Terry McCann, born and raised in Chicago, college educated in Iowa and Olympic-trained in Oklahoma, seemed like the most unlikely candidate to surf. However when a business endeavor transferred him to Dana Point, California, Terry took up the sport with a vengeance.

He became a member of the San Onofre Surfing Club and hit the surf on a daily basis learning the intricacies of paddling, standing and turning. Being an Olympic Wrestling Champion, Terry was not satisfied to be stagnant in his ability on a board. Continual improvement was the norm and he quickly excelled to the point of where he was taking off on waves double his height.

However, Terry found that his abilities were better served in an administrative role. Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization dedicated to preserving the near shore coastline, was going through growing pains. Surfing friend, Tom Pezman, coerced Terry to run for the Board of Directors. In 1993 Terry was elected to the Surfrider Board of Directors and was immediately placed into the position of President of the Board of Directors.

Terry served as President of the Surfrider Board of Directors from 1993 until 1997. During that time he spearheaded the Strategic Planning Committee through which he redefined who and what Surfrider is; incorporated standard business reporting measures; oversaw operations to take the organization out of the red and into a fiscally solvent organization; as well as driving overall awareness of Surfrider to all time highs among the vast surfing population.

After stepping down from the Board, Terry bacame an active member of the San Clemente Chapter of Surfrider Foundation until his death in 2006.