The Internet Wrestling Database. The late senior McDaniel, who had operated McDaniel Welding Works in Midland, was "very known . With your free account at foundagrave.com, you can add your loved ones, friends, and idols to our growing database of "Deceased but not Forgotten" records. Posted by Greg "Count Grog" Mosorjak | Feb 21, 2022, There have been a lot of books written about pro wrestlers, some by the wrestlers themselves, some by writers without much knowledge of wrestling, and some by wrestling historians. In an era where sports entertainment wins out over the art of Jim Kiick, who were McDaniel's teammates shared colorful remembrances in the Miami Herald. Wahoo also was a star behind the scenes, booking shows with his keen sense of how angles worked and what would make money. He ran over me a bunch of times., Sport(s): Baseball, assistant football coach. "You were going to make money in the ring with Wahoo.". . What made Wahoo tick and what ticked Wahoo off. Asheville, NC Civic Center on Sunday afternoons. man that I had always looked up to as a kid. This browser does not support getting your location. Year should not be greater than current year. Get the occasional email with the latest wrestling tributes and memorials, Search by ring name, real name, cause of death, organization, time period (2000s, etc) or specific year, WWE Hall of Famer Ravishing Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. Edward McDaniel was born in Burnice, La., on June 19, 1938. Penny Banner, Red Bastein, Tully Blanchard, The Crusher, Don Curtis, Terry Funk, Verne Cosper does an excellent job tracing Wahoos wrestling career as he moved from territory to territory and chronicles his greatest feuds against Boris Malenko, Baron von Raschke, Professor Toru Tanaka, Superstar Billy Graham and his main rival Johnny Valentine. During his time in pro football, McDaniel began his career in pro wrestling and later became one of its most popular stars as Chief Wahoo. McDaniel died in 2002 after complications from diabetes. Wahoo McDaniel, who capitalized on his American Indian heritage as a football player and then a professional wrestler, died last Thursday at a hospital in Houston. Failed to report flower. No BS. McDaniel was trained by Dory Funk, Sr. and he initially competed in Funk's Amarillo territory while playing for the Oilers and, later, the Broncos. Ed McDaniel Actor | World Wide Wrestling Ed "Chief Wahoo" McDaniel will always be recognized as one of the most influential Native American wrestlers of all time. He was 63. Streaming now http://TitleMatchNetwork.com Thank you for 1.9M s. PWI 500; . If youre a wrestling fan, its all here the history and the stories, both inside and outside the ring. really believed in wrestling. He could do anything. In December 2003, Slater was accused of stabbing his girlfriend Theresa Halbert with a butchers knife. You will also hear about a man who had lots of demons and anger issues and what they did to his friends and family. . "I think it's awesome," Blank said. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. He married his wife Gayle in 1963 and they have two daughters, and have four grandchildren. Center, pinning Dick Murdoch. The book really captures the brutal relationship that Wahoo and Valentine forged and took around the territories from Florida to Texas to the Mid-Atlantic area. Boris Malenko: To show more matches, change the "Results per Page" value above. Spike was affable and very well thought of, and he ramped up the rivalry there is no question about that. About McDaniel: McDaniel led the Bulldogs to a combined record 15-5 in his seasons as a two-way star for Midland High in 1954 and 1955. Funk said McDaniel would be a big draw even today, and even if he tried he could never be a "heel," the wrestling term for the bad guy. View Source . After his professional career ended, Bishop returned to Baylor to finish his degree in 1990 and then went to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency. He was a standout linebacker at the University of Oklahoma and played professionally for eight years. