Ted DiBiase (9 page)

I passionately replied, “I'm going!”

Coach made the announcement to the entire class. “Class, Ted has just been offered a full scholarship to play football at the University of Arizona. This is a first in the history of Willcox High School. Let's all congratulate Ted.” After a few moments of complete silence—you could have heard a pin drop—the class erupted into applause. Kathy and I hugged while others were giving me high fives.

After school, I rushed home and told my grandmother all about the football scholarship. I then called my mom and Ted right away. I said, “I'm going to the University of Arizona! I am going to be a Wildcat!” I also spoke to John, who was very excited for me. It seemed like I was on the telephone all night. My last call was to my ex-girlfriend, Dixie. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

A couple of weeks later, my friend Arthur and some others wanted to take me out to celebrate. Arthur said, “Hey, Ted, let's celebrate. You're Italian. All you Italians drink wine. Let's go have a glass of wine.”

I cautiously said, “Okay.” Keep in mind that up until the spring of my senior year in high school, I had never consumed intoxicating liquors. Not a glass of wine or even a bottle of beer.

That Saturday afternoon, Arthur picked me up in his car and we headed into town. He had this huge gallon of cheap Spanada red wine in the car. I think the entire gallon cost him only $1.98. He pulled into the local Dairy Queen, where he got two large plastic cups and packed them down with crushed ice. We then poured the wine over the ice. I started sipping it through a straw. Arthur and I finished off the entire gallon while cruising the
town all afternoon and evening. I was drunk! That night, Arthur and some of my friends had to help me into Arthur's home, where I spent the night. The next morning I had the worst headache. It was my first hangover.

A couple of weeks later, I was at home relaxing, just watching TV. A commercial came on announcing that professional wrestling was coming to the Tucson Community Center. And it wasn't just any wrestling show. It was the wrestling show from the Amarillo territory. I couldn't believe it. It was the first time I had seen anything about professional wrestling in three years.

The commercial had all my old pals in it, including Dory Funk Sr. and Jr., Terry Funk, and Ricky Romero. I was so excited. I immediately said to myself that I was going to buy a ticket and go see them. I thought it would be very nice to see some of my old friends from Texas who I hadn't seen in years.

A few days later, I borrowed Grandma's Chevy Caprice and headed to Tucson. I got there early and patiently waited to see the boys. Finally, I saw one of the crew members and asked if any of the wrestlers were there yet. He directed me around the corner. Immediately, I saw Dory Funk Sr. and his son, Dory Jr. They looked at me and said, “Teddy, is that you?” We embraced. They were happy to see me and vice versa. I told them about my scholarship and they were so proud. It was like a family reunion.

We chatted for some time, but they had to get ready for the show. I asked about Terry Funk, who is the youngest of the Funk boys. Growing up, though he was eight years older than me, I was always the closest with Terry. Dory said, “Terry is not with us this trip. But we are coming back to Tucson in about a month. Terry will be with us then. I am sure he would love to see you.” I stayed through the whole evening. What a great wrestling show.

The next time I returned to Tucson for the wrestling show, right away I inquired about Terry. When we saw each other, we embraced. I told him about everything I had accomplished and my plans to go to the University of Arizona. He was very proud of me. It was so good to see and talk with my friend. I felt so comfortable around Terry and all the other wrestlers. All of a sudden Terry said, “Teddy, why don't you come back to Amarillo and visit West Texas State? Take a recruiting trip. They will pay for it. Come to Amarillo and visit the school and at the same time you can see all of us. Who knows, you may even like the school.”

TERRY FUNK:

Back then, West Texas State had a very good football program, a great coaching staff, and produced some great professionals like Mercury Morris and Duane Thomas. As a graduate of West Texas State, I told Teddy to give them a look.

It didn't take too much convincing, because he loved the area and also the many professional wrestlers they produced, such as Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen, and me. Teddy was born into the business and always loved the sport. This was a key factor in Teddy choosing West Texas State over Arizona. Here he would have an opportunity to play college football and possibly get into the wrestling world.

West Texas State is where Terry as well as his brother, Dory Funk Jr., went to school. It has produced wrestlers such as Dusty Rhodes, Stan Hansen, Merced Solis (Tito Santana), Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Bruiser Brody, and Bobby Duncum.

I took my recruiting trip to Canyon to visit the campus and its facilities. In my mind, I was all set and ready to play for the University of Arizona. I didn't think anything about visiting my old stomping grounds on West Texas State's coin.

To my surprise, I really liked the campus. Everyone was very nice. The head football coach, Gene Mayfield, was very friendly. In fact, prior to coaching at West Texas State, Coach Mayfield built a high school football power-house at Permian in Odessa. It was the school program that inspired the 2004 movie
Friday Night Lights
.

Coach and his staff showed me lots of personal attention. I was offered a full scholarship to play football for the Buffaloes. Before I headed back home to Willcox, I accepted Coach's offer and signed a conference letter of intent. I thought West Texas State would be a great opportunity to improve my football skills so I could eventually play professionally. They were a Division I school and played in the Missouri Valley Conference.

I also thought that if for some reason I wasn't good enough to get drafted, and if I didn't make it in professional football, I would have more opportunities in Amarillo than in Tucson. What I was really thinking about was becoming a professional wrestler. My dad never wanted me to be a professional wrestler. Never. But deep down, I never could let go of my desire to one day become a wrestler just like Dad.

I headed back to Willcox quite confused. I told my grandma everything, and she told me to follow my heart. I did. I made up my mind that I was going to attend West Texas State University.

