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<mask>. (born August 13, 1988) is an American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Texas Christian University (TCU), where he was recognized twice as a consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Early years
<mask> received three varsity letters in football while attending Austin High School in Fort Bend County, Texas, where he played running back. As a senior in 2006 <mask> rushed for 1,412 yards and totaled 19 touchdowns to capture First-team All-District 20-5A honors. <mask> also earned First-team All District as a kick returner. <mask> also lettered in baseball where he played third base and pitcher. Considered only a two-star recruit out of high-school by recruiting service Rivals.com, <mask> failed to draw a lot of attention and only received a few scholarship offers.He picked TCU over Iowa State, Arizona State and North Texas. College career
<mask> accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Texas Christian University, and played for coach Gary Patterson's TCU Horned Frogs football team from 2006 to 2009. Patterson recognized <mask>' natural athleticism and assigned him jersey number 98, usually reserved for defensive linemen. Before the season, Patterson worked <mask> in at defensive end, and he was able to earn playing time there as a freshman. Once at TCU, <mask> was one of just four true freshmen to play for the Horned Frogs in 2006. He recorded his first career sack in a 31-17 win over Army. He played in all 13 games as sophomore in 2007, and recorded at least one tackle in each of those contests.Taking over as a full-time starter as a junior in 2008, <mask> recorded 15 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss, 6 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and returned one of those picks for a touchdown. He led the nation with his 15 sacks. He garnered first-team All-Mountain West Conference
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(MWC) and MWC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. In 2009 <mask> had a career-high 54 tackles and 11.5 sacks (tied for 7th in NCAA). That season, the Horned Frogs ranked first in total defense, allowing just 233 yards per game and were sixth in the nation with 12.4 points allowed per game. He was a first-team All-Mountain West selection again, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. Additionally, he was named the MWC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in two years.His career totals now include 28.5 sacks, 139 total tackles, 39 tackles-for-loss and seven forced fumbles. <mask>ricks Award (2009)
Lott Trophy (2009)
Lombardi Award finalist (2009)
Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist (2008, 2009)
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
<mask> was selected by the Indianapolis Colts 31st overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is the first TCU Horned Frog selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since LaDainian Tomlinson went fifth overall to the San Diego Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft, and the first TCU defensive player selected in the first round since Bob Lilly, who was selected 13th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1961 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, <mask> appeared in 12 games making six tackles. In 2011, <mask> appeared in 12 games with one start making 13 tackles and one sack. On November 16, 2012, <mask> was fined $21,000 for a late hit against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10.He finished the 2012 season by appearing in all 16 games with six starts recording 32 tackles, one pass defended, and four sacks. Buffalo Bills
On April 29, 2013, the Colts traded <mask> to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. <mask> finished his first season with the Bills by making 46 tackles, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles in 16 games with one start. He was also named to the USA Today All-Joe Team. On March 9, 2015, the Buffalo
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Bills and <mask> agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $45 million. He played through the majority of the 2015 season with a chipped bone in his left wrist as a hybrid LB/DE . In 2016, as the Bills more fully committed to a 3-4 scheme, <mask> was moved from defensive end to outside linebacker.On May 21, 2019, <mask> signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills. In the AFC Wild Card game against the Houston Texans, <mask> sacked quarterback Deshaun Watson 3 times during the 22–19 overtime loss. In Week 7 of the 2020 season against the New York Jets, <mask> recorded six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and the game sealing interception late in the fourth quarter during the 18–10 win, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, <mask> recovered a fumble forced by teammate Tre'Davious White on Drew Lock and returned it for a 21 yard touchdown during the 48–19 win. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, <mask> recorded two sacks on Lamar Jackson during the 17–3 win. In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, <mask> recorded one sack on Patrick Mahomes during the 38–24 loss. By the 2021 season, <mask> became the longest tenured player on the Bills' roster.NFL statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
<mask> and Meghan <mask> were wed as of April 2015. and have two children, JR and <mask>. References
External links
Buffalo Bills bio
Rotoworld profile
TCU Horned Frogs bio
1988 births
Living people
People from Sugar Land, Texas
Sportspeople from the Houston metropolitan area
Players of American football from Texas
African-American players of American football
American football defensive ends
American football linebackers
TCU Horned Frogs football players
All-American college football players
Buffalo Bills players
Indianapolis Colts players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American
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<mask> (born April 1, 1980), is an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. <mask> is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather <mask>, father <mask>., and uncle <mask> were all wrestlers. Before being signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he trained in and wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association and Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. He was then signed by the WWF and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice. He became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut, which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign, his first championship with the company. He also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans.At the age of 24, <mask> became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, <mask> joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, they held the World Tag Team Championship. After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007, <mask> gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night, becoming the second youngest two-time WWE Champion at the age of 27. He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 2008. They disbanded in 2010, and
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<mask> returned to singles competition.From 2013 to 2015, he was aligned with The Authority, who named him the "face of the WWE". In 2016, he joined The Wyatt Family, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on them in 2017. He won his first United States Championship in 2018, becoming the 18th overall Grand Slam Champion after already having been the 17th Triple Crown Champion. <mask> is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. <mask>'s rivalry with fellow wrestler John Cena has been recognized as one of the longest and greatest rivalries in WWE history. <mask> has held the WWE Championship 10 times and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times. He was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship, which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2013.<mask> is recognized by WWE as having the third-most world championship victories in history at 14, behind John Cena and Ric Flair (both 16) and tied with Triple H (also at 14). He is the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as the 2009 and 2017 Royal Rumble matches, and has headlined multiple WWE pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania 25 and WrestleMania XXX. Following his match at the 2021 Survivor Series, he broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history. Early life
Randal <mask> was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 1, 1980, the son of nurse Elaine and professional wrestler <mask> Jr. He is the grandson of <mask>
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and nephew of <mask>, both professional wrestlers. He has a younger brother named Nathan, who is a stand-up comedian, and a younger sister named Rebecca. Knowing the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, <mask>'s parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road and away from family.<mask> attended Hazelwood Central High School, where he was an amateur wrestler. After graduating in 1998, he enlisted with the Marines. At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge in 1999 after going AWOL on two occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he was tried and convicted under a special court-martial, subsequently spending 38 days in the brig at Camp Pendleton. Professional wrestling career
Training and early career (2000–2001)
<mask> made his wrestling debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in St. Louis, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club headed by Sam Muchnick. There, he was trained by both the staff of the promotion and his father, <mask> Jr. He wrestled for the promotion for one month.<mask> also refereed a few matches with World Organized Wrestling (WOW), a promotion where his uncle <mask> worked. World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment / WWE
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2001–2002)
In 2001, <mask> signed a deal with the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in
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Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, <mask> wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino and The Prototype and teamed with Bobby Eaton during a tag team title tournament. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship twice by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and Flash Flanagan on May 5, 2001, respectively. On several occasions he faced Rico Constantino on combined WWF/OVW events, and also lost to The Prototype (John Cena) in a tag match on July 28 in Jacksonville, Indiana. He also began appearing on several WWF house shows that were unaffiliated with OVW, the first being on May 1, 2001, when he faced Billy Gunn. After taking the mic and promising to beat Gunn, <mask> was defeated.That fall he began appearing regularly on WWF house shows and dark matches, facing Chuck Palumbo, Steven Richards and Shawn Stasiak, but mostly wrestling in tag team matches. <mask>'s promotion to the main roster made him a member of OVW's now legendary Class of 2002 as part of what has now been dubbed as the OVW 4 alongside the aforementioned Cena as well as Brock Lesnar and Dave Bautista. Evolution (2002–2004)
One of <mask>'s first official WWF appearances was March 16, 2002 at WrestleMania X8's Fan Axxess, where he was defeated by Tommy Dreamer. <mask>'s first televised WWF match was a victory against Hardcore Holly on SmackDown! on April 25, 2002. Soon after, <mask> became a face and was placed in a series of matches with Holly. In September 2002, <mask> was traded to the Raw brand, where he defeated Stevie Richards in his debut on the show.Within weeks of his debut on
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the Raw brand, <mask> suffered a shoulder injury, leaving him sidelined for months. While recovering, <mask> still appeared on Raw in his own Randy News Network (RNN) segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking about his condition. The show interrupted other segments of Raw programming, which caused <mask> to slowly transition himself into a narcissistic and self-centered heel. After his injury healed, <mask> joined the Evolution stable, which consisted of Ric Flair, Triple H, and relative newcomer Batista. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004, with the height of their dominance occurring after Armageddon in 2003 when all of the men's titles on Raw were held by Evolution members. In 2003, <mask> spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship. He joined Triple H in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, involved primarily to secure Triple H's title defense, and was eliminated by Goldberg, but the stable managed to fulfill its purpose and Triple H went on to eliminate Goldberg and retain his title.<mask> then began proclaiming himself the "Legend Killer", with his gimmick becoming that of a young upstart who was so talented that he touted himself as the future of wrestling. He embarked on numerous feuds with older, well-respected names in wrestling and gained infamy for blatantly disrespecting them. With the help of his stablemate and mentor Ric Flair, <mask> defeated Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven in the first of many high-profile matches billed as "Legend vs. Legend Killer".
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During this time, <mask> began using the move that would become his signature finisher, the RKO, a jumping cutter named after his initials. He defeated Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Championship at Armageddon in December 2003. With this win, <mask> started the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in seven years, holding the title for 210 days. <mask> continued to establish himself as a "Legend Killer" throughout 2004, challenging the semi-retired wrestler Mick Foley.Famed for his brutal hardcore matches and ability to handle excruciating pain, Foley challenged <mask> to a hardcore "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match for his Intercontinental Championship, which <mask> reluctantly accepted. At Backlash, <mask> defeated Foley in a hardcore match to retain the Intercontinental Championship, which included spots involving barbed wire and <mask> being thrown onto hundreds of thumbtacks. <mask> later spat in the face of Harley Race on the April 26 episode of Raw. Two months later at Bad Blood, he retained the Intercontinental Championship against Shelton Benjamin. In July at Vengeance, he lost the title to Edge. World Heavyweight Champion (2004–2005)
After losing the Intercontinental Championship, <mask> became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after winning a 20-man battle royal on July 26. At SummerSlam, <mask> defeated Chris Benoit for the championship, thus becoming the youngest world champion in WWE history at the age of 24.Benoit congratulated <mask> after the match, shaking his hand for showing the ability to "be a man". The following night on
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Raw, after <mask> successfully defended the title against Benoit in a rematch, Evolution threw <mask> a mock celebration only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had <mask> propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs-up and then abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down, which was followed by Batista dropping <mask> to the mat. Triple H, Flair and Batista attacked <mask> in the ring, resulting in <mask> being kicked out of Evolution. The following week, he called out <mask> and ordered him to hand over the championship, but he refused, spitting in Triple H's face and hitting him with the title belt. <mask>'s breakup with Evolution led to him turning face when he continued to feud with his former stablemates. A month later, <mask> lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H at Unforgiven after interference from Flair, Batista, and Jonathan Coachman.Seeking revenge, <mask> lashed out at his former Evolution members, catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make-up gift, which he came out of nowhere to beat and humiliate the group. At Taboo Tuesday, <mask> defeated Ric Flair in a steel cage match. After this, <mask> experienced another push, becoming general manager of the Raw brand for a week following a match stipulation at Survivor Series where he picked up the win for his team by last eliminating Triple H in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match. He continued to feud with Triple H, using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses. In
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January 2005 at New Year's Revolution, <mask> participated in an Elimination Chamber match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, where he was the last man eliminated by Triple H after interference from Ric Flair and Batista. On the January 10 episode of Raw, <mask> defeated Batista to earn a match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight title, which he lost. Feud with The Undertaker (2005–2006)
<mask> began an on-screen relationship with Stacy Keibler and briefly feuded with Christian in February 2005.On the February 28 Raw, Superstar Billy Graham made an appearance, in which he advised <mask> to "go where no wrestler [had] gone before". <mask> then produced a copy of SmackDown! magazine, which featured The Undertaker on the cover. Heeding Graham's advice, <mask> said he would set himself apart from all other wrestlers by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Throughout March 2005, <mask> taunted The Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of him. On the March 21 Raw, <mask> turned heel once again after he delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious. During <mask>'s promos, he ran for cover whenever signs of The Undertaker's appearance (lightning, darkness, or smoke) occurred.When wrestler Jake Roberts advised <mask> not to underestimate The Undertaker, <mask> performed an RKO on Roberts as well. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, <mask> became more defiant and unafraid of The Undertaker, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father, "Cowboy"
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<mask>. At WrestleMania 21, <mask> lost the heavily hyped match. The next night on Raw, <mask> faced Batista, who had become World Heavyweight Champion. <mask> stated on-screen that his match with The Undertaker had aggravated a shoulder injury. While sidelined, <mask> appeared on Raw and claimed that he was ineligible for the WWE Draft Lottery due to his injury. He was informed by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon that he was indeed a candidate for the draft, leaving a possibility of a return to SmackDown!<mask> returned to WWE programming for SmackDown! on June 16, announcing that he was the second pick in the 2005 draft lottery. He rekindled his feud with The Undertaker, defeating him at SummerSlam following a distraction from his father. Two months later at No Mercy, <mask> and his father <mask> defeated The Undertaker in a handicap casket match and after the match, <mask> and his father Bob locked the Undertaker in the casket and, in a move similar to Kane at the 1998 Royal Rumble, chopped holes in the top of the casket with an axe, poured gasoline over the casket and set it ablaze, kayfabe killing The Undertaker. The following month, <mask> replaced the late Eddie Guerrero as a participant in the annual elimination match of Team SmackDown! against Team Raw at Survivor Series, after having lost a qualifying match to Rey Mysterio. In the match, <mask> was the last remaining wrestler in the match for the third straight year, as he pinned Shawn Michaels to get the victory for Team SmackDown!.After the match, The Undertaker returned by emerging from a flaming casket and attacked the
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SmackDown! superstars who came to the ring to celebrate Team SmackDown! 's victory. On the SmackDown! episode after Survivor Series, The Undertaker interfered in a match between Rey Mysterio and Big Show after Kane interfered. <mask> RKO'd the Undertaker, he then struck the Undertaker with a tire iron and set him on the back of the lowrider Mysterio had driven to the ring, he then reversed the lowrider into the SmackDown! set, causing an explosion.The feud was finally settled with a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon. On the December 16 episode of SmackDown!, The Undertaker entered the ring to deliver a promo while one of his druids appeared to be standing in the ring. The Undertaker sustained an RKO from <mask> in a surprise attack. The druid revealed himself to be <mask>'s father, who gave <mask> The Undertaker's urn, which according to the storyline allowed whomever held it to control The Undertaker. The Undertaker, however, beat <mask> in the Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon, ending their nine-month-long feud. Rated-RKO (2006–2007)
After Armageddon, <mask> entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match as the thirtieth and final wrestler, but he was eliminated by the eventual winner of the match Rey Mysterio, who earned a world championship at WrestleMania 22. <mask> challenged him to a match for his title shot at No Way Out.In the weeks preceding No Way Out, <mask> made controversial remarks about Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio's friend who had died a few months previously, in an attempt to gain villain heat. Many fans felt the comments were highly distasteful so soon after Guerrero's death in
