Ronald David Pritchard (born April 2, 1947)[1] is an American former professional football player and professional wrestler.[1] Pritchard played football for nine seasons as a linebacker with the Houston Oilers and the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL), then in the National Football League (NFL).
| No. 58, 60 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 2, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Antioch (CA) |
| College: | Arizona State |
| NFL draft: | 1969 / round: 1 / pick: 15 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life and college football
editPritchard was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Antioch, California. He attended Antioch High School, where he played for the American football team as a linebacker. In his senior year, Pritchard was an All-County, All-League, All-Metropolitan, All-Northern California and an Honorable Mention All-America selection. He was also the East Bay Football Player of the Year.[1]
He went on to attend Arizona State University, where he continued to play football, and in 1968 played in the College All-Star game, the Hula Bowl, the Senior Bowl, and the East-West Shrine Game. He was picked as the East-West Shrine Game's top defensive player. In 2003, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[1] While in Phoenix, Arizona, Pritchard worked as a bouncer with Wayne Coleman, who later wrestled as Superstar Billy Graham.[1]
American Football League
editPritchard was the 15th draft pick overall for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He played for the Oilers for three seasons, before moving to the Cincinnati Bengals.[1][2]
Professional wrestling career
editPritchard began wrestling following his first year with the Oilers, when he was visiting his friend Bob Lueck, a football player and wrestler, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and was introduced to Stu Hart. Hart trained Pritchard and a week later, Pritchard wrestled his first match against Hart.[1] Pritchard only wrestled during the off-season from football, and wrestled all over the United States, including in San Francisco for Roy Shire and Detroit for The Sheik. He wrestled against people including Ray Stevens, Pat Patterson and Superstar Billy Graham. In 1981, Pritchard wrestled his last matches for a Christian wrestling promotion in Arizona.[1]
Later careers
editFollowing his retirement from football and wrestling, Pritchard worked as the athletic director for a Christian school for five years, and now coaches football at Valley Christian High School in Chandler.[1]
Personal life
editPritchard is a Christian.[1] He is married, and as of 2011 has five grandchildren.[1]
Pritchard had a knee replacement surgery, and requires surgery for his shoulder.[1] After offering to donate his kidney to Coleman, Pritchard underwent an MRI which discovered a cancerous tumour on his kidney.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oliver, Greg (December 8, 2011). "How the NFL's Ron Pritchard stumbled into wrestling". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Steward, R.L. (October 25, 1972). "Pritchard key, PB says". Journal Herald. p. 12. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Ron Pritchard's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database