Jack Brisco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack Brisco
Brisco in 1973.
Birth name	Freddie Joe Brisco
Born	(1941-09-21)September 21, 1941 Seminole, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	February 1, 2010(2010-02-01) (aged 68) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications from cardiac surgery
Alma mater	Oklahoma State University
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Jack Brisco Tiger Brisco Uvalde Slim
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Billed weight	234 lb (106 kg)
Billed from	Blackwell, Oklahoma, U.S.
Trained by	Leroy McGuirk
Debut	May 15, 1965
Retired	February 28, 1985

Jack Brisco (born Freddie Joe Brisco on September 21, 1941 – died February 1, 2010) was a famous American wrestler. He was great at both amateur (school/college) wrestling and professional wrestling.

While wrestling for Oklahoma State University, he was named an All-American twice. He even won the NCAA Division I national championship, which is a huge achievement in college sports! After college, he became a professional wrestler. He wrestled for many different groups within the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion twice and won many NWA Tag Team Championships with his brother, Gerald Brisco.

Many people think Jack Brisco was one of the best wrestlers of his time. A famous champion named Lou Thesz said he was "one of the toughest and most highly skilled wrestlers of the last 50 years." Another wrestling legend, Don Leo Jonathan, called him "probably the greatest champion of the 20th century." In the late 1970s, the Brisco brothers even helped discover Terry Bollea, who later became the wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan! They introduced him to Hiro Matsuda for training.

Jack Brisco's Amateur Wrestling Journey

Jack Brisco grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma, with five brothers and sisters. He loved professional wrestling from a young age. Some of his favorite wrestlers were Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge, and Dick Hutton.

Jack started wrestling in high school and became a three-time state champion in Oklahoma. He was also a talented football player, playing as an all-state fullback. His younger brother, Gerald, also followed him into wrestling. Jack turned down a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma to wrestle at Oklahoma State University.

In 1964, during his junior year, he was the NCAA runner-up in his weight class. The next year, in 1965, he did even better! He became the first Native American to win an NCAA Wrestling National Championship. During that whole senior year, no one was able to take him down even once!

Jack Brisco's Professional Wrestling Career

After his amazing amateur career, Jack Brisco became a professional wrestler. He quickly started winning championships.

Early Years in Professional Wrestling (1965–1969)

Jack Brisco's first professional wrestling championship win was on October 16, 1965. He beat Don Kent to win the NWA Missouri Junior Heavyweight Championship. He lost it briefly but won it back from Kent that same November.

Around this time, Brisco also wrestled for a group called NWA Tri-State. There, he won state titles like the Oklahoma Heavyweight Championship and the Arkansas Heavyweight Championship. He also won his first tag team title, teaming up with Haystacks Calhoun. He later won that tag team title again with Gorgeous George, Jr.

Becoming a Star in the National Wrestling Alliance (1969–1984)

Jack Brisco then moved to Florida to wrestle for a company called Championship Wrestling from Florida. This was a big part of his career.

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1969–1972)

His first title in Florida was the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship. He won it on February 11, 1969. He lost it and won it back a few months later. Soon after, he won the first of his ten NWA Florida Tag Team Championships with Ciclon Negro. He held the Southern Heavyweight Title until November 1969, when he went to wrestle in Japan and Australia.

When Brisco came back to Florida, he started teaming up with his brother, Gerald, whom he had trained. Jack also kept wrestling in singles matches. He won the NWA Florida Television Championship in November 1970. In February 1971, the Brisco brothers won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship together. They had a big rivalry with Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, trading the tag team belts with them. Jack also beat Terry Funk in a singles match to win the NWA Florida Television Championship again.

Jack took a short break from Florida to wrestle for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. There, he won the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship twice. When he returned to Florida, he won the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship and his third Television Championship. He also won the Tag Team Championship again with his brother.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion (1973–1975)

Brisco (left) in June 1973

Jack Brisco's first NWA World Heavyweight Championship win was a huge moment. He was supposed to win it from Dory Funk Jr., but Dory claimed to be injured. Jack eventually won the title from Harley Race in Houston, Texas, on July 20, 1973.

He defended this championship all over the world against top wrestlers like Johnny Valentine and Abdullah The Butcher. He lost the title to Giant Baba in December 1974 but won it back just four days later! Jack held the title until December 10, 1975, when he lost it to Terry Funk. This continued the long rivalry between the Brisco brothers and the Funk brothers.

