Jack Brisco, Wrestle in Peace

[TheNighthawk]

The. Best. Ever.

Whenever I am asked to give an interview, just like last week, I always give credit to Jack Brisco as being the inspiration to me wanting to be a pro wrestler. Today, to mark his untimely passing at the age of 68, I feel I have to say a few things.

Consider that his NCAA accomplishments were impossible to believe, winning the national championship in a season in which he never gave up a takedown. To put that in football terms, it would be like not only going undefeated, not only having a shutout every game, but going all year without even surrending a first down!

When he turned pro, in the manner of his heroes Lou Thesz and Danny Hodge, he brought credibility to the sport that has seldom been seen since. Backlund, Gagne, Robinson, and Angle come near to it but Jack always carried himself like a champion, with or without the NWA title. His interviews were typically low key, talking with my friend and mentor, the late Gordon Solie about how he had been in the gym working on some new holds and counters and how he hoped to give a good account of himself in his next match.

Brisco never disappointed and anyone coming up today should find his 60-minute classic bouts with Dory Funk, Jr. Study that tape and you'll know how to keep the sports in sports entertainment.

With black boots, maroon trunks and a humble wave to the crowd when his name was announced, he epitomized everything I wanted to be. We shall not see his like again.

[swoleoneday]

Some notes on Jack Brisco:

WWE Hall of Famer Jack Brisco passed away this morning at the age of 68.
He had been in poor health for some time although his family had asked
for his ailments to be kept private. He died due to complications from
heart surgery that he underwent two week's ago.

Jack Brisco was one of the all-time greats who forged his legacy in the
1960s, 70s and 80s. He was widely regarded as the single most gifted
wrestler of his era and truly one of the nicest guys outside the ring
that you could ever wish to meet. In 2005, Don Leo Jonathan described
Jack as, "probably the greatest champion of the 20th century."

He grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma and won a scholarship to attend
Oklahoma State University. He was the first Native American to win an
NCAA National Championship, winning at 191 pounds in 1965. Incredibly he
won that title without getting taken down once during the entire season.
He was also a two-time NCAA All American in 1964 and 1965.

He always knew that he wanted to be a professional wrestler. Lou Thesz
and local heroes Danny Hodge and Dick Hutton were his idols growing up.
He was recruited into the sport by promoter Leroy McGuirk. He wrestled
in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Dallas, Amarillo, and Australia before coming to
Florida, where he was a top draw under Eddie Graham, and became a
two-time World heavyweight champion, and multi-time tag team champion
with his younger brother Gerald.

His first NWA World title reign came when he defeated Harley Race in
Houston on July 20, 1973. He was originally scheduled to take the title
from Dory Funk Jr. a few months earlier following a long standing feud,
but forces politically manouvered for Funk to drop the title to Race
instead.

He defended the title in NWA affiliated territories until he lost to
Japanese legend Giant Baba on December 2, 1974, only to regain the title
seven days later. Jack would eventually drop the belt to Terry Funk on
December 10, 1975. His loss continued the feud between the Briscos and
the Funks.

His reign as NWA champion was particularly significant as he was only
the second wrestler in history to have won the title more than once at
the time, with the other and first multi-time champion being Lou Thesz.

In 1984, Jack and brother Gerald acquired a minority interest in Georgia
Championship Wrestling, and convinced a majority of the shareholders to
sell their shares to Vince McMahon, enabling McMahon to increase his
dominance across the country. The brothers were offered lifetime jobs
with McMahon as part of the deal in exchange for selling their interests
in GCW.

Jack left the business in 1984 and retired to his home in Florida, while
Gerald has worked with the WWF/WWE ever since. He is one of the few
major wrestling stars to retire, and actually stay retired. In later
life, Jack and Gerald also ran a very successful auto body shop
business. He was inducted into the Lou Thesz-George Tragos Professional
Wrestling Hall of Fame at the International Wrestling Museum and
Institute in Iowa in 2001, and was also inducted into the WWE Hall of
Fame in 2008.

Credit Mike Aldren