Got To Meet Greatness Saturday Night

TheColonyEagle · October 30, 2007

I'm sure some don't remember or weren't around, others that are around my age (30) or older and have been around surely remember World Class Championship Wrestling. UNT honored the 1977 Hayden Fry coached mean green team at halftime of the MTSU game and one of the players on that team was the great Kevin Von Erich.

Talk about taking me back. The Von Erichs are Dallas Sports legends. Kevin is the oldest and last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch to the WCCW. It's really a tragic story. Kevin lost 4 brothers. 1 died in his sleep and the other 3 took their own lives. I don't follow wrestling, but I believe the modern day wrestling owes a lot of it's big production, loud music when they enter, big fanfare, etc. to WCCW. They really started doing that stuff back in the eighties.

In the early to mid eighties, the Von Erichs were about as big of celebrities as there were in Dallas. I did a little looking back, I had forgotten how big they were. They would draw 30K to 40K to the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium and they would pack Reunion. Their TV show would air on Saturday night at the same time as Saturday night live and their ratings would be higher. That wrestling organization had a rapid rise and an equally rapid descent. There is a really interesting documentary out there that I believe just came out on DVD. I may check it out. The great Bill Mercer was a huge part of WCCW as well.

As far as Kevin Von Erich goes, what a nice guy. My buddy and I had *eh em* spent a little too much time on the deck in the second half so we were in a talkative mood. We talked to him for a good 20 minutes or so. We talked a little MG football and we commenced to whipping his ass about old wrestlers, him flying off the ropes, etc. Even though I'm sure he's had idiots come up to him a million times wanting to talk about all that, he was very gracious, super nice and very cool.

shaft · October 31, 2007

Isn't his kid, who plays for Denton Ryan on our prospect list.

GMoney · October 31, 2007

Isn't his kid, who plays for Denton Ryan on our prospect list.

yes

MeanMag · October 31, 2007

I'm sure some don't remember or weren't around, others that are around my age (30) or older and have been around surely remember World Class Championship Wrestling. UNT honored the 1977 Hayden Fry coached mean green team at halftime of the MTSU game and one of the players on that team was the great Kevin Von Erich.
Talk about taking me back. The Von Erichs are Dallas Sports legends. Kevin is the oldest and last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch to the WCCW. It's really a tragic story. Kevin lost 4 brothers. 1 died in his sleep and the other 3 took their own lives. I don't follow wrestling, but I believe the modern day wrestling owes a lot of it's big production, loud music when they enter, big fanfare, etc. to WCCW. They really started doing that stuff back in the eighties.
In the early to mid eighties, the Von Erichs were about as big of celebrities as there were in Dallas. I did a little looking back, I had forgotten how big they were. They would draw 30K to 40K to the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium and they would pack Reunion. Their TV show would air on Saturday night at the same time as Saturday night live and their ratings would be higher. That wrestling organization had a rapid rise and an equally rapid descent. There is a really interesting documentary out there that I believe just came out on DVD. I may check it out. The great Bill Mercer was a huge part of WCCW as well.
As far as Kevin Von Erich goes, what a nice guy. My buddy and I had *eh em* spent a little too much time on the deck in the second half so we were in a talkative mood. We talked to him for a good 20 minutes or so. We talked a little MG football and we commenced to whipping his ass about old wrestlers, him flying off the ropes, etc. Even though I'm sure he's had idiots come up to him a million times wanting to talk about all that, he was very gracious, super nice and very cool.

I know somebody else that played for UNT that wrestled and played football with those fellas... In fact, he was one of my mentors...

ArlingtonMeanGreen · October 31, 2007

I know somebody else that played for UNT that wrestled and played football with those fellas... In fact, he was one of my mentors...

Steve Williams aka " Stone Cold" Steve Austin

MeanMag · October 31, 2007

Steve Williams aka " Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Close, he was on the team as well, but no cigar. There aren't a whole lot of people that know this bit of trivia...

Edited October 31, 2007 by MeanMag

TheTastyGreek · October 31, 2007

Close, he was on the team as well, but no cigar. There aren't a whole lot of people that know this bit of trivia...

I've heard that rumor, so I think I know that bit of trivia... Do gruu?

I mean, do YOU?

Edited October 31, 2007 by TheTastyGreek

RamoneArchie · October 31, 2007

Isn't his kid, who plays for Denton Ryan on our prospect list.

He already graduated. Last I heard he was going into wrestling. I've known Kevin for about 7 or 8 years. Great guy!

untbowler · October 31, 2007

The von Erich is a sad story of a great family.