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November 2005. <mask> won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22. SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania 22 title match, making it a triple threat match between <mask>, Mysterio and then-champion Kurt Angle. On April 2 at WrestleMania, however, <mask> lost after he was pinned by Mysterio. On the following episode of SmackDown!, <mask> challenged Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship, but failed to win the title.On April 4, <mask> was suspended for sixty days for "unprofessional conduct". In an interview, <mask> stated, "my conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return". To cover for the suspension, a scripted injury was devised, where Kurt Angle broke <mask>'s ankle during a King of the Ring quarterfinal match. <mask> returned from his suspension in June to the Raw brand, where he entered a rivalry with Angle, culminating in matches at ECW One Night Stand (which he lost) and Vengeance (which he won) before engaging in a storyline feud with Hulk Hogan. <mask> began cutting promos insulting the aging Hogan and flirted with Hogan's then-eighteen-year-old daughter Brooke. At SummerSlam, the two met in a "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match, which Hogan won. He later defeated Carlito, at Unforgiven the following month.After the newly reformed D-Generation X (D-X) (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) cost Edge the WWE Championship, Edge approached <mask> and asked him to join forces to defeat the team. <mask>, whose championship reign had been ended by
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Triple H in 2004, agreed, forming the tag team Rated-RKO. The two defeated D-X at Cyber Sunday with help from special guest referee Eric Bischoff, becoming the first team to defeat D-X since their reunion in June and they quickly dominated the Raw brand's tag team division to become World Tag Team Champions by defeating Ric Flair and Roddy Piper on the November 13 episode of Raw. As part of the angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage D-X on the November 27 episode of Raw. At New Year's Revolution, Rated-RKO defended the World Tag Team Championship against D-X, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match. Afterwards, Rated-RKO were attacked by D-X. With Triple H out of action, Rated-RKO continued their on-screen rivalry with Michaels.At the Royal Rumble, both men competed in the eponymous match and made it to the final four, but both were eliminated by Michaels. Michaels later teamed with WWE Champion John Cena to defeat Rated-RKO to win the World Tag Team Championship the following night on Raw. After losing the tag team titles, both Edge and <mask> focused on the WWE Championship, causing friction between them. On the February 5, 2007 episode of Raw, they lost a triple threat match against Michaels to earn a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 23. They both competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, but the match was won by Mr. Kennedy. On the April 9 episode of Raw, <mask> and Michaels wrestled to a no contest in a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship after both
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men's shoulders were down during the pinfall. Finally, <mask> and Edge faced off in a fatal four-way match for the title against Cena and Michaels at Backlash, however Cena retained the title after pinning <mask>.On the April 30 episode of Raw, they competed against each other in a singles match, which Edge won. Their alliance was effectively ended once Edge joined the SmackDown! brand. <mask> then continued his "Legend Killer" persona, attacking Shawn Michaels by using frequent attacks to the head, including an elevated DDT and a running punt to the face. <mask> defeated Michaels at Judgment Day via knockout when Michaels suffered a kayfabe concussion and collapsed during the match. <mask> continued his attacks when he engaged himself in feuds with Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand (after losing a stretcher match to Van Dam), Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Sgt. Slaughter.During this time the commentators noted how <mask> slithered around and stalked his victims like a snake; this led to "The Viper" becoming a nickname for <mask>. WWE Champion (2007–2008)
On the July 23 episode of Raw, <mask> was named number one contender for John Cena's WWE Championship. Three times before their scheduled bout at SummerSlam, <mask> assaulted Cena with the RKO. <mask> lost the title match at SummerSlam when Cena pinned him after an FU. The next night on the August 27 episode of Raw, <mask> demanded a rematch, but Raw General Manager William Regal denied him. He then appealed to Mr. McMahon, who offered him the shot if he "proved himself". That night, <mask> interfered in Cena's match with King Booker,
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assaulting him before kicking his father, who was at ringside, in the head.McMahon granted <mask> his rematch at Unforgiven, which he won by disqualification when Cena refused to stop punching him in the corner; however, Cena retained the championship because titles cannot change hands by disqualification. After the match, Cena's father, who was again at ringside, kicked <mask> in the head, which led to a match the next night on the September 17 episode of Raw, in which <mask> defeated Cena's father by disqualification, then hit him with an RKO while Cena was handcuffed to the ropes. Cena suffered a legitimate injury during a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1 episode of Raw, after which <mask> attacked Cena with an RKO. After this, he adopted the nickname of "The Viper". <mask> then threw him outside the ring, and gave him an RKO on the broadcast table. Due to this injury, John Cena was forced to vacate the WWE Championship. At the start of No Mercy, Mr. McMahon awarded <mask> the WWE Championship, which John Cena had vacated due to injury.<mask> lost the title to Triple H in the opening match, but regained it later that night in a Last Man Standing match. <mask> then restarted his feud with Shawn Michaels, who returned on the October 8 episode of Raw during <mask>'s championship coronation and superkicked him. Michaels was chosen by fan voting over Jeff Hardy and Mr. Kennedy to meet <mask> for the WWE Championship at Cyber Sunday, where <mask> was disqualified after low blowing Michaels, but retained the title. They had a rematch at Survivor Series with a pre-match stipulation
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that if Michaels had used Sweet Chin Music, he would have lost and never had another chance at the title, while if <mask> was disqualified, he would have lost the championship; <mask> pinned Michaels at Survivor Series after an RKO to retain the title. <mask> then began a feud with the returning Chris Jericho, who challenged <mask> for the WWE Championship at Armageddon, in which Jericho won by disqualification after interference from SmackDown! color commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), but <mask> retained the title.He then feuded with Jeff Hardy, during which he punted Hardy's brother Matt in the head and Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb off the Raw set onto <mask>. He successfully defended the title against Hardy at the Royal Rumble.He then restarted his feud with John Cena, who had returned from injury to win the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Instead of taking his title shot at WrestleMania XXIV, as Royal Rumble winners typically do, Cena took it at No Way Out and defeated <mask>, who intentionally got himself disqualified by slapping the referee to retain the title. The following night on Raw, Cena defeated <mask> in a non-title match with Triple H as the special guest referee, resulting in Cena being added to <mask>'s title match with Triple H at WrestleMania, making it a triple threat match. At WrestleMania, <mask> retained the WWE Championship against Cena and Triple H by pinning Cena after Triple H executed a Pedigree on him. The next month at Backlash, <mask> lost the title to Triple H in a fatal four-way elimination match, also including Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
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(JBL). After failing to win it back at Judgment Day in a steel cage match, he faced Triple H for the title once more in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand, which he lost after Triple H countered an RKO by throwing <mask> over the top rope, legitimately breaking his collarbone and putting him out of action. During this time, he gained a new entrance theme, "Voices", performed by the band Rev Theory.The Legacy (2008–2010)
Upon being medically cleared to return to the ring, <mask> was reinjured in a motorcycle accident. He returned to Raw on September 1, criticizing all the champions, including World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, who he berated and slapped for letting Cryme Tyme steal their belts. This inspired them to try to gain <mask>'s respect. They achieved this at Unforgiven when, with new stablemate Manu, they assaulted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, forcing him to vacate his title before his scheduled defense that night. <mask> returned to in-ring action on the November 3 episode of Raw, losing to Punk by disqualification when DiBiase interfered, resulting in <mask> punting DiBiase in the head in retaliation. At Survivor Series, Team Orton, which included Rhodes, defeated Team Batista with both <mask> and Rhodes surviving as the sole survivors. On the December 1 episode of Raw, <mask> proposed that he, Rhodes and Manu form an alliance.The stable, called "The Legacy", debuted the next week, defeating Batista and Triple H, <mask>'s former Evolution stablemates, in a three-on-two handicap match. At Armageddon, <mask> lost to Batista in a singles
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match. <mask> began feuding with the McMahon family on the January 19, 2009 episode of Raw when he confronted both Mr. McMahon and Stephanie, claiming that he was worth more than her, and that she had become "worthless". This infuriated Mr. McMahon, who demanded that <mask> apologize, or he'd terminate him on the spot. As Mr. McMahon was about to fire him, <mask> attacked and punted him in the head, leading to him being carried out of the arena on a stretcher. On January 25, <mask> won the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Triple H. The next night on Raw, <mask> claimed that he suffered from IED, and that he was not responsible for his actions towards Mr. McMahon, claiming that he suffered a "loss of control" because of the disorder. He also claimed that WWE knew of the condition, but did nothing, and threatened to sue WWE for that reason, and also, if Stephanie were to fire him, threatened a second lawsuit for breach of contract, due to the fact that he was legally entitled to compete at WrestleMania because he won the Royal Rumble.Though Stephanie teased firing <mask>, she changed her mind and said that she had "bigger plans", leading to Shane McMahon returning to Raw and attacking <mask>. This led to <mask> facing Shane in a No Holds Barred match at No Way Out, which he won. The next night on Raw, <mask> faced Shane again in an unsanctioned match, which ended in a no contest when he punted Shane in the head, thus rendering him unable to continue the match. Stephanie then ran down to the ring to tend to her brother, but <mask> attacked her with an RKO. This drew Triple H into the
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feud, who claimed that <mask> "crossed the line" when he attacked Stephanie, his real-life wife. Later, <mask> claimed that everything he had done was part of a plan to get revenge on Triple H after he kicked him out of Evolution back in 2004; according to <mask>, Triple H "ruined his life", so <mask> was going to do the same and take everything that Triple H cared about away from him. He challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 25, where he was unsuccessful.He won it the next month at Backlash by pinning Triple H in a six-man tag team match between The Legacy and Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon. At Judgment Day, <mask> defended the championship against Batista, where he retained via disqualification after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. At Extreme Rules, he lost the title to Batista in a steel cage match. The following night on Raw, <mask> and Legacy attacked Batista and injured his arm, forcing him to vacate the title. On the June 15 episode of Raw, <mask> regained the title in a fatal four-way match against Big Show, Triple H and John Cena. The following week, <mask> defended the WWE Championship against Triple H in a Last Man Standing match, which ended in a no-contest after both men failed to answer the referee's ten count. They faced off for the championship once more at The Bash in a Three Stages of Hell match, which <mask> won after interference from Legacy.At SummerSlam, he defended the title against John Cena, during which he used several underhanded tactics to retain the championship. He lost the title to Cena in an "I Quit" match at Breaking Point, but
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regained it from Cena in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell. At Bragging Rights, <mask> again lost the championship to Cena in a one-hour Iron Man match to end the feud. <mask> then began a rivalry with Kofi Kingston, whom <mask> blamed for him losing the WWE Championship due to Kingston interfering in his match with Cena to chase away Rhodes and DiBiase. On the November 16 episode of Raw, <mask> and Kingston engaged in a brawl that ended with Kingston putting <mask> through a table in the crowd. Both men were named captains for their respective teams at Survivor Series, where Kingston's team defeated <mask>'s team after <mask> was last eliminated by Kingston. The two traded victories over each on following episodes of Raw, leading to a match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, which <mask> won.The next night, he competed in a tournament to crown the 2009 Superstar of the Year, defeating The Undertaker by countout in the first round after interference from Legacy to advance to the finals later that night, where he lost to Cena. <mask> won a triple threat match on January 11, 2010, episode of Raw, with help from Rhodes and DiBiase, for the right to challenge Sheamus at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. <mask> lost by disqualification when Rhodes interfered, which prompted <mask> to attack both Rhodes and DiBiase after the match. On the February 15 episode of Raw, <mask> was again disqualified in a non-title rematch when Legacy interfered. <mask> and DiBiase both competed in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber, where DiBiase
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eliminated <mask> after hitting him with a pipe Rhodes had given him. The next night on the February 22 episode of Raw, during a six-man tag team match, <mask> attacked them in retaliation, turning him face. At WrestleMania XXVI, <mask> defeated Rhodes and DiBiase in a triple threat match.World championship reigns (2010–2013)
After The Legacy disbanded, <mask> spent most part of the year in World Title feuds. He unsuccessfully challenged Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules in April. At Fatal 4-Way in June, <mask> competed in a fatal four-way WWE Championship match involving champion Cena, Edge, and Sheamus, who won the title after interference from The Nexus. On July 18 at Money in the Bank, <mask> competed in a Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE Championship contract, which was won by The Miz and, at SummerSlam, he faced the WWE Champion Sheamus in a match that ended in a disqualification, giving <mask> the win, but not the title. Immediately afterward, <mask> hit Sheamus with the chair and an RKO onto the broadcast table. At Night of Champions, <mask> won the WWE Championship in a six-pack challenge elimination match. After successfully defending the title against Sheamus in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell, He feuded with Wade Barrett, who was blackmailing Cena to help him capture the title.<mask> retained the title against him at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series. However, on the November 22 episode of Raw, after <mask> defeated Barrett again in a title match, he lost the championship against The Miz when he cashed his Money in the
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Bank contract. <mask> received his rematch against The Miz in a tables match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and the Royal Rumble, but he lost both matches. The next month at Elimination Chamber, <mask> failed to win a WWE Championship number one contender Elimination Chamber match after being eliminated by CM Punk. Over the next three weeks, <mask> punted and injured all members of The New Nexus, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga and Mason Ryan. At WrestleMania XXVII, <mask> defeated Punk after a mid-air RKO. Two weeks later in the 2011 WWE draft, <mask> was drafted to the SmackDown brand and later beat Punk in a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules, ending his feud with The New Nexus.On the May 6 episode of SmackDown, <mask> defeated Christian to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. At Over the Limit, <mask> made his first successful title defense in a rematch against Christian. At Capitol Punishment, <mask> pinned Christian to retain the championship again, despite Christian's foot being under the bottom rope. In July at Money in the Bank, <mask> defended the championship against Christian once more, with the stipulation that if <mask> got himself disqualified, or if there was "bad officiating", Christian would win the title. Christian spat in <mask>'s face, causing him to lose control of his temper, kick Christian in the groin and get disqualified, resulting in <mask> losing the championship. A month later at SummerSlam, <mask> regained the title when he defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred match. <mask> ended his feud with Christian when he retained
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the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match on the August 30 episode of SmackDown.<mask> then began a feud with Mark Henry after Henry became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. Over the next few weeks, Henry regularly attacked <mask>. At Night of Champions, <mask> lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Henry, and failed to regain it two weeks later in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell. He then began feuding with his former stablemate Cody Rhodes, who believed that <mask> had mistreated and abused him during their time together in Legacy. On the October 14 episode of SmackDown, <mask> won a 41-man battle royal to earn a title shot of his choice, and he chose to challenge Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship later that night; he won by disqualification after interference from Rhodes, but did not win the championship. He then defeated Rhodes at Vengeance, and on the November 4 SmackDown in a Street Fight. <mask> reignited his feud with Wade Barrett after both were named captain for a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match.On the November 11 episode of SmackDown, <mask> lost a match to Barrett after Barrett poked <mask> in the eye. On the November 14 episode of Raw, <mask> won a rematch by disqualification after Team Barrett interfered. <mask>'s team was defeated at Survivor Series with Barrett and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors. Barrett then began attacking and distracting <mask> during matches. At Tables, Ladders, & Chairs, <mask> defeated Barrett in a tables match after he put Barrett through the table with
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an RKO. Barrett and <mask> continued their feud on the December 23 episode of SmackDown, where they brawled backstage and <mask> hit Barrett with an RKO onto a car. This led to a Falls Count Anywhere match on December 30 episode of SmackDown, in which Barrett pushed <mask> down a flight of stairs, resulting in a herniated disc, which sidelined <mask> for four weeks.On the January 27, 2012 episode of SmackDown, he returned to the ring and attacked Barrett. On the February 3 episode of SmackDown, <mask> defeated Barrett in a No Disqualification match to end the feud. On the February 13 episode of Raw, <mask> suffered a concussion after World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan smashed <mask> over the head with the title belt. Due to the injury, <mask> was taken out of his Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber. When <mask> returned on the March 2 episode of SmackDown, he feuded with Kane and was defeated by him at WrestleMania XXVIII. <mask> defeated Kane on the next SmackDown in a No Disqualification rematch and at Extreme Rules in a Falls Count Anywhere match to end the feud. He participated in a fatal four-way match at Over the Limit for the World Heavyweight Championship, where <mask> failed to win after Sheamus pinned Chris Jericho to retain the title.On May 30, WWE suspended <mask> for 60 days due to his second violation of the company's Talent Wellness Program. <mask> returned on the July 30 episode of Raw defeating Heath Slater. <mask> began feuding with Mr. Money in the Bank Dolph Ziggler and defeated Ziggler at Night of Champions.
