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http://www.charleston.net/stories/041104/moo_11wrestle.shtml

7:09 a.m. Sunday, April 11, 2004 
 
Book chronicles Brisco's storied career 

BY MIKE MOONEYHAM 
Of The Post and Courier Staff 

"The ring gets in your blood and once it's there it courses through
your veins and deep into your heart. That is why I am happily reminded
with every beat of my heart, that I am, and will be while I breathe, a
wrestler." -- Jack Brisco

Just mention the name Brisco to any serious wrestling fan, and it
instantly conjures up images of greatness.

The name and the tag can now be applied to a book that chronicles the
life of one of professional -- and amateur -- wrestling's greatest
stars.

"Brisco -- The Life and Times of National Collegiate and World
Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco" traces Brisco's storied wrestling
career, from three-time state high school champion to NCAA champion at
Oklahoma State, to two-time champ in the pro ranks.

The fact that mat historian and co-author Bill Murdock not only brings
Brisco's fascinating stories to life, but captures the essence of that
important time period in the wrestling business, makes the read all
that more engaging.

The rich history of professional wrestling oozes throughout the pages
of this grappler's tale, as readers get a ringside ticket to some of
the watershed events that helped shape the industry as it moved from
the days of territorial wrestling toward the era of sports
entertainment.

Regarded as one of the most talented pure wrestlers in the history of
the sport, Brisco was a natural athlete -- a three-time high school
state champion in Blackwell, Okla., and an all-state fullback on the
football team who passed up a chance to play for the legendary Bud
Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners in order to wrestle for national
powerhouse Oklahoma State, where he was NCAA runner-up in 1964 at 191
pounds and champion the following year, finishing the season without a
single loss.

Under the guidance of former world junior heavyweight champ and
Tulsa-based promoter Leroy McGuirk, Brisco turned professional and
soon became established as one of the top workers in the wrestling
business. Brisco enjoyed early stints in Oklahoma, Texas, Australia
and Japan, but it was working for promoter Eddie Graham in Florida
that put his name on the pro wrestling map.

"It was really great. I felt like I really learned to be an
accomplished worker here," Brisco recalls. "We had a fabulous crew. It
was the who's who of wrestling. The territory was on fire. But I had
to bide my time because there was so much talent."

Graham's creative genius as a booker, paired with announcer Gordon
Solie's astute commentary and ability to sell angles and characters,
helped propel Brisco, with his boyish good looks, innate ability and
charisma, into the territory's top star and a bona fide world title
contender.

Probably best remembered for his classic matches with Dory Funk Jr.
during the '70s, Brisco's legacy in the wrestling business would
include a pair of significant developments later in his career. Brisco
was partly responsible for breaking Hulk Hogan into the business after
"discovering" a powerfully built individual named Terry Bollea playing
bass guitar in a rock band at a local Tampa bar. Brisco arranged for
the muscle-bound musician, who just happened to be a wrestling fan and
frequented the Tampa armory on Tuesday nights to watch Brisco wrestle,
to meet with Graham and trainer Hiro Matsuda the next morning. Bollea
later changed his name to Hulk Hogan, and the rest is history.

Brisco closed his career as a headliner, teaming with brother Jerry in
the Mid-Atlantic area for a memorable series with Ricky Steamboat and
Jay Youngblood, and winding down in the WWF. Unlike many stars who
went to the well once too often, Brisco retired from the business and
never looked back, refusing to return for a retirement match or one
last shot at the brass ring.

"I feel like I got out at the right time. I felt myself slowing down,"
says Brisco, who quit wrestling nearly 20 years ago at the age of 43
and turned his interest toward the Brisco Brothers Body Shop, often
mentioned on WWE telecasts in connection with Jerry, a longtime agent
with the company. "My mind was still there and I knew what to do, but
my body was flagging behind, and that's one thing that I never wanted
to do, to outstay my ability."

"Jack was as smooth on the mat as anyone I've ever seen in almost 40
years of watching amateur wrestling or my near 30 years in the pro
wrestling game," writes Jim Ross on the book's back cover. "Jack
Brisco was and is one of my heroes and, lucky for me, has become one
of my most cherished friends."

"Brisco" is a must for any serious wrestling fan. Readers get a
special look at one of pro wrestling's greatest periods, the '70s,
when names like Brisco, Funk and Race ruled the wrestling universe.
And they get to see it through the eyes of one of the true greats.

The 284-page softbound book, published by Culture House, is available
for $24.95 and can be ordered on-line at www.wrestlingmuseum.org or
calling Culture House at 641-526-8836 or the International Wrestling
Museum at 641-791-1517. It can also be ordered on-line by visiting
www.jackbrisco.com.

-- Adrian Lewis of Carolina Pro Wrestling will hold a tryout for his
wrestling school at 2 p.m. Saturday at the New Omni Health & Fitness
Center, 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., West Ashley. For more information,
call Tank at 532-9924.


--- Internet Rex 2.29