Loved watching them wrestle.

I believe it was David who fought Ric Flair in front of a huge crowd at Texas Stadium, also they would pack the old sportatorium, which became quite the fire trap by the time I went. :blink:

EagleD · October 31, 2007

The Von Erichs are Dallas Sports legends.

They are entertainment legends.

Wrestling is not a sport. At least not that wrestling.

UNTLifer · October 31, 2007

The von Erich is a sad story of a great family.
Loved watching them wrestle.
I believe it was David who fought Ric Flair in front of a huge crowd at Texas Stadium, also they would pack the old sportatorium, which became quite the fire trap by the time I went.

I believe it was Kerry that "fought" Ric Flair at Texas Stadium.

I watched these guys religiously as a youngster and my favorite was Kevin. Fought bare foot and would use the "Iron Claw" his dad made famous or the leg scissors to subdue the bad guys. I used both of those on my brother, or he on me, which usually ended up in a real fight.

Marty · October 31, 2007

Close, he was on the team as well, but no cigar. There aren't a whole lot of people that know this bit of trivia...

Mark Beaty?

GreenAlums · October 31, 2007

They are entertainment legends.
Wrestling is not a sport. At least not that wrestling.

Of course it is a sport. You can't catch it on the cooking channel :huh: :angry: . I wrestled with Kevin in the late 70s. He worked out with us (NTSU Wresting club sport with Coach Bob Maughn) to learn basic wrestling and begin to develop his wrestling based on real wrestling moves. Kevin didn't just jump in to wrestling without dissecting the sport and learning the basics. In a sense he was a technical wrestler that really understood (and understands) wrestling. Kevin was a great guy then and is still a great guy. It's not a handshake I get when I see Kevin today, it's a man-hug. He understand life better than we can. A nice guy indeed!

pollock · November 1, 2007

STAY HARD, BRUISER BRODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EagleD · November 1, 2007

Of course it is a sport. You can't catch it on the cooking channel .

Yeah, but I can't catch it on the sports channels either. If the outcome is predetermined, it's not a sport, it's entertainment. I don't see it on ESPN or FOXSW. If it's on a network, it's not presented by the sports department of that network.

I'm not saying the guys aren't athletes. Many of them are. But professional wrestling is NOT a sport.

Bill Mercer taught me that.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!

Green Lantern · November 1, 2007

Met Kevin at an event last year. He is in fact a really nice guy. I also have a pretty "wheels off" story involving an incident where my family and I met his brother Kerry "The Texas Tornado" Von Eric at Wrestlemania VIII. Didn't mention it to Kevin when I met him cause it is kinda sad now in retrospect.

Texas wrestling fun fact: My mom's roommate in college dated Stan "The Lariet" Hansen.

GreenAlums · November 1, 2007

Yeah, but I can't catch it on the sports channels either. If the outcome is predetermined, it's not a sport, it's entertainment. I don't see it on ESPN or FOXSW. If it's on a network, it's not presented by the sports department of that network.
I'm not saying the guys aren't athletes. Many of them are. But professional wrestling is NOT a sport.
Bill Mercer taught me that.
GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, you got me! But I am going to find it on some obscure sport venue station and bring it back . Love to hear Bill Mercer's name come up. What a great guy for UNT sports...back in the day. We played at UTEP in 1978'ish and Bill took us over in to Mexico for what he called, "real Mexican food" (that's wasn't a racial slur was it?? Heaven forbid!!!) Anyway, he was all right but the several in the group got S...I...C...K!! He was a lot of fun to be around.

Thanks for settin' me straight on the difference between sports and entertaining. That alone is a thought to ponder. Who made up that rule?? Wrestling is always entertaining and sports aren't

Edited November 2, 2007 by GreenExes

GangGreen · November 1, 2007

STAY HARD, BRUISER BRODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, and F*** the Freebirds!!!

eagle213 · November 2, 2007

Yeah, but I can't catch it on the sports channels either. If the outcome is predetermined, it's not a sport, it's entertainment. I don't see it on ESPN or FOXSW. If it's on a network, it's not presented by the sports department of that network.
I'm not saying the guys aren't athletes. Many of them are. But professional wrestling is NOT a sport.
Bill Mercer taught me that.
GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not trying to say that wrestling is or isn't a sport. I just wanted to state that you used to be able to catch it on each of those two sports channels. FOXSW had it as recently as 3 years ago and ESPN had it back in the 80s before they could get a broadcasting deal with a major sport.