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He began feuding with Alberto Del Rio on the September 28 episode of SmackDown. <mask> defeated Del Rio at Hell in a Cell in a singles match and represented Team Foley as his team lost to Team Ziggler at Survivor Series in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag match. On the December 3 episode of Raw, <mask> began a feud with The Shield, after he was attacked by them following a victory over Brad Maddox. On the December 14 episode of SmackDown, <mask> was once again assaulted backstage by The Shield.This was used to write him off television due to a shoulder injury. <mask> returned on the December 31 episode of Raw, helping Ryback and Sheamus fend off The Shield. At Elimination Chamber, <mask> eliminated Mark Henry and Chris Jericho before being the last man eliminated by Jack Swagger. In late February, <mask> aligned himself with Sheamus to feud with the Shield. At WrestleMania 29, <mask>, Sheamus and Big Show were defeated by The Shield, after which, both men were knocked out by Big Show. The following night on Raw, <mask> and Sheamus faced off in a match to earn a match with Big Show, however, the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered. <mask> and Sheamus then teamed up to defeat Big Show in two handicap matches, first on the April 12 SmackDown via count-out, and second on the April 15 Raw via pinfall.The feud between Big Show and <mask> led to an Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules, which <mask> won. After Extreme Rules, <mask> began pairing with Daniel Bryan to face the Shield. On the June 14 SmackDown, <mask> teamed with Bryan and Kane to end the Shield's
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unpinned and unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag matches. Three days later at Payback, <mask> and Bryan unsuccessfully challenged for Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' WWE Tag Team Championship. The following night on Raw, <mask> and Bryan faced off in a No Disqualification match, which <mask> won via referee stoppage after Bryan suffered a legitimate nerve injury. Four days later on SmackDown, <mask> was defeated by Bryan in a singles match via countout. <mask> and Bryan faced each other for the third time on the next Raw, but their match ended in a no-contest after both men were counted out.Later that night, <mask> was defeated by Bryan in a Street Fight Match after he was forced to submit to the Yes! Lock with a kendo stick applied to the move. The Authority (2013–2015)
On July 14 at Money in the Bank, <mask> defeated Christian, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Rob Van Dam, and Sheamus to win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, thus earning him an opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year. On August 18 at SummerSlam, <mask> turned heel after he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Daniel Bryan, who had just won the WWE Championship and had been subsequently attacked by special guest referee Triple H, who also counted the pinfall to give <mask> his seventh WWE Championship. The following night on Raw, <mask> was endorsed as the "face of the company" by Vince McMahon and the newly formed Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon). On September 15 at Night of Champions, <mask> lost the WWE Championship back to
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Bryan, however, Triple H stripped Bryan of the title the next night on Raw, due to a fast count by referee Scott Armstrong, but refused to give the championship back to <mask>. <mask> and Bryan faced off for the vacant title on October 6 at Battleground, but the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered and knocked out both men.<mask> once again challenged Bryan for the vacant championship at Hell in a Cell, where he was successful in regaining the WWE Championship after the special guest referee Shawn Michaels hit Bryan with Sweet Chin Music for attacking Triple H. On November 24 at Survivor Series, after retaining the title against Big Show, <mask> was confronted by World Heavyweight Champion and long-time rival John Cena. The following night on Raw, Cena suggested that there should only be "one champion" in WWE, so Triple H stated there would be a unification match at the TLC pay-per-view. On December 15, <mask> defeated Cena at TLC to unify both titles, and becoming the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion as well as officially being recognized as the final World Heavyweight Champion. <mask> retained the title at the Royal Rumble against Cena after interference by The Wyatt Family. On February 23 at Elimination Chamber, <mask> defeated Cesaro, Christian, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and Sheamus to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship and secure his position in the title bout at WrestleMania XXX against Royal Rumble winner Batista. On April 6 at WrestleMania XXX, the main event was changed to a triple threat match after Bryan defeated Triple H earlier that night, and
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Bryan won the match after making Batista submit to end <mask>'s reign at 161 days. The following night on Raw, <mask> and Batista were each denied a rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and instead were forced by The Authority to team together to face The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship, despite their issues with one another.The title match ended in a double count-out after the two united and attacked them. Later that night, <mask> and Batista, along with Kane, attacked Bryan before he was set to defend his title against Triple H. Before Triple H could defeat Bryan, The Shield interrupted by spearing Triple H and taking out <mask>, Batista, and Kane, causing Bryan to retain his title via disqualification. On the April 14 episode of Raw, <mask>, Batista, and Triple H came down to the ring to attack The Shield after their 11-on-3 handicap match, using the name and the theme of Evolution. At Extreme Rules and Payback, Evolution lost to The Shield. On the June 9 episode of Raw, The Authority automatically granted <mask> a spot in the 2014 Money in the Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he failed to win. On the July 21 episode of Raw, Roman Reigns attacked <mask>, which cost him another shot at the title, causing <mask> to retaliate the following week by viciously attacking Reigns and challenging him to a match at SummerSlam, which Reigns won. At Night of Champions, <mask> defeated Chris Jericho.On the October 13 episode of Raw, <mask> asked The Authority to face the loser of a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match between John
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Cena and Dean Ambrose. Ambrose won the match, setting up a Hell in a Cell match between <mask> and Cena. On the Raw before the event, Triple H revealed that the winner would receive a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar. Later that night, <mask>, Kane, and Seth Rollins defeated Cena and Ambrose in a handicap Street Fight after <mask> pinned Ambrose, but he was immediately attacked by Rollins with a Curb Stomp post-match. At Hell in a Cell, <mask> lost to Cena. On the October 27 episode of Raw, <mask> attacked Rollins, turning face in the process. The following week on Raw, <mask> attacked Rollins during his Intercontinental Championship match against Dolph Ziggler, and demanded a match with Rollins to settle their dispute, which Triple H granted in order to keep <mask> on their side.Rollins won, and <mask> attacked The Authority before being attacked by The Authority, which ended with Rollins executing a Curb Stomp onto the steel steps on <mask>. He was carried on a stretcher after he sustained a scripted injury, so he could start filming The Condemned 2. After a three-month hiatus, <mask> returned at Fastlane on February 22, 2015, by saving Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback from a post-match beatdown of Rollins, Big Show and Kane. He feuded with The Authority's Seth Rollins, having a match at WrestleMania 31 where <mask> defeated Rollins. After WrestleMania, with Rollins as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, <mask> faced Rollins at Extreme Rules and Payback, losing both title matches. At Money in the Bank, <mask> failed to win the championship
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contract ladder match, which was won by Sheamus. Following this, <mask> began feuding with Sheamus after both men attacked each other and faced off in various tag-team matches; <mask> defeated Sheamus at Battleground, but lost to Sheamus at SummerSlam.On the September 7 episode of Raw, <mask> was attacked by The Wyatt Family, starting a feud that was booked to end in the Hell in a Cell pre-show, but canceled after <mask> suffered a legit shoulder injury, putting him out of action for the following months. The Wyatt Family (2016–2017)
On the July 7, 2016 episode of SmackDown, <mask> was revealed as Brock Lesnar's opponent for SummerSlam. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, <mask> was drafted to SmackDown, while Lesnar was drafted to Raw. On July 24 at Battleground, <mask> returned as a guest on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel to be interviewed about his match with Lesnar. <mask> explained that he wanted to face Lesnar to prove that he belonged in the top spot, before executing an RKO on Jericho. On the July 26 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> interrupted Intercontinental Champion The Miz during his Miz TV segment before defeating Miz in a non-title match. During Lesnar's promo on the August 1 episode of Raw, <mask> appeared and delivered an RKO to Lesnar.The following night on SmackDown Live, Lesnar attacked <mask> during his match, delivering an F-5 to <mask>. At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated <mask> by technical knockout after a series of elbows to the head, leaving <mask> with an open wound which required 10 staples. On the August 23 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> spoke about his match
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against Lesnar and declared that he and Lesnar would cross paths again before Bray Wyatt interrupted him, therefore resuming their feud. The following week on SmackDown Live, <mask> accepted Wyatt's challenge for a match at Backlash, where <mask> lost by forfeit after a backstage attack by Wyatt before the show. It was later revealed that <mask> was not cleared to wrestle at the event due to a legitimate concussion that occurred the previous month at SummerSlam. <mask> faced Wyatt at No Mercy, where he lost due to a distraction by the returning Luke Harper. On the October 11 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> was teamed with Kane in a tag team match against Wyatt and Harper, but once again lost the match due to distraction by Harper.On the October 25 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> interfered on Wyatt's behalf in his match with Kane, leading to speculation that he had joined The Wyatt Family, though this was neither confirmed nor denied by WWE or <mask>. On the November 1 episode of SmackDown Live, Wyatt and Harper helped <mask> win his match against Kane, thus confirming <mask>'s alliance with the group, turning heel in the process. That same night, <mask> and Wyatt were revealed as members of Team SmackDown for Survivor Series. At Survivor Series, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw, where <mask> and Wyatt became the last two surviving members of their team. On the November 29 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> and Wyatt defeated American Alpha to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heath Slater and Rhyno. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, they won the titles,
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marking <mask>'s first tag team championship in a decade. It was later announced that Harper was also champion under the Freebird Rule.On the December 27 episode of SmackDown Live, they lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to American Alpha in a fatal four-way tag team elimination match, after <mask> accidentally hit Harper. On January 29, 2017, at the Royal Rumble, <mask> won the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career by lastly eliminating Roman Reigns. Despite this, <mask> came out after Wyatt successfully defended the WWE Championship and relinquished his shot at the title on the February 14 episode of SmackDown Live, basically giving his full devotion to Wyatt and leaving the main event of WrestleMania in the air. On the February 28 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> turned on Wyatt while Wyatt was delivering his promo and was seen entering Wyatt's compound, where he claimed that despite being Wyatt's home, it was not his home and declared his intentions to burn the soul of "Sister Abigail". He then set the entire compound on fire after stating that he would face Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, turning face again. On the March 7 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> defeated AJ Styles to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship. On April 2 at WrestleMania 33, <mask> defeated Wyatt to win the WWE Championship for the ninth time, which was also his first WWE Championship win at WrestleMania and 13th overall world championship.On the following episode of SmackDown Live, Wyatt challenged <mask> to a "House of Horrors" rematch, but after Wyatt was moved to the Raw
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brand as a result of the Superstar Shake-up, it was made a non-title match and scheduled for Raw's Payback on April 30, which he lost. On the April 18 episode of SmackDown Live, Jinder Mahal, who was moved to the SmackDown brand as a result of the Superstar Shake-up, won a six-pack challenge to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship, after interference from The Singh Brothers. The following week on SmackDown Live, <mask> defeated Erick Rowan in a no disqualification match and was afterwards attacked by Mahal and The Singh Brothers; Mahal subsequently stole the WWE Championship belt. At Payback, <mask> lost to Wyatt after Mahal attacked him with the title belt. SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon later returned the belt to <mask>. On May 21 at Backlash, <mask> lost the WWE Championship to Mahal after interference from The Singh Brothers and failed to regain it the following month at Money in the Bank after The Singh Brothers again interfered. On the June 27 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> demanded a rematch for the title, which McMahon would grant him at Battleground, but with Mahal allowed to choose the stipulation (Mahal came out and chose a Punjabi Prison match).At Battleground, <mask> was again defeated by Mahal when The Great Khali returned and attacked <mask>, allowing Mahal to escape the Punjabi Prison to win. United States Champion (2017–2018)
<mask> started a feud with Rusev, whom he defeated in 10 seconds at SummerSlam. On the September 5 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in a number one contender's match for the WWE
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Championship. On the September 19 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> defeated Aiden English; after the match, he was challenged by Rusev to an impromptu match, which he lost in 10 seconds after a distraction from English. At Hell in a Cell, <mask> defeated Rusev to end the feud. On the October 24 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> defeated Sami Zayn to qualify for a spot on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. During the match, <mask> eliminated Finn Bálor and survived until only he and Team SmackDown captain Shane McMahon remained, but was eliminated by Braun Strowman.Team SmackDown ultimately went on to lose. At the Royal Rumble, <mask> entered Royal Rumble match at #24 and eliminated NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas before later being eliminated by Roman Reigns. During the following months, <mask> was put in the orbit of the WWE United States Championship. He defeated the champion Bobby Roode at Fastlane (thus becoming the 18th Grand Slam Champion) but lost it at WrestleMania 34 against Jinder Mahal in a fatal four-way match also involving Roode and Rusev. He had another title match at Backlash against the new champion Jeff Hardy, but <mask> lost again. On May 18, WWE confirmed that <mask> had undergone successful surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee, sidelining him indefinitely. Return of the Legend Killer (2018–2021)
After a brief hiatus, <mask> returned at Extreme Rules and attacked Jeff Hardy after Hardy's match against Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship, turning heel in the process.Two nights later on SmackDown Live, <mask> interfered in the
