haVoc 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2003 NWA Champion Dick Hutton Passes Away Dead at the age of 80... Former NWA Champion Richard "Dick" Hutton died yesterday at the age of 80. He held the NWA title during the 50s and was one of wrestling's top heavyweights of his era. Hutton was hand picked by Lou Thesz to be his replacement as NWA Champion in 1957. Credit: Wrestling Observer/411 Quite a bit before our time, but a quick thank you for paving the way. RIP Richard Hutton Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Downhome 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2003 It's always sad when a member of the family passes away. Here is a bit on his career from his web site... Throughout the long history of professional wrestling, only a few of the world heavyweight champions were national amateur champions before entering the pro ranks. The first was Earl Caddock back in 1917. Earl had won three AAU national titles before whipping the great Joe Stecher and becoming world professional heavyweight champion. The second amateur champ to become king of the pros was Ed Don George, when he took the NWA title from Gus Sonnenberg in 1931. George had won two AAU national titles and competed in the 1928 Olympics. On November 15, 1957, Dick Hutton joined that very select group of great amateur stars who became world professional champions. And he did it by defeating one of the greatest professional wrestlers who ever lived — Lou Thesz! Dick Hutton was born on October 4, 1923, in Amarillo, Texas. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was a youngster and he began wrestling in ninth grade. He soon became a star athlete in both football and wrestling at Tulsa Webster High School. After serving in World War II, he entered Oklahoma State A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater and embarked upon a truly great mat career. He was a four-time NCAA finalist, winning three national championships and dropping a very close (and controversial) decision in the 1949 finals….to Verne Gagne of the University of Minnesota. Dick had defeated Verne the year before in the 1948 national tournament. Dick was also a member of the 1948 United States Olympic team. Competing in the heavyweight class, he was expected to win a medal but injured his arm and was forced to withdraw after the third round of action. Dick entered the professional wrestling ranks in 1952, under the guidance of legendary wrestlers Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Leroy McGurk. McGurk had also been a NCAA champion at Oklahoma A&M, back in 1935 and had made a name for himself as a promoter in the Tulsa area. McGurk and Lewis, who was the trainer and mentor of Lou Thesz, decided to mold Hutton in the Thesz style — that is as a pure wrestler who could get tough when need be. Hutton learned the professional craft quickly, making the necessary adjustments along the way. “Leroy told me when I was starting out that if you tie up too heavy with some of the pros, they’ll leave the ring on you and won’t come back,” said Dick many years later. “I learned early on when you have a job to do (performing), do the job the right way.” Hutton’s reputation as a tough and talented “true” wrestler spread quickly throughout the pro ranks. Among those who admired him was Lou Thesz, who was ready for a break from the grinding tour as world champion. But Thesz was a wrestling purist and would only turn his coveted world title over to a wrestler he really respected. Hutton fit the bill perfectly. So, on November 5, 1957, in Toronto, Canada….Dick Hutton entered the ring against Lou Thesz as the challenger….and left the ring as the NWA world heavyweight champion! Dick campaigned all over America for nearly two years with the coveted NWA title before surrendering it to Pat O’Connor in 1959. He continued to wrestle as a professional, mostly on the West Coast, and under the name “Cowboy Dick Hutton.” He retired from the ring in 1964. Today, he lives in Sapula, Oklahoma, and enjoys time spent with his true love, horses. Dick wrestled professionally at about 245 pounds and was respected far and wide for his true mat abilities. Thesz considers him “the best mat wrestler I ever knew.” Thesz added that Dick was “extremely quick for a man and his size and had tremendous power and agility.” He and Lou became fast friends after their pro days were over. Dick was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Newton on August 1, 2001. Others in that class were Dan Hodge, Earl Caddock and Joe Stecher. Hodge was also a three-time NCAA champion, but for rival University of Oklahoma. Dick Hutton is one of just three men to be in both the national professional wrestling hall of fame (in Newton, Iowa) and the national amateur wrestling hall of fame (in Stillwater, Oklahoma). “Dick Hutton is truly one of the giants of the wrestling world,” said Mike Chapman, executive director of the Newton museum and a recognized historian of the sport. “He definitely rates among the greatest champions of all time. It’s an honor to be in the same room with him.” ...I've never seen him work, I don't think, but if he was good enough for Thesz then he was good enough for any other Pro. Wrestling fan. Lou Thesz said that this man was the best wrestler that he ever saw, a heavyweight that could move like a lightweight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Decemberists 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2003 Shame, as always. Lou Thesz said that this man was the best wrestler that he ever saw Whoa! Now that's praise. RIP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WrestlingDeacon 0 Report post Posted November 27, 2003 Yeah, I can't say I've seen him wrestle either, but you have to respect history and Huttons seems like he was a solid worker and a good ambassador for the sport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
