Dick the Bruiser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dick the Bruiser |
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Dick the Bruiser in 1969
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| Birth name | William Fritz Afflis Jr. |
| Born | June 27, 1929 Delphi, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 1991 (aged 62) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Purdue University |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Afflis Dick Bruiser Dick the Bruiser Richard Afflis |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 261 lb (118 kg) |
| Billed from | Reno, Nevada |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne Joe Pazandak |
| Debut | 1954 |
| Retired | 1989
Football career |
| No. 15, 62, 72, 75 | |
| Position: | Guard, Tackle |
| Career information | |
| College: | Nevada |
| NFL Draft: | 1951 / Round: 16 / Pick: 186 |
| Career history | |
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| Player stats at PFR | |
William Fritz Afflis Jr. (born June 27, 1929 – died November 10, 1991) was an American professional wrestler and National Football League player. He was much better known by his ring name, Dick the Bruiser.
During his time in the NFL, he played four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He was also a very successful professional wrestler. He won many championships, including one AWA World Heavyweight Championship and thirteen WWA World Heavyweight Championships. He also won 20 tag team championships. Eleven of these were with his long-time tag-team partner Crusher Lisowski.
Dick the Bruiser was one of the most famous "heels" (bad guys) in wrestling from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s. He had big rivalries with wrestlers like Lou Thesz and Bobo Brazil. He was honored by being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021. He also joined the International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.
Contents
Early Life and School
Born in Delphi, Indiana, William Afflis moved to Indianapolis during World War II. He played football for Shortridge High School in Indianapolis for two years. When his family moved back to Delphi, his new high school did not have a football team.
To keep playing, Afflis lived at the YMCA in nearby Lafayette, Indiana. This allowed him to attend Lafayette Jefferson High School, where he played football and wrestled. Later, he went to Purdue University and the University of Nevada, Reno. He played varsity football at both schools. He also worked as a bouncer at a nightclub in Reno.
American Football Career
In 1951, William Afflis was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the professional football draft. He played as a lineman for the Packers from 1951 to 1954. He played in all 48 regular season games during those years.
While playing for the Packers, Afflis got an injury to his throat. This injury gave him his famous rough, gravelly voice that he had for the rest of his life.
Professional Wrestling Career
Dick the Bruiser started his professional wrestling career in 1954. He was trained by Verne Gagne. He began wrestling in Chicago in 1955, using the name "Bruiser."
In the late 1950s, Dick the Bruiser wrestled live on TV every Thursday in the Detroit area. He became very well known there. His matches often showed him easily defeating his opponents.
In 1963, Dick the Bruiser was involved in a planned event with NFL star Alex Karras. This event was supposed to be a staged fight at a bar. However, things got out of hand when someone who didn't know it was staged got involved. The situation became chaotic.
On November 19, 1957, Dick the Bruiser and Dr. Jerry Graham had a tag team match at Madison Square Garden in New York City. After the match, fighting continued among the wrestlers. Many fans also joined in, which led to a large disturbance. Because of this event, Afflis was banned from wrestling in New York for life.
In 1964, Afflis and fellow wrestler Wilbur Snyder bought a wrestling promotion in Indianapolis. Afflis renamed it the World Wrestling Association (WWA). He made himself the champion of this new promotion.
The WWA worked with the larger AWA, which was owned by Verne Gagne. This partnership helped both wrestling groups. It also led to Dick the Bruiser winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship five times. He won these titles with his tag team partner, The Crusher, who was introduced as his "cousin." Afflis was also the first to call wrestling manager Bobby Heenan "The Weasel."
The WWA ran from 1964 until 1989. Afflis decided to close it because it was becoming harder to compete with the growing World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Dick the Bruiser was a very popular star. He was known for his tough-guy image and his gravelly voice. He became a local hero in Indianapolis, where he lived. Famous TV host David Letterman, who grew up in Indianapolis, even named his TV show's band "The World's Most Dangerous Band." This was a nod to Dick the Bruiser's nickname, "The World's Most Dangerous Wrestler."
After he retired from wrestling, Afflis worked as a commentator for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). He also worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1990, he was a special guest referee at a big wrestling event called Starrcade 1990.
Personal Life and Death
Dick the Bruiser's son-in-law wrestles as Dick the Bruiser Jr. in smaller wrestling shows.
William Afflis died on November 10, 1991. He passed away from internal bleeding near his winter home in Florida. His wife, Louise, said he had been weightlifting at home and a blood vessel in his throat ruptured.
Championships and Accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)
- American Wrestling Alliance
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Wilbur Snyder
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with The Crusher
- World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) (1 time)
- AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Big Time Wrestling
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (4 times)
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) – with Gene Kiniski
- Japan Wrestling Association
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Crusher
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1972) with The Crusher
- Ranked #300 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- (Class of 2005) – Tag Team with Crusher
- (Class of 2011) – Television Era
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- (Class of 2007)
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (13 times)
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (15 times) – with The Crusher (6), Wilbur Snyder (3), Bruno Sammartino (1), Bill Miller (1), Spike Huber (1), Jeff Van Kamp (1), Bobby Colt (1) and Calypso Jim (1)
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2021)
- Other titles
- World Heavyweight Championship (Georgia version) (1 time)
See also
In Spanish: William Afflis para niños
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