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rematch and attacked Hardy again. On the August 21 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> and Hardy faced off in a match that ended in a no-contest, with Hardy continuing to attack <mask> after the match. At Hell in a Cell, <mask> defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match. On the October 9 episode of SmackDown Live, <mask> defeated a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel. At Crown Jewel, he lost to Rey Mysterio in the first round. He then started a feud with Mysterio, stealing Mysterio's mask on the November 21 episode of SmackDown Live and carrying it with him for a few weeks. At TLC, <mask> lost to Mysterio in a chairs match.At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, <mask> entered the namesake match at number 29, eliminating Mysterio before he was himself eliminated by Andrade. <mask> competed in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, where he eliminated AJ Styles before being eliminated by Kofi Kingston. He then started a feud with Styles, with the two berating each other about their history in the wrestling business. At WrestleMania 35, <mask> lost to Styles. In July, <mask> feuded with Kingston over the WWE Championship, having matches at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions, where <mask> did not win the title. At Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, <mask> was part of two multi-tag matches, but his team lost both times. As part of the 2019 WWE draft, <mask> was drafted to Raw.On the November 11 episode of Raw, <mask> teamed with Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo to defeat The O.C. (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl
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Anderson). At the end of the match, <mask> seemed like he was going to give Ricochet an RKO, but instead gave one to Styles, turning face in the process. He reignited his feud with Styles and faced him throughout December and January. At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, <mask> entered the titular match at number 25 and eliminated Karl Anderson before he was eliminated by his former Rated-RKO tag team partner Edge, who was returning to competition for the first time since retiring due to career-ending neck injuries in 2011. The next night on Raw, <mask> teased a Rated-RKO reunion with Edge before delivering an RKO and a con-chair-to, turning heel once again. <mask> and Edge then began a feud, facing each other in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36, which <mask> lost.Their second match at Backlash, billed as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", was won by <mask>. <mask> won after a punt to the head of Edge, marking the first punt <mask> had delivered in years. The match put Edge out of action with a legitimate torn triceps, and the victory enabled <mask> to call himself the "Greatest Wrestler Ever." The following night on Raw, Edge's friend and former tag team partner Christian challenged <mask> to an unsanctioned match, which <mask> won with assistance from Ric Flair. <mask> would go on to revive his Legend Killer gimmick over the next few weeks, attacking legends such as Christian, Shawn Michaels, and Big Show, while becoming more unhinged. <mask> then turned on Flair and set his sights on the WWE Championship. During the following months, <mask> feuded with the WWE
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Champion Drew McIntyre, failing to win the title at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions in an Ambulance match, until he defeated McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell In A Cell, winning his tenth WWE Championship.However, he would lose the title back to McIntyre on the November 16 episode of Raw. Three weeks before his title loss, on October 26, 2020, <mask> started a feud with Bray Wyatt, now under his new gimmick, The Fiend, as well with his partner Alexa Bliss. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 20, <mask> defeated The Fiend in a Firefly Inferno match before setting his body on fire. Despite his victory over the Fiend, <mask> would deal with the repercussions by dealing with Alexa Bliss (who aligned with The Fiend earlier) over the following weeks. After instigating Triple H into agreeing to face him in a No Holds Barred match, Bliss interfered and threw a fireball at <mask> to end it in a no contest. At the Royal Rumble on January 31, <mask> entered as the second participant and continued his feud with a returning Edge, who entered as the first participant. Due to injuries inflicted on him by Edge, <mask> left the match to be tended to by medical personnel without actually being eliminated.<mask> returned to the match at the very end to eliminate Edge, but was then himself eliminated. The following night on Raw, <mask> challenged Edge to one final match to again try to end his wrestling career but was defeated by him due to the interference of Bliss. At Elimination Chamber on February 21, <mask> competed in the Raw Elimination Chamber match for Drew McIntyre's WWE
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Championship, but was the first man eliminated by Kofi Kingston. After Bliss repeatedly harassed and distracted him over the weeks, causing him to lose matches, Bliss challenged him to an Intergender Match at Fastlane on March 21, which he accepted in the hopes of ridding Bliss from his life. At the event, Bliss attacked him with supernatural powers like making a lighting rig fall and almost land on him and launching a fireball at him. At the end, The Fiend, now with a new grotesque look with charred skin as a result of being set on fire, returned and attacked <mask>, allowing Bliss to get the pinfall victory. On the following episode of Raw, The Fiend attacked <mask> again and a match between them was scheduled for WrestleMania 37.On Night 2 of the event on April 11, <mask> defeated The Fiend after Bliss seemingly turned on The Fiend by distracting him, allowing <mask> to land the RKO and pin him for the win. RK-Bro (2021–present)
On the Raw after WrestleMania, <mask> interfered in a segment between Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, MVP, and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, wanting back in the WWE Championship picture. A triple threat match was made for later that night, in which the winner would receive a shot for the championship against Lashley at WrestleMania Backlash; McIntyre would go on to win. On the April 19 episode of Raw, Riddle interrupted a backstage interview by <mask> to suggest a tag team formation, with <mask> dismissing the idea by leaving. A match was made later on between <mask> and Riddle, which Riddle won with a roll-up. The following week on Raw, <mask> reluctantly
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agreed to form a team with Riddle. Later on, the newly labeled RK-Bro defeated Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin.In the following backstage interview, <mask> suggested to Riddle they take the team "a day at a time", thus turning face for the first time since early 2020. On the May 3 episode of Raw, RK-Bro defeated Elias and Jaxson Ryker, bringing their record to 2–0. On the May 10 episode of Raw, they teamed up with The New Day to defeat AJ Styles, Omos, Elias, and Ryker, giving the duo a 3–0 record. On the June 21 episode of Raw, <mask> faced John Morrison in a Money in the Bank qualifier but was defeated. The following week, he was scheduled to face Styles and McIntyre in a last chance match, but was pulled for unknown reasons and replaced by Riddle, who would go on to lose the match. After a seven-week absence, <mask> returned on the August 9 episode of Raw and dissolved his team with Riddle; however, later in the night, <mask> defeated Styles in a match following assistance from Riddle. Afterwards, he pretended to hug Riddle but then hit him with an RKO as his own unique way of showing gratitude.The following week, <mask> officially reunited the team after Riddle saved him from an attack at the hands of Styles and Omos. At SummerSlam, RK-Bro defeated Styles and Omos to become the Raw Tag Team Champions, their first reign each. At Survivor Series, RK-Bro defeated SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). With this match, <mask> broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history. On the January 10, 2022 episode of Raw, RK-Bro lost the titles
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to Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), ending their reign at 142 days. Professional wrestling style and persona
<mask>'s most notable move is his finishing maneuver, the RKO, a jumping variation of a cutter. The name is a pun on his initials (Randal <mask>) with "Randy-KO".He also previously used a punt kick, which saw him run up to an opponent on their hands and knees and kick them in the head; within a storyline, this usually caused a concussion or some other sort of severe head injury to his opponent, and was often used to write off the on-screen characters of wrestlers who were scheduled to take time off. However, the move was legitimately banned by WWE management in 2014 due to the ease of imitation by viewers and the risk of injury should the move be botched. The move was brought back in June 2020 as part of the feud between <mask> and Edge where <mask> used the Punt Kick to defeat Edge at Backlash. <mask> would then start using the move regularly again. During his initial years in WWE, <mask>'s gimmick was that of "the Legend Killer", a young and cocky talent who disrespected and usually defeated several legends. In late 2007, in the midst of his second WWE Championship reign, his character changed to a more unstable and treacherous personality. He then adopted the nicknames of "the Viper" and "the Apex Predator" due to his untrustworthy, snake-like character.He has said numerous times that he prefers playing the villain, as it is easier and more natural for him. In January 2008, <mask> told 411Mania: "It's easy for me to go out there and be a prick on the show because it's me
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times ten. And even though you probably don't like me anyway, give me five minutes and I'll make you not like me more. Being a heel is fun. It comes so natural." Acting career
A former Marine, <mask> was set to star in the action film The Marine 2 (2009), but was replaced by Ted DiBiase after injuring his collarbone. He had a supporting role as the father of a school bully in the comedy-drama film That's What I Am (2011).He signed on to star in the action film The Marine 3: Homefront (2013), but was replaced by The Miz due to his uneasy history with the Marines. He later starred in the action films 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (2013) and The Condemned 2 (2015). He had a guest role as James Richards, a former Navy SEAL and leader of a militia group, in a December 2016 episode of the USA action series Shooter. He also had supporting roles in the comedy-drama film Changeland (2019) and the romantic comedy film Long Shot (2019). Other media
In 2004, <mask> appeared on the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote Taboo Tuesday. In March 2007, he appeared alongside Edge, John Cena and Bobby Lashley on the game show Deal or No Deal.He was the cover athlete for the video game WWE '12. In October 2014, he became a popular figure on Vine when a trend began of clips of a superimposed <mask> performing his signature RKO move on internet "fail" victims. Personal life
<mask> married Samantha Speno on September 21, 2007. The couple had a daughter together. They separated in late 2012 and divorced in June 2013. On November 14, 2015, <mask> married Kimberly Kessler, who was previously a member of his fan
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club. The couple have a daughter together (<mask>'s second child).They reside in St. Charles, Missouri. <mask> has a United States Marine Corps tattoo on his left arm, but covered it up after receiving his bad conduct discharge. His hypermobility in both shoulders has been a constant source of injuries throughout his career, sidelining him through incidents ranging from pounding the ring mat too hard when performing one of his signature taunts to innocuous things like taking out the trash at home. Controversies
In March 2007, Sports Illustrated posted an article on its website as part of its continuing series investigating a steroid and growth hormone ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. The article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including <mask>, who was alleged to have obtained nandrolone, oxandrolone, stanozolol, and testosterone, as well as ancillary drugs anastrozole and clomiphene citrate. WWE simply claimed that the allegations preceded their Talent Wellness Program, launched in February 2006. In August 2018, <mask> was investigated by WWE for sexual harassment when it was claimed that he had exposed himself to new members of the company's writing staff during his early career, though nothing came of the investigation.In 2018, legal action was brought against Take-Two Interactive and 2K Games for the use of <mask>'s likeness in their WWE 2K video game series, which included copyrighted tattoos by the artist Catherine Alexander on <mask>'s body. Alexander argued that the copying of the tattoos infringed on her rights as the
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licensed creator. A trial was scheduled for September 20, 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2019, <mask> received criticism for saying "nigga" while playing a Call of Duty game on a live Twitch stream. Filmography
Film
Television
Championships and accomplishments
The Baltimore Sun
Wrestler of the Year (2009)
Guinness Book of World Records
Most appearances on pay-per-view for a male WWE wrestler
Ohio Valley Wrestling OVW Hardcore Championship (2 times)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Feud of the Year (2009)
Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2009)
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2004)
Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2010)
Rookie of the Year (2001)
Wrestler of the Year (2009, 2010)
Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE WWE Championship (10 times)
World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWE United States Championship (1 time)
World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Edge
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Riddle
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper
Money in the Bank (2013)
Royal Rumble (2009, 2017)
Seventeenth Triple Crown Champion
Tenth Grand Slam Champion (under current format; eighteenth overall)
Slammy Award (2 times)
Hashtag of the Year (2014) –
Rivalry of the Year (2020)
WWE Year-End Award for Shocking Moment of the Year (2018) –
Wrestling Observer Newsletter'''
Most Improved (2004)
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2006) Exploiting the death of
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<mask> (born 12 September 1984) is an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Tipperary senior team. <mask> made his first appearance for the team during the 2006 National League. During his career he has won one All-Ireland winners' medals, five Munster winners' medals, one National Hurling League winners' medal, two Fitzgibbon Cup medals, two Railway Cup medals, one Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship medal and two All-Star awards. He has ended up as an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. Mcgrath is known for his aerial ability, horizontal hurling and his piercing runs through the heart of any defence, in 2014 Mcgrath scored eight points from play from midfield in the All-Ireland semi-final and final. At club level along with his three brothers <mask> plays with Ballinahinch gaa club. <mask> was appointed Tipperary Senior hurling captain for the 2013 season.On 17 November 2015 he announced his retirement from inter county. Playing career
Club
<mask> plays his club hurling with his local club in Ballinahinch gaa club. He has enjoyed some success but has yet to win a senior county club championship. University
<mask> also enjoyed much success with the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) in the universities and colleges series of games. In 2005 he was on the LIT team that defeated near neighbours University of Limerick in the final. In 2007 he won a second Fitzgibbon Cup medal as the National University of Ireland, Galway were defeated by 2–15 to 0–13 in the final. <mask> also won a Ryan Cup medal as a student of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
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in 2009.Inter-county