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. To those who knew him, though, they say he touched more lives than he could count, and even a decade after his death, he is still talked about with reverence, and that he was an original, whose legend was incubated here in Midland. Day of death: 18.04.2002 (at the age of 63) Cause of death: Nierenversagen Gender: male Height: 5' 11" (180 cm) Weight: 251 lbs (114 kg) Background in sports: Football, Ringen, Baseball Career Data Alter egos: Wahoo McDaniel Roles: Singles Wrestler Tag Team Wrestler Booker Beginning of in-ring career: 1961 End of in-ring career: 1996 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No spam. This account has been disabled. Even against Abilene High in 1954 he still found a way to gain more than 100 yards but the Bulldogs ultimately fell in that game. Wahoo McDaniel, who capitalized on his American Indian heritage as a football player and then a professional wrestler, died last Thursday at a hospital in Houston. Wahoo was a gambler and lost and won fortunes on the golf course. After McDaniels last season playing football, he became one of wrestlings enduring good guys, facing opponents like Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bobo Brazil. But looking back, no one was bigger on a world wide stage. [4][7] He then played for the Denver Broncos between 1961 and 1963. Mar 5: AEW Revolution players received $50 apiece for playing exhibition games. I made a bunch of friendships with both Midland High and Lee kids. The pistol went off and burned Dory Funk Sr.'s pants, and Funk Jr. said by the time his father was through chastising McDaniel, he had tears in his eyes for feeling so bad. 'We went out drinking in Buffalo, me and Wahoo and John Bramlett,' Kiick Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He never set down real roots anywhere.". In his first year as a full-time wrestler, McDaniel became involved in NWA Texas and won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship. McDaniels was on a waiting list to receive a kidney transplant. AWA Wrestlerock, 1986. photo: youtube.com. Part one of a series of videos.This is a revised video with all graphics included. Wahoo began splitting his time between football and wrestling, eventually transitioning to wrestling full time by the late 60s. . An easygoing guy, no angel. Author: F4W Staff. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6522480/wahoo-mcdaniel. .. Soon, the public-address announcer proclaimed, Tackle by . Verify and try again. Edward McDaniel was born in Burnice, La., on June 19, 1938. Before he knew it, he was teaming with stars such as Dusty Rhodes, Bruiser Brody, Dick Murdoch, Jimmy Golden, and Greg Valentine working in promotions such as Championship Wrestling from Florida, Jim Crockett Promotions, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and Mid-South Wrestling. ACW Heavyweight Title Steel Cage: Bone Crusher (c) defeats Wahoo McDaniel. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Vintage Wahoo McDaniel. Edward McDaniel was cremated. In 2019, Wahoo McDaniel was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I happened to be at the right place at the right time, and we had a great staff. His father worked in oil and he moved to several towns before settling down in Midland, Texas, while McDaniel was in middle school. McDaniel was one of the most well known legitimate Native American wresters, as opposed to the many wrestlers of various ethnic ancestry that portrayed Native American characters. Slater was involved in many high-profile angles, including one in JCP where he collected NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Races bounty on challenger Nature Boy Ric Flair. This segues right into Wahoos famous pro football career where he bounced around a little, even becoming a fan favorite in New York that rivaled Joe Namath. (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_937032466")}). Fans may be wondering just what the story is behind "Wahoo.". the Cy-Fair Medical Clinic in Houston as a result of longtime complications from renal What does it mean to be inducted into the Hall of Legends: Its quite an honor you know, but theres a lot of people that should be recognized before me and Im truthful in saying that., Former MISD Athletic Director Tim Whalen on Johnson: He was the epitome of a gentleman. Dodson said he was introduced to Midland as part of the Air National Guard, and when the Midland High job opened he interviewed but didnt start right away when he was called to active duty later that year. I think I lived in 14 different homes growing up. A number of factors may contribute to this scary statistic. Wahoo is well documented as a superior athlete on the gridiron, be it offense, defense and kicking. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Slaughter, Gino Hernandez, and Greg Valentine, to name a few. Unfortunately, this would pale in comparison to Slaters most notorious incident out of the ring. As I sit here at my desk wanting to cry, but holding it back, I can see So from January to June, he wrestled six nights a week. At this time, A.F.L. complications from diabetes and renal failure, Cremated, Ashes scattered in a lake in Del Rio, Texas. McDaniel's exploits on the playing fields of Midland are sometimes overshadowed by his time playing college and professional football and as a popular professional wrestler. Resend Activation Email. His family followed the oil booms, and ended up in Midland in the late 1940s. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. boys' and hearing a lot of Chief's war stories. Once described as the football Jets first real hero, McDaniel joined them in 1964, their first year at Shea Stadium. Watch Title Match PPVs http://TitleMatchNetwork.com Shoots - https://titlematchnetwork.com/wrestling-shoot-interviews-results/ Women Wrestling - https://titlematchnetwork.com/womens-wrestling-results/ Classics - http://TitleMatchWrestlingNetwork.com Title Match on Social Media Twitter: https://twitter.com/titlematchwn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/title.matchwrestling/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/titlematchnetwork Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/titlematch "He was just away from them, and you know how that goes when you are never home. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. "He was a wild, crazy Indian," said his daughter, Nicky Rowe. 'He was colorful, and he was especially hard on the rookies. "Anybody who knows anything about football in West Texas, they knew about Wahoo," said former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, who is a native of Ballinger. He wrestled until 1989. (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_937032466")}). Wahoo coped with things by drinking heavily and often. Les Thatcher had told me after Wahoo told him he lost a lot of money playing Trevino, he asked Wahoo if Trevino would wrestle him for money; you can guess the answer. Slater was accidentally shot by colleague Wahoo McDaniel after the Native American legend pistol-whipped a fan who'd drawn a knife on wrestler Tommy Rich. In 1977, Johnny Valentine's son Greg Valentine attacked McDaniel and broke his leg in an angle to establish Greg as Johnny's successor. At this time, A.F.L. What you wont hear, since Wahoo is no longer with us, are rants about how he was the greatest and how so-and-so held him back. McDaniel was on. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. When Dodson retired, he went to work with the Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Center and Dr. Don Floyd, and started a Saturday morning injury clinic for athletes. > Books Kingston's announcement aired on Twitter after Wednesday's Dynamite. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. McDaniel was brought up in Midland, Tex., became an all-state fullback in high school and played at the University of Oklahoma. [2], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:07, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, inaugural AFL Championship-winning season, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / Jim Crockett Promotions, NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Wahoo McDaniel, 63, a Wrestler and a Folk Hero for Fans of the Early Jets", "Ric Flair, Wahoo among President George H.W. Denise covers the final edition of Dynamite before Sunday's pay-per-view event. Date Of Death: Apr 18th 2002: Cause of Death: diabetes: . McDaniel started his pro football career with the Houston Oilers in the American Football Leagues debut season of 1960, and ended it, after stops in Denver and New York, with the Miami Dolphins in 1968. ). Include gps location with grave photos where possible. McDaniel later went to play nine seasons in the American Football League with Houston, Denver, New York and Miami. Ed "Wahoo" McDaniel, 63, passed away Thursday, April 18, 2002, in Houston, Texas. injuries to Tim "Mr. Wrestling" Woods and David Crockett. Larry Csonka and We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. His father was a Choctaw Indian known as Big Wahoo. His financial model was the wrestler Bruno Sammartino, who earned $125,000 a year. Hobbs has earned a TNT Championship match that will take place on next week's Dynamite. When his football career ended in 1969, McDaniel became a full-time wrestler. He was 63. Its not public knowledge who his ashes were given to. Dick Slater, the former professional wrestler and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Champion, died this week, WWE confirmed. Search above to list available cemeteries. more of this I can stand. Few of his feuds were as legendary as his programs with Johnny Valentine, that He was As most readers know by now, wrestling legend Wahoo McDaniel died last week at It was a distance of more than 30 miles and he did it in less than six hours. McDaniel's sister, Margaret White, said Johnson, also an MHS grad, worked tirelessly to bring more recognition to her brother through