Robert Eugene Bruggers (April 20, 1944 – May 10, 2024) was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. Bruggers played as a linebacker for five seasons for the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL).[6][5]
| Born: | April 20, 1944 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | May 10, 2024 (aged 80) Florida, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| College | Minnesota |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1966–1968 | Miami Dolphins |
| 1968–1971 | San Diego Chargers |
| Birth name | Robert Eugene Bruggers |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota[1] |
| Ring name(s) | Bob Bruggers |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg) |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne Billy Robinson |
| Debut | 1972[2][3] |
| Retired | October 1975[4][3] |
Early life
editBruggers was born on April 20, 1944, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was a highly decorated basketball player at Danube High School. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Minnesota, where he was a collegiate basketball player before refocusing on American football.[1]
Football career
editAfter his collegiate basketball career ended, Bruggers turned his focus to football. Undrafted in the 1966 American Football League draft, he signed with the Miami Dolphins and played for the team for three seasons as a linebacker. He recorded six interceptions and two fumble recoveries during his time with the Dolphins.
In 1969, Bruggers was traded to the San Diego Chargers, where he played for two seasons before retiring from professional football in 1971.
Professional wrestling career
editAfter his football career ended, Bruggers was introduced to professional wrestling by Wahoo McDaniel, a fellow former Miami Dolphin.[7] Bruggers became a professional wrestler and competed under his normal name Bob Bruggers. Bruggers was trained as a professional wrestler by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson, making his debut in 1972 for Gagne's Minneapolis, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association.[2][8] In 1973, he began wrestling for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Reflecting his football past, he used a football tackle as his finishing move.[2] In September 1973, he made a brief tour of Japan with International Wrestling Enterprise.[2]
In late 1973, Bruggers began wrestling for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. In March 1974, he began teaming with Paul Jones, and on April 8, 1974, they defeated The Andersons to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship. Bruggers and Jones held the championship until July 4, 1974, when they were defeated by Ric Flair and Rip Hawk.[9]
Bruggers' career came to abrupt end on October 4, 1975. With Bruggers needing to drive from his home in Kingstree, South Carolina, to Wilmington, North Carolina, for an event, promoter Jim Crockett Jr., who was ill with influenza, invited him to instead take his place on a Cessna 310 that he had chartered. Bruggers took a seat on the plane along with Crockett's brother David and fellow wrestlers Ric Flair, Johnny Valentine, and Tim Woods. Shortly before reaching its destination, the plane ran out of fuel and crashed. The pilot, Mike Farkas, sustained ultimately fatal injuries and all five passengers were injured, with Bruggers suffering spinal fractures and a broken ankle. After having steel rods inserted into his spinal column, Bruggers was able to walk out of hospital three weeks after the crash, but decided not to return to wrestling.[10][11][3][4]
Retirement
editFollowing his retirement from football and wrestling, Bruggers worked as a sales manager for a tool company before relocating to West Palm Beach, Florida, where in 1978 he opened a bar using an insurance settlement he had received after the plane crash.[3][4][12] He was inducted into the University of Minnesota's "M" Club Hall of Fame in 2002, in recognition of his accomplishments as both a basketball and football player.
Bruggers died in Florida on May 10, 2024, at the age of 80.[13][14]
Championships and accomplishments
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Marc Hugunin; Stew Thornley (2006). Minnesota Hoops: Basketball in the North Star State. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-0-87351-574-0.
- ^ a b c d "Bob Bruggers". Cagematch.de. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Marvez, Alex (September 13, 2006). "Dolphin in anonymity". Sun-Sentinel. tronc. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c Ric Flair (May 11, 2010). Ric Flair: To Be the Man. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-2174-0.
- ^ a b John Grasso (March 6, 2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. p. 366. ISBN 978-0-8108-7926-3.
- ^ "Bob Bruggers Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Steven Johnson; Greg Oliver; Mike Mooneyham; J. J. Dillon (January 11, 2013). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons. ECW Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-77090-269-5.
- ^ George Schire (2010). Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling: From Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-87351-620-4.
- ^ Baker, David (2011). ""No. 1" Paul Jones". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ Bourne, Dick (May 2003). "Part Two – Big Events, Big History, Big Champions". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Mooneyham, Mike (July 8, 1997). "Plane crash changed Valentine's life". MikeMooneyham.com. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Dave Meltzer; Bret Hart (January 2004). Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 188–. ISBN 978-1-58261-817-3.
- ^ Former Gophers football player, pro wrestler Bob Bruggers dead at 80
- ^ Oliver, Greg (May 13, 2024). SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2024/05/13/bob-bruggers-dead-at-80-followed-wahoo-into-wrestling/. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
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External links
edit- Bob Bruggers at IMDb
- Bob Bruggers's profile at Cagematch.net