<mask> first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Tipperary intermediate team in 2003. He enjoyed little success during his three years in this grade. In 2004 <mask> joined the Tipperary under-21 hurling panel. He found it difficult to break onto the starting fifteen and finished his time in this grade without any major successes on the field of play. <mask> made his senior competitive debut for Tipperary in a National Hurling League game against Limerick in 2006. Later that season he made his championship debut against the same opposition, however, Tipperary went on to lose a second successive Munster final to Cork. In 2008 Tipp remained undefeated in the National League before meeting Galway in the final.In an exciting game Tipp emerged victorious by 3-18 to 3-16 and <mask> collected his first National League winners' medal. Tipperary later reached the Munster final where they defeated a resurgent Clare team by 2-21 to 0-19. It was <mask> 's first Munster winners' medal. Tipperary were subsequently defeated in a tense All-Ireland semi-final by Waterford on a scoreline of 1-20 to 1-18. In spite of falling short in the championship, <mask> later collected his first All-Star award. <mask> won his second Munster medal in 2009 as Tipp defeated Waterford by 4-14 to 2-16. After a six-week lay-off and a facile semi-final win over Limerick, Tipp qualified for an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny.For much of the match it looked as if Tipp would pull off a shock and deny 'the Cats' a record-equaling four-in-a-row. Two
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quick goals in the space of a minute, one from a penalty by Henry Shefflin, sealed a 2-22 to 0-23 victory and defeat for Tipperary. After surrendering their Munster title to Cork at the first hurdle in 2010, Tipperray regrouped in the qualifiers and reached a second successive All-Ireland decider. Kilkenny, a team chasing a fifth successive championship, provided the opposition and a great game was expected. Tipperary got off to a great start which was bolstered by an early Lar Corbett goal. He subsequently completed a hat-trick of goals and Tipperary had a fourth by <mask> to deny Kilkenny's drive-for-five and secure a remarkable and convincing 4-17 to 1-18 victory. It was <mask>'s first All-Ireland medal in any grade.Tipperary returned as provincial kingpins once again in 2011. A 7-19 to 0-19 trouncing of Waterford in the southern decider gave <mask> a third Munster medal. For the third successive year, Tipperary faced off against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, however, on this occasion Kilkenny were slight underdogs going up against the new champions. Kilkenny started quickly and never surrendered the lead in the 2-17 to 1-16 victory. In spite of an indifferent National League campaign, Tipperary were regarded as potential All-Ireland champions once again. A 2-17 to 0-16 defeat of Waterford in the provincial decider gave <mask> a fourth Munster medal in five seasons. Tipperary later faced a humiliating 4-24 to 1-15 defeat by eventual champions Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final.In October 2014, <mask> won his second All Stars Award after a successful
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2014 campaign where Tipperary reached the All-Ireland Final. In November 2015, <mask> announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. Inter-provincial
<mask> has also been a regular on the Munster team during various inter-provincial campaigns. He won his first Railway Cup medal in 2007 following a 2-22 to 2-19 defeat of Connacht , then won his second medal when he captained the side to glory in the semi final of the 2013 tournament but was injured for the final that year. Honours
Team
Limerick Institute of Technology
Fitzgibbon Cup (1): 2005, 2007
Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
Ryan Cup (1): 2009
Tipperary
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2010
Munster Senior Hurling Championship (5): 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015
National Hurling League (1): 2008
Munster Player of the Year: 2008
Munster
Inter-provincial Championship (2): 2007, 2013
Individual
All-Stars (2): 2008, 2014
References
1984 births
20th-century Irish people
21st-century Irish people
Living people
Ballinahinch hurlers
Tipperary inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners
Alumni of NUI Galway
Alumni of Mary Immaculate College,
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<mask> (born 26 January 1954) is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Test matches between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a rebel Australian team in a tour of South Africa, a country which at the time was subject to a sporting boycott opposing apartheid. A right-handed batsman, <mask> was seen to possess an orthodox and attractive batting style. He was identified as a potential Test cricketer from an early age, but his impetuous style of batting, and personality clashes with influential teammates and opponents such as Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, saw a later introduction to first-class and Test cricket than anticipated. During the split between the establishment Australian Cricket Board and the breakaway World Series Cricket, <mask> stayed with the establishment. <mask>' captaincy record with Australia was hindered by a succession of matches being played away from home (just eight of his 28 Tests while captain were played in Australia) and the necessity to rebuild an inexperienced team after the frequent absence, and later the retirement, of several senior players. Placed under extreme pressure by the media and former teammates during a series of losses to the then dominant cricket team in the world, West Indies, <mask> resigned from the captaincy, making an emotional and tearful speech.He finished his career playing cricket in South Africa. After his playing career, <mask> for a time acted as the chairman of selectors for the Western Australian Cricket Association, and is an occasional commentator for ABC Radio's cricket coverage. Early life
<mask> was born on 26 January 1954, at Margaret River, Western
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Australia, the first child of father Stan, a schoolteacher, and mother Ruth. The <mask> family lived in nearby Kudardup, where Stan was in charge of the one-teacher school. Stan's profession would take the <mask> family across much of the south-west of Western Australia, including postings at Ballidu, Pinjarra and Geraldton. The <mask> family settled in the Geraldton suburb of Wonthella and <mask> attended the local Allendale Primary School, where his father was the headmaster. In Geraldton, the young <mask> played a variety of sports, including hockey, tennis and especially Australian rules football.His boyhood hero was Austin Robertson, Jr. who played for Subiaco Football Club, the club that <mask>' father had played for as a young man. His first organised cricket was as an 11-year old, filling in for the Bluff Point Cricket Club under-16 side. Aged 11, he was selected for a Geraldton under-16 representative side to compete in the junior "Country Week" tournament in the state capital of Perth, where his teammates included Geoff Gallop, later Premier of Western Australia. He was selected in the Geraldton Country Week team again the following year. It was at this tournament that <mask>' performances playing against much older boys saw him come to the attention of cricket administrators. After <mask> finished primary school, the family moved to Perth. <mask> attended City Beach High School and played cricket for the Floreat Park (now Floreat) Under-16 side.In his final season at junior level <mask> scored 555 runs at an average of 46 and took 28 wickets at an average of 6, and was included in the Western Australia Colts squad. The next season, aged 15, <mask> made his first grade
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debut for Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club, captained by former Test player Des Hoare; <mask> made 36 runs. In January 1970, <mask> was selected to play for Western Australia in the national under-19 carnival. His captain, Ric Charlesworth, later described <mask> as "the most gifted junior cricketer I ever saw. No one else comes close." Later that season <mask> made his first century in first grade cricket, against Midland-Guildford; he finished the season topping the club batting averages. Cricket career
Club cricket and first-class debut
After only nine first grade games, in 1970–71 <mask> was included in the Western Australian Sheffield Shield squad.Described at the time by Test wicket-keeper Rod Marsh as "a technically perfect batsman", the Perth press speculated he might even make his first-class cricket debut later that season. Instead, <mask> suffered from the "second-year blues" and struggled for runs, averaging only 23 for the season. He was unable to break out of the slump for the next two seasons, finding himself out of the state squad. During this time he managed to retain selection in the state colts team, in one match against the Victorian colts scoring a dashing 97 before being caught on the boundary attempting to make his century from a six. It would be four years after his maiden first grade century that <mask> would make his second, against North Perth. In 1973–74, <mask> was called up to the Western Australian squad. He acted as twelfth man in three successive matches, but was unable to break into the playing XI due to the strong Western Australian batting line-up.Impatient to play at first-class level, <mask> left for Adelaide mid-season to try his luck at
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gaining selection for South Australia, whose batting was not as strong. He played for East Torrens Cricket Club and awaited an invitation to play for South Australia; he was not even invited to train with the state squad. His South Australian experiment unsuccessful, <mask>—disappointed and homesick—returned to Western Australia. <mask> was captain-coach of North Perth Cricket Club for the 1975–76 season. He finally broke into the Western Australian team in November 1975, making his first-class debut against New South Wales at the WACA Ground. In an innings described by New South Wales bowler Dave Hourn as the "best and most dynamic innings" he had seen in first-class cricket, <mask> continually stepped down the pitch to hit the bowling, even to the pace bowling of Len Pascoe. He was dismissed for 119, ending a partnership of 205 runs with Rob Langer.He was the fifth Western Australian batsman to make a century on first-class debut for the state. Later that season, <mask> scored a second century, against Clive Lloyd's touring West Indians. In his first season for Western Australia, <mask> made 494 runs at an average of 32.93. In the winter of 1976, <mask> played as a professional for Watsonians Cricket Club, a team based around former students of George Watson's College in Edinburgh. <mask> would later call this period "possibly the best six months of my life." Test debut
Playing for Western Australia against the touring Pakistan team in December 1976, <mask> made 137 runs from only 167 balls, making a claim to the attention of the national selectors. The Australian reported that "[r]arely has a batsman of his limited experience been seen in a more majestic performance".A few
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weeks later, <mask> was called up as twelfth man for Australia in the New Year's Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Substituting on the field for Ian Davis, he injured his shoulder attempting to catch Imran Khan. Missing the rest of the Pakistan matches, <mask> was included in the Australian team to tour New Zealand. <mask>, again suffering from homesickness, did not play in either of the two Tests. Four weeks after marrying his girlfriend, <mask> left for England as a member of the 1977 Australian team. The tour was an unhappy one for the Australian team, losing the series three Tests to nil to England and the embryonic World Series Cricket concept caused rifts between the team members. <mask> did not play much cricket early in the tour; Wisden Cricketers' Almanack saying that he was "kept in such idleness that [he] might have claimed restraint of trade."He was selected to make his Test debut in the fifth Test, after the series had already been decided. <mask>, bitter about his treatment by the tour selectors, was unhappy. <mask> told a reporter congratulating him about his upcoming Test debut "Those pricks, know they have made me part of their failure". In an uncharacteristic performance, <mask> faced thirty-four deliveries before he made his first run. It was the only run he made that innings, before he was dismissed by Mike Hendrick. <mask>' teammate Geoff Dymock later said, "They threw [<mask>] to the wolves." World Series Cricket years
World Series Cricket (WSC) divided the Australian team into two camps; those who had signed lucrative contracts with Kerry Packer's rebel group and those, like <mask>, who had remained with the establishment Australian Cricket
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Board (ACB).<mask>' boyhood idol, Austin Robertson Jr, acted as Packer's agent, signing players to the new cricket venture, eventually signing 13 of the 17 players who toured England; <mask> was a notable omission. Robertson claims that he did not approach <mask> about a WSC contract; <mask> claims that he was approached but indicated his unwillingness. In September 1977, <mask> made clear his attachment to traditional cricket in a statement. The first season of the divide saw the ACB bring the 41-year-old Bob Simpson out of retirement to captain the Australians against the touring Indians. <mask> fell one run short of a century against the tourists for Western Australia, but missed out on selection for the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane; instead he was named as twelfth man. <mask> was chosen for the second Test at the WACA Ground in Perth, where he made 28 in the first innings and a duck in the second. He was omitted for the third Test in Melbourne, but returned for the fourth Test in Sydney.At the Sydney Cricket Ground <mask> made 17 and 19, with Bishan Bedi dismissing him on both occasions. Again, <mask> was left out of the Australian team; at this stage he had not played two Test matches consecutively. <mask> travelled to the Caribbean as a member of the Australian cricket team to play the West Indies in 1978. During the first match on tour against the Leeward Islands at Basseterre, Saint Kitts, <mask> suffered from appendicitis and had his appendix removed. The wound became infected and <mask> had to beg team management to be allowed to remain on the tour. Despite his later recovery, he did not play any of the Tests; his personality and attitude to the game did not
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meet with the approval of the captain, Simpson. A reporter wrote at the time, "<mask> is the most frustrated, disillusioned young man in the West Indies today and with good reason.[...] Never, at any stage, has Simpson considered <mask> a Test prospect." Mike Brearley led his English team to Australia in 1978–79 on the back of his victory over the Greg Chappell-led Australians in 1977. With Simpson standing down from international cricket, Graham Yallop was the new Australian captain, leading an inexperienced Australian team, with only Gary Cosier having played over 10 Tests before the series began; <mask> had only played three Tests. The Australians were no match for the experienced England team, losing the series and the Ashes five Tests to one. Playing in all six Tests, <mask> scored 345 runs at an average of 28.75; only Yallop scored more runs in what was a poor batting performance by Australia. <mask>' only century came in the first Test at Brisbane. Having been bowled out for 116, in their first innings, Australia had lost three wickets for only 49 runs (49/3) in the second innings when <mask> joined Yallop at the crease.Yallop and <mask> scored 170 runs in partnership before Yallop was dismissed for 102. <mask> continued on and was the last Australian wicket to fall, top-scoring with 129, his maiden Test century. While England won the match by seven wickets, <mask> and Yallop at least made the Australian effort look respectable. A young captain
With the Ashes series played and lost, Australia hosted Pakistan for a two-Test series at the end of the Australian 1978–79 season. Pakistan won the first Test by 71 runs after Sarfraz Nawaz took an incredible seven wickets for