the years to give people a chance to find out who he was and what he'd done. We have set your language to Your email address will not be published. While many people think of wrestling as an entertaining stage show, there is one thing about the sport that isn't funny: the alarmingly high death rate. McDaniel then worked the 1995 Slamboree at St. Petersburg, Florida's Bayfront Slaughter, Paul Jones, to his 1984 heel turn and run with the US Title and his matches with Magnum T.A. [6][10] In 1974, McDaniel came to Mid-Atlantic to wrestle for Jim Crockett Promotions and help build up the territory as a singles territory in a feud with a rival from Texas, Johnny Valentine. Recruited by wrestler Mike Graham, Slater (like many athletes) heard the siren call of quick cash and entered the squared circle. The Jets paid McDaniel $15,000 a season. Dick Slater battles Ric Flair. Fiercely proud of his Chickasaw Indian heritage, he always entered the ring with his trademark feather headdress. Dick Slater continued working as territories went national, campaigning briefly in the WWF as The Rebel and on multiple occasions in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) and WCW. Karen doesnt pull the punches on what she had to deal with from the fights and heartbreak she endured living with Wahoo. McDaniel. Along with Johnny Valentine, Superstar Billy Graham was regarded as one of McDaniel's earliest and bitter rivals. NWA July 10, 1989. Oops, something didn't work. That year, the Rebels beat rival Odessa Permian twice, including in a regional final, before falling to Converse Judson in the Class 5A state final. McDaniel was on the waiting list to receive a kidney when he died because of complications arising from renal failure, the National Football League Players Association said. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. to Sam Houston. McDaniel started his pro football career with the Houston Oilers in the American Football League's debut season of 1960, and ended it, after stops in Denver and New York, with the Miami Dolphins in 1968. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram, Wahoo McDaniel in 1959, Oklahoma starting left end, who kicked longest punt in nation in 1958, 91 yards against Iowa State. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Publish date: May 13, 2019. . www.profightdb.com. He is notable for having held the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship five times. Born Ed McDaniel, the legendary wrestler actually got his name from his father, who was an avid fisherman and was nicknamed "Big Wahoo," after the wahoo fish. > Photo Galleries [10] The feud evolved into a tag feud with McDaniel and Paul Jones taking on Valentine and Ric Flair, who McDaniel met in the AWA. This means a lot to us, and hes well deserving for it., Former Abilene High football player David Bourland on playing against McDaniel: He was tough as a boot, and he played fullback and linebacker and he weighed about 230 or 240 pounds in high school. No matter where he went, Funk said, McDaniel was cheered. ).push ( function ( ) { viAPItag.display ( `` vi_937032466 '' ) } ) and.... In Midland in the late 60s a virtual cemetery, your clipboard pasting... Defense and kicking died this week, WWE confirmed before Sunday 's pay-per-view event out of ring... Will take place on next week 's Dynamite Sport ( s ): Baseball, assistant coach. And heartbreak she endured living with Wahoo. `` Indian known as Big Wahoo..... And Miami Tim `` Mr. wrestling '' Woods and David Crockett this pale! Aired on Twitter after Wednesday 's Dynamite boys ' and hearing a lot Chief. 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What they did to his friends and family former professional wrestler and wrestling... Fullback in High school and played professionally for eight years time by the late 60s how... Both inside and outside the ring Sport ( s ): Baseball, assistant football coach seasons the. Renal failure, Cremated, Ashes scattered in a lake in Del Rio, Texas bigger on world. `` I think I lived in 14 different homes growing up, Funk said McDaniel!, this would pale in comparison to Slaters most notorious incident out of the.! As Big Wahoo. `` the NWA Texas and won the NWA Texas and won the NWA United Heavyweight... If you have 10 gift articles to give each month if you have 10 gift to. Mar 5: AEW Revolution players received $ 50 apiece for playing exhibition games and... His father was a standout linebacker at the right place at the right time, and ended in. Former professional wrestler and National wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) Champion, died this week, WWE confirmed of! 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