Wrestling Across Different Areas (1976–1977)

In 1976, Jack Brisco wrestled in many different places and kept winning titles. He won the Memphis version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship by beating Jerry Lawler. He also won the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship from Bob Backlund.

Back to Florida (1977–1978)

Jack returned to Florida and teamed up with his brother Gerald to win even more championships. In 1977, they won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship. They lost it and quickly won it back. They also won the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship multiple times, often losing it and then winning it back in rematches.

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1978–1980)

The Brisco brothers also had great success in Georgia Championship Wrestling. They won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship twice. They beat the Funks for the belts and later won them again from Austin Idol and The Masked Superstar. Jack later became the first NWA National Heavyweight Champion by winning a tournament.

Another Return to Florida (1980–1982)

In 1980, Jack Brisco wrestled in Florida again. He won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Jimmy Garvin. After losing those belts, he teamed with his brother to win them one last time.

In 1981, Jack won his final Southern Heavyweight Championship. He also won Florida's version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship twice with his brother.

Puerto Rico and Mid-Atlantic (1981–1984)

Jack Brisco also wrestled in Puerto Rico in 1981. He won the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship and held it for almost seven months. He and Gerald also won the WWC North American Tag Team Championship. Jack returned to Missouri and won a second NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship.

In 1982, Brisco went back to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. He won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (which used to be called the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship) by beating Roddy Piper. He traded the title back and forth with Piper and later with Paul Jones several times.

Jack and Gerald Brisco teamed up to win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship three times. They had a big rivalry with Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, with the belts changing hands many times between them.

World Wrestling Federation (1984–1985)

The Brisco brothers played a big part in the wrestling world changing. They owned a small part of Georgia Championship Wrestling. In 1984, they convinced most of the other owners to sell their shares to Vince McMahon. This helped McMahon's company, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), become even bigger.

On December 28, 1984, the Brisco brothers challenged The North-South Connection for the WWF Tag Team Championship in Madison Square Garden. This was Jack Brisco's last big match.

Jack left wrestling completely in February 1985, when he was 43 years old. He felt that wrestling was changing too much and moving away from its roots in amateur wrestling. He also didn't like how much it was becoming like a soap opera.

Life After Wrestling and Passing

Jack Brisco was honored for his amazing career. He was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005. He lived in Florida and ran a business called Brisco Brothers Body Shop with his brothers Gerald and Bill for over 30 years. He sometimes made special appearances at wrestling events. Many famous wrestlers, like Ric Flair, have called Jack Brisco one of the greatest legends of the 1970s. Jack and his brother, Gerald, were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

In his later years, Jack had some health problems, including pneumonia and back issues. He had been a heavy smoker. On February 1, 2010, Jack Brisco passed away at 68 years old due to problems after open heart surgery. He was survived by his wife, whom he had been married to for over 30 years.

Jack Brisco's Championships and Awards

Jack Brisco won many awards and championships throughout his career, both as an amateur and professional wrestler.

Amateur Wrestling Achievements

• High School and College
  • Oklahoma State Wrestling Heavyweight Champion (3 times)
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
  • NCAA Division I All-American (1964–1965)
  • NCAA Division I Champion (191 lb weight class) (1965)
  • Big Eight Conference Championships (2 times)

Professional Wrestling Achievements

Brisco (left) with his brother Gerald during their WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 29, 2008

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Lou Thesz Award (2005)
• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
  • NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Gerry Brisco (8), Ciclon Negro (1), and Jimmy Garvin (1)
  • NWA Florida Television Championship (3 times)
  • NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (2 times) – with Gerry Brisco
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (4 times)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (5 times) – with Gerry Brisco
• Eastern Sports Association
  • ESA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Gerry Brisco
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2001
• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Gerry Brisco
  • NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (3 times) – with Gerry Brisco
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • Champion Carnival Technique Prize (1981)
• NWA Gulf Coast
  • NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)
• NWA Mid-America
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time)
• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA Arkansas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Oklahoma Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times) – with Haystacks Calhoun (1) and Gorgeous George, Jr. (1)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Match of the Year (1974) vs. Dory Funk, Jr. on January 27
  • PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1972) tied with Fred Curry
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year (1973)
  • PWI Stanley Wetson Award (2017)
  • PWI ranked him # 54 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Gerry Brisco in 2003.
  • PWI ranked him #67 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2005
• St. Louis Wrestling Club
  • NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Missouri Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
• St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2008
• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWC North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gerry Brisco
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

See also

In Spanish: Jack Brisco para niños