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only one run in the Australian second innings. Before the second Test, Yallop tore his calf muscle playing for Richmond—his club side—and had to withdraw from the Australian team. <mask>, playing only his eleventh Test, was named as Australian captain; the first Western Australian to lead the national team.<mask> took to the leadership role with enthusiasm, boasting of a "new era". Bowling in the nets before the start of the third day's play, <mask> rolled his ankle and was not able to take his place in the field. While he sat in the dressing room, the Australian team, desperate to end the Pakistan tenth-wicket partnership "Mankaded" (run out the batsman at the non-striker's end before bowling the ball) Sikander Bakht. During Australia's second innings, Andrew Hilditch picked up the ball after a return from a fieldsman and, in an attempt to be helpful, handed it to Sarfraz. Sarfraz appealed for a handling the ball dismissal, and Hilditch was given out by umpire Tony Crafter. While within the laws of the game, both dismissals were generally seen as unsportsmanlike. <mask> said of his own team's actions, "It was just part of cricket" while condemning the actions of Sarfraz: "It just wasn't cricket".In the end, Australia won the second Test and tied the series one Test apiece. <mask> had started his Australian captaincy with a win. His success in his one Test in charge saw <mask> appointed as captain of the Australian team for the 1979 Cricket World Cup to be held in England. The Australian team was not expected to do well and lived up to those low expectations by not making the semi-finals. A Test series in India was next for <mask> and his team. In a rain-affected series,
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Australia was unable to win a match, losing two and drawing another four. However, Wisden had praise for <mask>, remarking that there "was a marked development in <mask>'s technique of playing spin bowling" and that "the heavy burden of captaincy had no adverse effect on his batting".His best performance was in the first Test at Chennai (then called Madras), where he scored exactly 100 runs in the first innings, batting in a responsible fashion. Over the series, <mask> topped the aggregate and the averages for Australia, scoring 594 runs at an average of 59.40. Reunification
In 1979, World Series Cricket and the Australian Cricket Board agreed to the reunification of the Australian team. <mask>—along with the other establishment players—now had to compete with the returning WSC players, not only for spots in the Australian team, but also for spots in their respective state teams as well. Many experts in the press did not include <mask> in a full-strength Australian squad and former Australian captain and Packer player, Ian Chappell agreed saying, "Frankly, I can't even see a spot in the [Australian] squad for <mask>" Ultimately <mask> was included in the Australian squad, but was now vice-captain, with Greg Chappell—the captain before the split—restored to this position. England and the West Indies both toured Australia in 1979–80. <mask> started the summer well, making 139 not out in the first Test against a West Indian line-up including bowlers such as Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner.He hit 18 boundaries that innings, 10 of them from the hook shot. The next Test, against England in Perth, <mask> was out one run short of his century, attempting to hit Derek
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Underwood out of the ground. A short tour to play Pakistan followed in February 1980, where <mask> made 182 runs in the three-Test series, averaging 36.40. The Centenary Test at Lord's Cricket Ground in August 1980 was a triumph for <mask>. Much of the first three days' play was lost due to bad weather but in that time <mask> played what Wisden would describe as "two innings of the highest quality." <mask> scored a century in the first innings, 117 runs including 14 fours and 3 sixes. His second innings only totalled 84 runs before he was dismissed by Ian Botham.It was this innings, however, that was seen as his most brilliant of the match. His 84 runs included 11 fours and 2 sixes, one of which struck the top deck of the pavilion; <mask> having stepped down the pitch to hit Chris Old back over his head. Former England captain Gubby Allen could not recall a more remarkable straight hit. Cricket writer RS Whitington had to cast his mind back more than 40 years to describe <mask>' batting as "the nearest approach to Stan McCabe in full flurry". The Test was drawn and <mask> was given the Man of the Match award, having batted on each of the five days of the match. His performance in the Centenary Test saw him named as one of the 1981 Wisden Cricketers of the Year. <mask> struggled against New Zealand in 1980–81, making only 102 runs at an average of 27.25 in three Tests.Rumours about <mask>' selection prospects again began to circulate. While <mask> was batting in the traditional Australia Day Test in Adelaide, this time against India, later that summer, his nemesis Ian Chappell opined on the airwaves that "<mask> really does need to build up a big score here. People are starting
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to talk about him being dropped." In seeming response to this criticism, <mask> scored a double-century; 213 runs including 21 boundaries. A "magnificent innings" Wisden declared, adding that <mask>' batting "touched the heights" and that "[w]ith brilliant footwork, he scored freely off the spinners." <mask> dedicated his innings to his newborn twin sons, Sean and Simon. On-again, off-again skipper
In 1981, Australia was scheduled to tour England to play for the Ashes.Before the squad was selected, Greg Chappell announced that he would not be leading the Australian team, citing business and family reasons. In his absence, the Australian Cricket Board turned to <mask> as captain. The Australian team arrived in England in May and was greeted by rain, leaving them short of needed match practice. Nevertheless, <mask> and his team unexpectedly won the preliminary One Day International series. The first Test was played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Australia won the low scoring and rain affected match by six wickets, after <mask> had taken the opportunity to put England into bat after winning the toss. Australia then had the best of a drawn match in the second Test at Lord's.After making a pair in this match, Ian Botham resigned his position as captain of England. The third Test of the series was played at Headingley in Leeds. <mask>' Australians had the better of the early part of the match. Batting first, Australia made 401 runs; with <mask> contributing 89 of them. In response England only scored 174 runs and <mask> enforced the follow-on (forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first). England were reduced to 135/7 in their second innings and the
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on-ground bookmakers decided to offer odds of 500–1 on an England victory. Ian Botham and Bob Willis turned the match on its head.In an extraordinary innings Botham made 149 runs, allowing England to set a target of 130 runs for Australia to win. Willis then took eight wickets for only 43 runs as Australia were all out for 111. <mask> and his Australian team had lost the match from what should have been an unbeatable position. Later, explaining what had happened, <mask> said "Botham rode his luck and we couldn't get him out. [...] In the first innings they missed catches—even Botham and [David] Gower missed them—but in the second they held everything. I'd seen Bob Willis bowl just as well at other times and not take nearly as many wickets." Australia lost the fourth Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham.This time, requiring only 151 runs to win the match, Australia reached 105/4 and seemed certain to win the match. Again, it was Botham who turned the match around, capturing 5 wickets in the space of 28 deliveries while only conceding one run. In the final Test of the series, <mask> chose to shepherd the strike to protect his partner Yallop, who was a specialist batsman. This action, something normally only done for poor, tail-end batsmen, humiliated Yallop. England won the series three Tests to one and retained the Ashes. The series was later known as "Botham's summer." With Chappell again available, <mask> returned to the vice-captaincy for the 1981–82 Tests.Australia played Pakistan first in an ill-tempered three Test series; won by the Australians two Tests to one. <mask> started the series with a century (106) in the first Test in Perth and finished the series having scored 193
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runs overall. The other touring side that summer were the West Indies, widely considered the best team in the world at that time and supported by a potent fast bowling attack. The first Test in the series was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Both teams were critical of the pitch prepared at the MCG for the Test. Australia were quickly reduced to 26/4 before <mask> started his effort to recover the Australian innings. <mask> decided to attack the West Indian bowling.In an interview later he said "that to hang around and defend was going to be a waste of time ... So I thought what I could do was try to play as many shots as possible." When the ninth wicket fell, <mask> had made 71 and it appeared a century was out of reach. <mask>' remaining batting partner, Alderman, was a poor batsman; it had taken him nine matches to make his first first-class run. Alderman, despite telling <mask> that he didn't give himself much chance, managed to stay with <mask> long enough for <mask> to reach 100 runs. <mask>' innings was widely praised. West Indian Andy Roberts said "He took up the challenge and it paid off for him.It was a great innings. You don't find one batsman playing that sort of innings on more than one occasion. That was just his day." The Wisden 100, a ranking of the Top 100 Test Innings of all time, ranked that innings as number nine. Last days of the Chappell era
In three Tests, <mask> scored only 29 runs on tour in New Zealand in March 1982. Greg Chappell withdrew from the Australian team to tour Pakistan in 1982, along with Dennis Lillee and Len Pascoe. The fourteen Australian Cricket Board delegates met in March to decide on an interim captain for the tour, with the
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two candidates <mask> and Rod Marsh.<mask> narrowly won the vote, 8 votes to 6. Marsh was offered the vice-captaincy, which he declined. Marsh later withdrew from the tour as a result of his son's illness. It was a difficult tour for <mask>' Australians. All members of the touring squad suffered from illness at one stage and at one stage <mask> threatened to take his team back to Australia after several Australian fielders were hit by projectiles thrown from the stands. Intelligent bowling by Pakistan's Abdul Qadir combined with poor fielding and lack of depth in Australia's batting saw Pakistan defeat Australia three Tests to nil. <mask> had hoped to retain the captaincy for the Ashes series in 1982–83, but the ACB chose to restore Chappell to his former position.<mask>' demotion did not affect his batting, however. He scored 469 runs against the English at an average of 67.00. His consistent run scoring saw Bill O'Reilly call <mask> "Mr. Reliable" and even Ian Chappell remarked that "After this series, not only should <mask>' conscience be clear but his slate clean in regard to the 1981 [Ashes] disaster." The highlight of the summer for <mask> was the final Test in Sydney where he batted for over 6 hours to score 137 runs. Australia retrieved the Ashes, winning the series two Tests to one. Not long after the match, Chappell relinquished his position as Australian captain; <mask> was now captain of a full-strength Australian team for the first time.Australia did not make it out of the group stage in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, winning only two of their six matches played. <mask>' team was embarrassed by a loss in their first match against Zimbabwe, at the time a mainly amateur
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side. There was a chance that Australia could still make the semi-finals with a win against India. <mask> chose to sit out the match, to give a minor injury time to heal. In his absence the Australian team was dismissed for 129 and bundled out of the tournament. <mask> decision to pull out of the match drew some criticism from the Australian press: "<mask> decision not to play was lamentable [...] this Australian team does not have a capable leader." On his return to Australia, David Hookes publicly advocated for Rod Marsh to be appointed Australian captain in <mask>' place, saying on Adelaide radio, "Maybe <mask> has got to be an apprentice to someone everyone respects."<mask> replied 'It's nice to know the Australian captain has got the support of his vice-captain." Under some pressure from cricket officials, <mask> was persuaded that he should stand down from the captaincy and a letter was drafted to this effect; he changed his mind the following morning. Once again, the Australian Cricket Board voted 8–6 to appoint <mask> as captain for the 1983–84 series against Pakistan. This time <mask> led a full strength Australian team, including former captain Greg Chappell and his fellow Western Australians, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh. <mask>' Australians defeated Pakistan comfortably, two Tests to nil. <mask> himself scored 375 runs in the series, including one century at Adelaide where he "confounded the cunning Qadir". At the end the season, Chappell, Lillee and Marsh—the Australian team's most experienced players—retired from international cricket.Downfall
Australia was scheduled to tour the West Indies in 1984. The players selected for the tour were presented with official
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contracts by the Australian Cricket Board. The contracts sought to bind the players to only play in ACB approved cricket for a period of twelve months after the expiry of the tour, without offering any additional compensation. To the dismay of the Board, <mask> stood by his team and with his lawyer drafted a compromise agreement that gave the players some financial security. The West Indies was commonly regarded at that times as the best team in the world and <mask>' new-look Australian team now had to take them on without the recently retired Marsh, Lillee and Chappell. Bob Simpson commented, "The saddest and hardest lot for any captain is taking over the remnants of a once-great team. I wouldn't be in <mask>' shoes for quids."In addition, the Australian team was badly affected by injury; Yallop withdrew with a knee injury and Kepler Wessels, Graeme Wood, Steve Smith, Rodney Hogg and Carl Rackemann all were unfit to play at times during the tour. Australia lost the series three Tests to nil. After managing to draw the first two Tests, they lost the next three; the West Indies did not lose a second innings wicket all tour. <mask> did not have a successful tour with the bat, scoring 215 runs at an average of 21.50. The pressure of the tour told on <mask>. In a match against Trinidad and Tobago, <mask> protested against what he saw as unreasonableness by the opposition by treating the remainder of the match with contempt; not attempting to win. Afterwards <mask> said he could not care less about the welfare of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago; the management fined him for this comment.In the second Test, Rodney Hogg threw a punch at <mask>, frustrated that he was not given the field
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he wanted by his captain. <mask> then enjoyed a rare overseas captaincy triumph, leading Australia to a 3–0 victory in a one day series against India. However there was no extended respite for the Australians; the West Indies returned to Australia for the 1984–85 season. The Australian team remained positive; Allan Border said, "We are thinking of beating them, Laugh all you want." Despite this attitude, the Australians lost the first Test by an innings and 112 runs. <mask> made only four runs in the first innings, out
playing the hook shot despite a pre-series pledge not to play the stroke. Again, the pressure from the media came; Ian Chappell used his newspaper column to heavily criticise <mask>.Chappell continued his criticism of <mask> during the standard pre-match interview before the broadcast of the second Test in Brisbane. The Test was another struggle for the Australians. Australia was bowled out for 175 and then <mask> then dropped two catches in the West Indian innings. In the Australian second innings, <mask> made only four. The next morning, before play, <mask> rang the Australia team manager and said "I want to quit as Australian captain." Relinquishing the captaincy
With assistance from Greg Chappell, <mask> wrote his letter of resignation. During the day's play, <mask> confided in his teammates, announcing his decision.Allan Border, his vice-captain, advised him to reconsider; <mask> refused. At the press conference at the end of the day's play, <mask> announced, "I have something to read." <mask> was visibly emotional while reading his letter and broke down in tears halfway through, leaving the rest for team manager Bob Merriman to read on his behalf as he
