-Other Legends- Abdullah The Butcher Andre The Giant Austin Idol Barry 'Junior' Windham Bob Backlund Bruiser Brody Buzz Sawyer Dory Funk, Jr. Harley Race Iron Sheik Jake 'The Snake' Roberts Junkyard Dog King Kong Bundy Magnum T.A. Mike Rotunda Nikita Koloff Ole Anderson Pez Whatley Ric Flair Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat Roddy Piper Ted DiBiase The Boogie Woogie Man The Fabulous Freebirds Tully Blanchard Wahoo McDaniel

 

	Posted on Sat, Apr. 20, 2002
Wahoo McDaniel 1938 - 2002
Wahoo McDaniel, original Dolphin, wrestler dies at 63 BY JASON COLE jcole@herald.com When it came to learning their way around the NFL, former Dolphins greats Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick had quite a teacher in Wahoo McDaniel. McDaniel, who became one of pro wrestling's most flamboyant figures, has died of complications from renal failure and diabetes. He was 63. McDaniel, who lost both of his kidneys about 4 ½ years ago, died Thursday night at Cy-Fair Medical Clinic in Houston, his oldest daughter said. A member of the original 1966 Dolphins team, McDaniel, a linebacker, played three seasons for Miami and left an indelible mark on Csonka and Kiick. ''Wahoo was a great practical joker who loved to laugh at himself as well as others,'' Csonka said. ``He was colorful, and he was especially hard on the rookies. Whether it was [heat rub] in the jockstraps or critters in your shoes, Wahoo did it all.'' Kiick said he remembered a moment from his rookie year in 1968, McDaniel's last year on the team. ''We went out drinking in Buffalo, me and Wahoo and John Bramlett,'' Kiick said. ``At the bar, this other guy comes over and Bramlett starts aggravating this guy, egging him into saying how wrestling is fake and just a big show . . . 'So as this is going on, I'm looking at Wahoo and he's getting mad because he really believed in wrestling. All of sudden, Wahoo jumps on the table and jumps on the guy and all I'm thinking is, `I'm a rookie and I can't afford to miss curfew.' '' Born in Bernice, La., on June 19, 1938, McDaniel capitalized on the stardom from his gridiron days to make a smooth transition into full-time wrestling. Over the course of his 30-year wrestling career, McDaniel had memorable battles with wrestling stars such as ''Nature Boy'' Ric Flair, ''Rowdy'' Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter. He was also fiercely proud of his Chickasaw Indian heritage and always entered the ring with his trademark elaborate feather headdress. ''He was a wild, crazy Indian,'' daughter Nicky Rowe said Friday. Herald Wire Services contributed to this report.

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