One day at school, I got called out of class to the principal's office. Upon my arrival, I was surprised to see three men again: the head football coach, the defensive line coach, and the amateur wrestling coach of the University of Arizona. They invited me to lunch to discuss my future at the University of Arizona. Word had apparently got out that I had visited and signed a letter of intent with West Texas State.

During lunch, we had a nice conversation. The coaches were puzzled because they thought I wanted to attend their school. I was honest with them and told them how I felt. I stressed that whether I attended the University of Arizona or West Texas State, there was no assurance I would be good enough to make it into the NFL—hence my other passion in life, becoming a professional wrestler. I think that's why they brought the school's amateur wrestling coach, who told me they would put me on the school's wrestling team. Obviously, they didn't understand a word I had said. I had no interest in amateur wrestling. In fact, I had my mind made up to sign with West Texas State. At that point, I was simply just trying to be nice.

As our lunch ended, they invited me to the upcoming athletic banquet on campus for incoming freshmen. The banquet was scheduled for the evening of National Signing Day. Coach said, “Ted, the least you can do for us is to come to the banquet. Just come, visit the campus, and see our facilities.”

Beaten down, I said, “Okay. I will come to the banquet.”

A couple of weeks later, the assistant football coach, who was a University of Arizona alumnus, drove me to the banquet. He was a great guy and I respected him a lot. During the two-and-a-half-hour drive, we chatted about lots of things. But he also warned me. He said, “Ted, I am going to be real
honest with you because I like you. These guys are high pressure. You need to be prepared. They will be putting lots of pressure on you to sign a letter of intent. This is for sure. They are expecting me to tell you to attend the University of Arizona. But I am telling you that you need to do whatever you feel in your heart.”

It was a great evening. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was very regal. I met lots of guys from around the state and country, all of whom were going to attend the University of Arizona. Although I was enjoying the evening, with every passing minute my heart was leaning more and more to West Texas State. As I was getting ready to head back to Willcox, the coaches told me to spend the night in Tucson. They took care of all accommodations and put me up in a nice hotel.

The next morning I was awakened by a phone call around seven. It was the defensive line coach. He invited me down to join him and the other coaches for breakfast. I accepted, and met the coaches in the hotel restaurant. As I was eating, the coaches made one last effort to get me to commit. For some reason, I recall looking at the clock. It showed eight. Simultaneously, one of the coaches reached into his sport-coat pocket and pulled out a contract. He slid the contract to me from across the table and handed me a pen. “Ted, we want you to be the first person this year to sign the National Letter of Intent to play football for the University of Arizona.”

I was flattered and appreciated the gesture. Though I was nervous, I stuck to my guns. “Coach, I still don't know.” The coaches remained cordial, but they really wanted me to sign. I guess they were getting desperate, because they tried to play me for a fool. One of the coaches said, “Ted, go ahead, just sign it. If you change your mind, we will just tear it up.”

I couldn't believe it. I may not have been the brightest guy, but I didn't just fall off a turnip truck either. I just sat there, and even though I wanted to say it out loud, I bit my tongue and simply thought, “You son of a bitch! Do you think I'm that stupid?”

But once again, I didn't budge. I stressed that I couldn't sign with them right now. They backed off. We ended breakfast shaking hands, and they told me one of the coaches would take me home. I went back to the room and packed my stuff. It was a long ride back to Willcox.

As soon as I got home, I couldn't wait to see my grandmother and tell her what had happened. I told her how everything was so intense and pressure-packed. She hugged me and told me how proud she was of the way that I handled myself. She also told me that Coach Dawson from West Texas State had been calling every fifteen minutes!

Coach Dawson, the running-back coach at West Texas State, was calling to get me to sign. My grandmother told him that I was at a banquet at the University of Arizona. They were obviously in a state of panic at West Texas State, because they thought I would be wooed into signing with the Wildcats.

I told Grandma of my plans and she agreed. I picked up the phone and called Coach Dawson, “Ted, we still want you. You didn't sign with Arizona, did you?”

“No sir. I didn't sign.”

“I can be on a plane in ten minutes. I can come up right now and have you sign the letter of intent that makes it official.”

“That won't be necessary, Coach Dawson. I'm not going to sign with any other school. Just put your letter in the mail. I'll sign it and return it right away.”

I am pretty sure Coach Dawson still wasn't reassured. Not wanting to lose the deal, he probed, “Are you sure we don't need to fly over and bring the letter?”

I replied, “No, don't worry. I've given you my word. I am absolutely positive. The mail will be fine.” And that was that. I made my decision to attend West Texas State University to play football and earn a degree in education.

With only a few months until graduation, I focused on my classes and working out. I partied with my friends and counted the days before I left for Amarillo. As the senior class president, I was required to give a graduation speech. I spoke to the class from my heart. I emphasized that you should always follow your dreams. That you can do whatever you want if you work hard at it. As long as you give 110 percent and do it to the best of your ability, then you will always be a success.

I couldn't wait to pack my bags and head to Amarillo, but I was really going to miss my grandma. A few weeks after graduation, as I was packing my
stuff, Grandma entered my room. With tears in her eyes, she asked if I needed any help. We hugged and bawled for what seemed like hours. I can't even begin to explain how much my grandmother meant to me. I loved her so much and she was everything in my life. She was my refuge. I was going to miss her dearly.

My mom, Ted, and John all attended my high school graduation. Mike couldn't make it because he was still in the army. As we celebrated, Mom said she was going to be the one to drive me to college when I was ready to leave. Less than a month after graduation, I was ready to head out to Canyon. In the hot Willcox summer of 1972, I loaded Mom's car with my basics and her oxygen tank. Her emphysema was so bad that she needed the tank to breathe. After