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quickly left the press conference. Australia went on to lose the match by eight wickets, with <mask> scoring 34 and 4. Press reaction to <mask>' resignation and his emotional state was mixed. Former Australian captain and television broadcaster Bill Lawry said "The demise of <mask> in Brisbane in a manner equal to be being dragged down like a dingo in the pack and devoured by your own, within and without, was a disgrace." The respected ABC radio broadcaster Alan McGilvray on the other hand was more blunt: "[<mask>] is a little boy who has not yet grown up."<mask> was widely mocked for his tears, which were seen as unmanly and un-Australian. Barry Humphries—the satirist behind Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson—wondered if "<mask>'s cricket box was on too tight" and claimed that a real Australian in that situation "would simply chunder". In 2002, a British journalist remarked of <mask>' tears as "one inadequate captain getting life so out of proportion as to make a complete clown of himself." It is claimed in the press from time to time that <mask> is now as much remembered for his tears as for his achievements in cricket. <mask> retained his place in the Australian team for the third Test in Adelaide under new captain, Allan Border. <mask> failed in both innings, scoring a duck in the first innings and only two runs in the second. <mask> joined the Australian team in Melbourne for the fourth Test.Despite warm support from the MCG crowd, <mask> made a humiliating pair; in his last innings he was out from the first ball he faced—a golden duck. He never played in a Test match again. He played in some of the remaining One Day Internationals but without success. When the
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Australian team was chosen for the tour of England in 1985, <mask> was not included. Rebel and retirement
While the Australian team for England was being selected, the South African Cricket Union (SACU) was arranging a "rebel" Australian team to tour South Africa. As a result of the apartheid policy of the white minority government, South Africa was cast out of the International Cricket Council and subjected to a boycott. With his old adversaries Greg Chappell as a national selector and Rod Marsh playing an analogous role for the Western Australian team, <mask> felt that his options in Australian cricket were limited and he chose to join the rebel team as the captain.<mask> was one of the last players to join the rebel team; indeed he found out that many of the rebel squad had signed up with the South Africans during the 1983 World Cup, when he was confirmed as captain. At a press conference after the announcement of the team, <mask> announced: <mask> was heavily criticised for his decision. Desmond Tutu called him a hypocrite and Prime Minister Bob Hawke called him a comforter of racists. The criticism was hurtful to <mask> who, seemingly puzzled, remarked to friends "People think I'm a racist." In South Africa, even before his team arrived <mask> was "a hero, larger than a Reagan ... [Australia's] most exotic export since Breaker Morant." The rebel team played two series against the South African team—in 1985–86 and 1986–87—and lost them both 1 "Test" to nil. In the first series, <mask> left himself stranded on 97 when the second "Test" at Newlands in Cape Town ended in a draw.In the following match at Wanderers in Johannesburg, <mask> was dismissed for a king pair; dismissed
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by first ball he faced in both innings. <mask> scored 585 runs at an average of 45.00 in the 1985–86 South African season and followed that with 596 runs at an average of 42.57 in 1986–87. In 2007, <mask> reflected on his participation in the rebel tours: "Cricket was at the forefront of trying to break down barriers and when you look how cricket has developed in South Africa I was very pleased to be involved." Following the rebel tours, <mask> returned to Western Australia. The Western Australian Cricket Association attempted to ban him from club cricket in Western Australia. In response <mask> took action against the WACA for restraint of trade; he won the case in the Federal Court of Australia—the WACA lost several hundred thousand dollars in court costs. Before the start of the 1987–88 season, Marsh resigned his position as a Western Australian selector; by December <mask> had made his way back into the Western Australian team as an opener, where he scored 76 runs against New South Wales.He played six matches for Western Australia that year scoring 223 runs at an average of 22.30. The following season <mask> played only two games for Western Australia, with the state side finding little room for a man now aged 34. In September 1989, <mask> signed on as captain of Natal in the South African Currie Cup competition. His two seasons with Natal were disappointing for the team and himself; Natal struggled on the field and there was disharmony amongst the squad. With the bat he scored 176 runs at an average of 13.53 in 1989–90 and 266 at 24.16 in 1990–91. He did, however, have a positive influence on two cricketers who later represented South Africa. Andrew Hudson claimed that
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"<mask> installed a positiveness and a self-belief" in him and Jonty Rhodes—who stayed in <mask>' home during Natal home matches—wanted to play with the same passion as <mask>: "There are too many robots ... <mask> was emotional because he cared.I wanted to be the same." During his second season at Natal, <mask> was dropped from the Natal side and later was dropped from the Natal "B" side. He retired from all first-class cricket in February 1991. Off the field
Personal life
After finishing high school, <mask> attended Graylands Teachers College to train as a primary school teacher. Graylands was established as a stop-gap measure but by the time <mask> arrived it had been operating for two decades and the facilities were run down and almost derelict. In 1974, his final year at Graylands, <mask> was elected President of the student council and in this role he led a campaign to improve the facilities for the faculty and students. The campaign, which included an appearance by <mask> on the ABC television current affairs program This Day Tonight, met with some measure of success.His first job as a teacher was at Linden Park Primary School in Linden Park during his attempt to make the South Australian team in 1974. After teaching, he found employment in the finance industry, working first for City Building Society as a promotions manager and later for Town & Country Building Society in a marketing role. Town & Country used <mask> to promote their business both in advertising and in through direct contact with investors. In return, <mask> was afforded time away from work to pursue cricket. The General Manager of Town & Country described the relationship: "[<mask>] was a great player,
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well presented, good looking. He was a family man. He fitted the Town & Country mould admirably."<mask> was a skilled Australian rules footballer as a junior and was invited to play with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian National Football League. He played two seasons at Claremont—1973 and 1974—alternating between the under-21 and the reserve teams, but did not manage to make the senior team. The Claremont coach, Verdun Howell, described <mask> as having "Great ball skills, brilliant hand-eye coordination and a very, very reliable kick [...] And he showed courage. He went full throttle at the ball and didn't look for a second option." Howell told <mask> one evening at practice, "I believe you could go as far as you want in football." <mask> played at full forward for the under-21 team and mainly in the centre in the reserves. His brief football career was interrupted by injury—he broke his neck falling off a desk at teachers college—and eventually he advised Howell that he was "very much looking towards cricket" in future.<mask> was aged 14 when he met Jenny Davidson, a fellow student at City Beach High School. The pair married in March 1977 and within four weeks <mask> left for a four-month tour of England. In January 1981, Jenny gave birth to twins. Another son and a daughter followed. <mask>'s brother Glenn played first-class cricket for Orange Free State and Tasmania. Since retirement <mask> has been chairman of selectors for the Western Australian Cricket Association from 1999 to 2000 and more recently an occasional cricket commentator on ABC radio. He was Head of Cricket at Hale School, in Wembley Downs, Perth.A dining room at the WACA Ground is named the
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<mask> Room. Style and personality
<mask> batted with an orthodox upright, side-on stance. He gripped the bat high on the handle and played his strokes with a controlled backlift and a full follow through. He got his body well behind the ball in defence but early in his innings tended to move around the crease in front of his stumps, leaving him vulnerable to a leg before wicket dismissal. <mask> was widely considered by those who knew him as a likeable and friendly person; a person who wanted to be liked. He said of himself when appointed captain of Australia, "The one thing in my favour is that I will never change. I hope I will always be a likeable enough, easy-to-get-along-with type of person."His biographer noted, "[F]riends, team-mates, coaches, teachers, officials, close observers. Almost all mentioned <mask>'s niceness. He addresses people by their first name. He loves being around and encouraging children. He likes being people's best friend." As captain <mask> was popular and obliging with the press and the public. English journalist Frank Keating said "Pulled this way and that by photographers, fringers, high commissioners, low commissioners, book commissioners, and hall-porter commissioners, [<mask>] never stopped being softly obliging."The journalist Adrian McGregor said of <mask>, "He was almost too amenable, too nice a guy. He was great with the media, would answer all sorts of questions, never told people to piss off. [...] It was almost like he didn't have the appropriate personality [to be captain]." <mask> projected a confident image on the field. "A pretty cocky little fella" was how one early opponent in club cricket described <mask>. This cockiness pleased
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some but others like Bruce Duperouzel, <mask>'s captain in a Western Australian colts team, thought that <mask> had "an extravagance that pushed the bounds of acceptability." Fond of noting that he was born on Australia Day, <mask> was proudly Australian and keen to demonstrate this publicly.On his first tour to England, <mask> was often the only team member wearing the Australian team blazer. <mask> claimed that "the greatest day of [his] life" was Australia II's victory over the New York Yacht Club's entry in the 1983 America's Cup yacht race; <mask> sat down with his twin sons, waved mini-Australian flags purchased especially for the event and watched a replay of the race twice more that day. <mask>'s nickname was "Claggy", a reference to the ubiquitous Clag glue found in classrooms across Australia. Notes
References
External links
. 1954 births
Living people
Australia One Day International cricketers
Australia Test cricketers
Australia Test cricket captains
People from Margaret River, Western Australia
Australian expatriate sportspeople in South Africa
Australian expatriate cricketers
KwaZulu-Natal cricketers
Western Australia cricketers
Western Australian Sports Star of the Year winners
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Australian cricketers
Western Australian Institute of Sport alumni
Cricketers from Western
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<mask> (born 25 November 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League Two club Tranmere Rovers. He started his career with Liverpool as a youth-team player in 1997. He remained at Anfield for sixteen years before leaving, in 2013, for Bolton Wanderers. After four years at the University of Bolton Stadium, he joined Blackpool, newly promoted to League One, in 2017, initially until the end of the 2017–18 season. He made the move permanent the following summer and remained at Bloomfield Road for two years. Career
Liverpool
Reserves (2007–2010)
Raised in Wallasey, Merseyside, <mask> was the captain of the Liverpool Under 18s that won the FA Youth Cup in 2007. He featured the previous season in the final against Manchester City, but missed the majority of the season due to a broken leg.He was promoted to Melwood in the summer of 2007 to train with the Liverpool first team after impressing in the club's Academy. He had been involved with his boyhood club since he was seven years old. He was voted the best player in the Torneo di Renate, a competition for under-20 sides, competing against clubs such as Milan and Parma. He was also part of the Reserve side that won the Premier Reserve League in the 2007–08 season. 2008–09 season
Spearing made his competitive first-team debut on 9 December 2008, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 UEFA Champions League win against PSV. Spearing also appeared in the Reds' 4–0 win over Real Madrid in the second round of the Champions League. On 31 March 2009, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez announced that he would be offering Spearing a new contract, alongside fellow home-grown youngster Stephen Darby.On 6 July 2009, Spearing agreed to a new three-year contract with Liverpool. Loan move to Leicester City
On 22 March 2010, Liverpool confirmed Spearing would join Championship club Leicester City on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season, linking up with former Liverpool reserve teammate Jack Hobbs. His debut came two days later, starting in the Foxes 2–1
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absence of Steven Gerrard and out-of-favour Christian Poulsen. For the remainder of the Premier League season, he formed a midfield partnership with Lucas. Against Arsenal on 17 April, <mask> gave away a 98th-minute penalty, which Robin van Persie converted to make the game 1–0. The match finished 1–1.Despite this, Spearing won the man-of-the-match award from Sky Sports and was praised after the game for his determination, work-rate and battling performance. He received the journalists' man-of-the-match award on the official Liverpool website three times during the season. In May 2011, the club announced that he had extended his contract, and he was included in England under-21s provisional 40-man squad for the 2011 Summer U21 European Championship, with fellow Liverpool player Andy Carroll. 2011–12 season
For the 2011–12 season, Spearing wore the number 20, with his old number 26 being registered to new arrival Charlie Adam. Spearing immediately fell down the pecking order in Liverpool's midfield after the arrival of midfielders Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing. On 20 July 2011, it was widely reported that Spearing would consider an option to move to Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan, but the club rejected their approach, stating that Spearing was in their plans. Spearing later dismissed the rumour saying he was willing to fight for his place in the starting eleven.He made his first start of the season against Exeter City in the League Cup on 24 August 2011. The result ended in a 3–1 victory for Liverpool. He was sent off for the first time in his professional career during Liverpool's 1–0 loss to Fulham on 5 December. In May 2012, Spearing was in the starting eleven for the FA Cup Final, in which Liverpool lost to Chelsea. 2012–13 season
New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers described Spearing as a "very good player with great qualities" who has "the soul of the club in his heart". He started the first competitive game of the season in the UEFA Europa League qualifier against Belarusian club Gomel, playing the
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full 90 minutes, and made a substitute appearance in the return leg at Anfield. His final appearance of the season for Liverpool came as a start in the 1–0 victory against Hearts in a Europa League qualifier on 23 August 2012.Loan move to Bolton Wanderers
On 31 August 2012, <mask> joined Championship side Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan deal. His debut came a day later in Bolton's 3–1 defeat against Hull City. He scored his first goal for Bolton on 20 October as the club beat Bristol City 3–2, in which he scored Bolton's second goal, an equaliser. On 25 April 2013, Spearing was named the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association (BWSA) Player of the Season. This was followed on 20 May with his being named the club's Player of the Season. Return to Liverpool
At the conclusion of Bolton's season in the Championship, <mask> returned to Anfield. Although he did not feature in any of the club's remaining fixtures, he was present in the guard of honour for the retiring Jamie Carragher in the last game of the 2012–13 Premier League against Queens Park Rangers.In July 2013, a £1.75 million bid was submitted by Championship side Blackburn Rovers for Spearing, which Liverpool rejected. Notwithstanding, Blackburn failed to agree terms with Spearing, and the deal fell through. Spearing featured in Liverpool's first pre-season friendly of the summer against Preston North End and was also included in the squad for the club's summer tour. In August 2013, Spearing was told by Liverpool that he was free to leave the club, with Liverpool entering talks with Bolton for a possible transfer back to the Reebok Stadium. Bolton Wanderers
