placentia and was a member of the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team. She broke the world records for the 400, 800, and 1500-meter freestyle distances at only age 15. Janet competed in the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics where she earned four gold medals and one silver.
Winter Sports
Sasha Cohen
Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen grew up in the orange county area and graduated from Futures High School in Mission Viejo. Sasha competed in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, and earned a silver medal in 2006.
Wrestling (Pro Wrestling)
Samoa Joe
WWE/AEW star Samoa Joe (Nuufolau Joel Seanoa) grew up in Orange County. He attended and played football at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, where he also became a California State Judo Champion. He earned a number of awards and achievements over the course of his career.
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