On 8 August 2013, it was announced that a deal was struck between Liverpool and Bolton subject to a medical on the same afternoon. It was confirmed on 9 August that Spearing had agreed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee and he made his debut the following day in the 1–1 home draw against Reading, in which he received man-of-the-match honours. In September 2013, Spearing was handed the captaincy at
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Bolton whenever incumbent Zat Knight found himself out of the starting XI, although he retained the armband when Knight returned to the team with both in the starting lineup.On 26 July 2014, the club confirmed that <mask> would succeed Knight as captain. On 8 August 2015, <mask> was sent off with a second booking in the opening match of the 2015–16 Championship season against Derby County. <mask>'s goal on the opening day of the 2016–17 season against Sheffield United won August's Goal of the Month award. On 8 July 2017 the club confirmed that Spearing had left after failing to agree terms on a new contract. Blackburn Rovers (loan)
On 30 January 2015, <mask> was loaned to fellow Championship club Blackburn Rovers until the end of the season. Blackpool
On 4 October 2017, <mask> joined Blackpool until the end of the season. He scored his first goals for Blackpool when he scored twice in a 3–2 win over Bradford City on 8 September 2018.He made the move permanent in the summer. <mask> left Blackpool at the end of the 2019–20 season, after three years, having failed to agree terms on a new contract. Tranmere Rovers
On 5 August 2020, <mask> signed a two-year deal with his hometown club Tranmere Rovers. He was named Player of the Season for the 2020–2021 season. Career statistics
Honours
Liverpool
Football League Cup: 2011–12
FA Cup runner-up: 2011–12
Bolton Wanderers
EFL League One runner-up: 2016–17
Tranmere Rovers
EFL Trophy runner-up: 2020–21
Individual
Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year: 2012–13
EFL League One Goal of the Month: August 2016
Tranmere Rovers Player of the Year: 2020–21
References
External links
LFCHistory.net profile
Official LFC Website profile
1988 births
Living people
People from Wallasey
Footballers from Merseyside
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Liverpool F.C. players
Leicester City F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C.players
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Blackpool F.C. players
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
FA Cup
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<mask> (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. <mask> was one of the wealthiest men in the United States during his lifetime, and was considered to be the richest person in the U.S. in 1780. Early life
<mask> was born on March 8, 1752, in Philadelphia. He graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) in 1768. Philadelphia Society
<mask> first travelled to Europe in 1773 and, upon, returning to America joined the Philadelphia Society. Sent by the Committee of Secret Correspondence to Martinico (today's Martinique), to reside ostensibly as a merchant and to establish communications through that colony with Silas Deane, the committee's agent in France.He departed America aboard the frigate Reprisal on July 3, 1776. During his voyages, he established links with French merchants at Martinique, captured several British ships, and returned in 1777 to America with several full loads of munitions, guns, and other vital goods necessary for the fighting of a war. Business interests
Toward the end of the American Revolution, <mask> was regarded as the richest men in the United States. He had made his fortune through joint ownership of privateers and trading. He became a major land developer, purchasing lands in upstate New York (present-day Binghamton) and 2 million acres (8,000 km2) in Maine (later known as the Bingham Purchase). He helped broker the Louisiana Purchase with Francis Baring and Henry Hope. Their agent Alexander Baring married his daughter Anne.He was the founder and the first president of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. <mask> was director of several other enterprises. He maintained shipping ventures after the Revolutionary war, through his mercantile house Bingham, Inglis, and Gilmore. He was a leading member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures and Useful Arts and donated a Philadelphia property to be
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converted into a textile factory. Mounted general
During the 1780s, <mask> marshaled the Second Troop of Philadelphia Light Horse, an outfit of 50 dragoons. They were glamorously clad and saw little action. <mask> was first major and later became Bingham's land agent.<mask> escorted President-elect George Washington through Pennsylvania with his troop on his April 1789 journey from Valley Forge to New York City to assume the presidency. <mask> was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1787. Politics
During the provisional government of the United States at Philadelphia, he wrote the by-laws for the national Bank of North America. He saw the national debt as beneficial in that it attracted interest into the affairs of the government. During the first presidency, Treasurer Alexander Hamilton sought <mask> as his mentor in managing taxes, tariffs, and in constructing a national bank. Speaker of Pennsylvania House
In America, he represented Pennsylvania as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788. In 1790 and 1791 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving as its first speaker in 1791.He oversaw development of the land during a fledgling period of America as a member of the Society of Roads and Inland Navigation, where he worked closely with Albert Gallatin of western Pennsylvania. He later served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1793 through 1794. He built roads and a bridge from Philadelphia to Lancaster, Pennsylvania called the Lancaster Pike. U.S. Senator
By 1795, he was elected to the United States Senate where he served as a Federalist and Nationalist while it was originally at Philadelphia, but he left for England in 1801 when his wife had taken ill. He was an active supporter of John Adams and when Adams was elected president, <mask> served as the Senate's President pro tempore in the Fourth Congress. On March 4, 1797, with the start of the Fifth Congress he administered the oath of office to Vice President Thomas Jefferson.He was criticized by Jeffersonian politicians for "extravagance,
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ostentation and dissipation". In 1813, nearly ten years after his death, John Quincy Adams said that the Presidency, the Capital and the Country had been governed by <mask> and his family connections. The several <mask> estates were renowned for hosting many prominent aristocrats from Europe as well as Federalist meetings. At the <mask> estate, Federalists agreed to hold preliminary votings before propositions were brought before Congress publicly, thus creating unanimity among party lines. Binghamton
He was also a land surveyor, and looked to develop areas currently a part of Southern New York, and Northern Pennsylvania. One of his prime prospects was at the confluence of the Chenango River and Susquehanna River. Judge Joshua Whitney Jr., settler and <mask>'s agent, called this town Binghamton to honor him.Furthermore, Binghamton's resident university Binghamton University recognizes <mask> through the naming of Bingham Hall. Family
He married Anne Willing, daughter of Thomas Willing, President of the First Bank of the United States, and they had two daughters and a son. Ann Louisa <mask> (1782–1848). In 1798, she married Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton. They were the parents of nine children. Maria Matilda <mask> (1783–1849), who, at the age of 15, was briefly married to a French aristocrat, Jacques Alexandre, Comte de Tilly. Afterwards she married her sister's brother-in-law, Henry Baring.They were the parents of five children. Maria and Henry were divorced in 1824; she married the Marquis de Blaisel in 1826. <mask> (1800–1852), who married Marie-Charlotte Chartier de Lotbinière (1805-1866), Seigneuresse de Rigaud, in 1822. She was the second of the three daughters and heiresses of Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière, by his second wife Mary, daughter of Captain John Munro. They lived in Montreal, Paris and London; and were the parents of six children. <mask> settled in England and died in Kent in 1852. Although his wife and two daughters factored prominently in the social affairs of American politics, <mask>'s wife Anne died
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while his only son <mask> was one year old.<mask>. left <mask>. to grow up in America with his grandfather Thomas Willing. <mask> died on February 7, 1804, in Bath, England and is interred in Bath Abbey. His estate remained in the family until the death of <mask> Baring <mask> (1858-1915) but it was not settled until 1964. Portraits
<mask> commissioned artist Gilbert Stuart to paint the Lansdowne portrait, a 1796 full-length portrait of President George Washington that became a gift to Lord Lansdowne. As British Prime Minister, Lansdowne had secured a peaceful end to the American Revolutionary War, and the portrait was commissioned soon after the American approval of the Jay Treaty. Stuart also painted portraits of <mask>, his wife and children. See also
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
List of wealthiest historical figures
List of richest Americans in history
References
Further reading
Robert C. Alberts, The Golden Voyage: The Life and Times of <mask>, 1969, Houghton Mifflin.External links
Archival Collections
Guide to the Land Grant to <mask>, Esq., for Property in Lycoming County from Thomas Mifflin, Governor of Pennsylvania. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Other
Biography at Virtualology.com
Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania
The <mask> Correspondence , including letters from 1791 to 1803, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The Political Graveyard
1752 births
1804 deaths
Politicians from Philadelphia
People of colonial Pennsylvania
American people of English descent
Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Federalists
Federalist Party United States senators from Pennsylvania
Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate
Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania state senators
Colonial American merchants
18th-century American businesspeople
History of Broome County, New York
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Burials in Somerset
Members of the American Philosophical
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<mask> (born c. 1877) was an American football player. He played at the fullback and quarterback positions for Princeton University from 1895 to 1898 and was selected as a member of the 1896 College Football All-America Team. Biography
A native of Haverford, Pennsylvania (located about 10 miles west of Philadelphia), <mask> was the son of Thomas E<mask>. <mask> attended the Haverford Grammar School followed by preparatory school at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. <mask> played fullback for the St. Paul's football team before enrolling at Princeton in 1895. <mask> was 5 feet, 9½ inches tall, and weighed 155 pounds in 1895, making him a light player even by the standards of the 1890s. As freshman, <mask> played on Princeton's varsity football team.A newspaper account in 1895 described the 18-year-old <mask> <mask> as "a good backer and an accurate drop kicker". As a sophomore in 1896, <mask> <mask> became a star at the fullback position. <mask> was "considered by Princeton men the best full-back in the country, both for long punts and drop tackling." A profile of <mask> <mask> under a headline calling him "the Star Player of Princeton's Football Team" was published in newspapers across the country. The profile described <mask>'s accomplishments: <mask> <mask>, the full back who has been accorded large credit for many of the victories won by the Princeton team this year, took his place in the eleven last year. His home is Haverford, Pa. <mask> prepared for college at St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H., where <mask> played full back with the school eleven. When <mask> entered Princeton, he was given a trial at the same post.Here <mask> showed what was in him and played the position for all there was in it. His work was brilliant, and when the end of the season came he was acknowledged to be one of the best full backs that the Tigers ever had. This year his performances have been even more notable, and <mask> has been pronounced by competent critics the best full back on any American gridiron. <mask> is 5 feet, 10 inches in height. <mask> weighs 163 pounds and is 19 years old. <mask>'s greatest skill was as a kicker,
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and by late in the season, newspapers were comparing <mask> to Snake Ames, Frank Hinkey, and the greatest fullbacks to play the game:<mask> will be the mainstay of the eleven and on his work at full back are based the hopes for victory over Yale. Harvard's defeat by Princeton showed the value of a kicking full back and <mask>'s efforts are conceded by all to have won the game.Football history for the past four years goes to show that teams with kicking full backs, are dangerous and most generally victorious elven to encounter ... Now Princeton appears on the gridiron with a full back superior to any claimed by college or university. How much better is <mask> than [Frank] Hinkey, time alone will tell, but that he is better no one can doubt. <mask> <mask> has more than fulfilled his freshman promises as a full back and is today the equal of Aleck Moffat, "Snake" Ames and other full backs well known to the Princeton enthusiasts. At the end of the season, <mask> <mask> was selected by both Walter Camp and Caspar Whitney as the fullback on their 1896 All-America teams. In 1897, <mask> <mask> was moved to the quarterback position. Initially, some questioned the decision to move the country's best fullback to a new position. One New Jersey newspaper wrote: "<mask> <mask>, who has played full back for the past two years, is very light, and, although <mask> worked all spring under experienced coachers, does not seem to take kindly to his new position."However, <mask> <mask> was injured and did not finish the 1897 season. At the end of the 1897 season, <mask> <mask>'s teammates voted him to be the captain of the 1898 Princeton football team. After his election as captain, <mask> <mask> gave a banquet to the members of the Princeton team. Despite being elected captain of the 1898 team, <mask> <mask> was unable to serve. In early 1898, <mask> <mask> was forced both from the football team and from the university due to illness. An 1898 newspaper account describes the circumstances of his withdrawal:[I]t was whispered some time ago that <mask> had not recovered his former hardiness. The latter who, when fit, is a wonderful football
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player, had an attack of tonsilitis a short time before the game at New Haven last fall, and should have been in bed on that day instead of putting on a foot ball uniform to play on a wet field.It will be recalled that his appearance created comment from the Princeton contingent, because he seemed hardly able to crawl. It was early in the first half when <mask> was practically exhausted, and later on was carried off the field. <mask> <mask> ultimately recovered from his illness, but enrolled in the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War and was still serving in the military when the football season began. Upon the declaration of war, <mask> <mask> helped organize Battery A of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. According to the book Princeton in the Spanish–American War, twenty men from Princeton were recruited for Battery A "through the influence of <mask> <mask>, who had been made a recruiting Corporal." The 1901 coaching staff was made up of five former Princeton All-Americans—head coach Langdon Lea and assistants <mask> <mask>, Jesse Riggs, Garrett Cochran and Addison Kelly. After graduating from Princeton in 1899, <mask> <mask> served for a time as one of the assistant coaches to the Princeton football team.<mask> <mask> was married to Edith Wain. In 1929, following the fame accorded to the Notre Dame backfield known as the "Four Horsemen," sports writer and football coach Don Miller opined that several backfields were greater. Miller pointed to Princeton's 1896 backfield as perhaps the best of all time. <mask> asked, "Who can say what fame a backfield such as that at Princeton in 1896 can be made up of Harry Smith, Billy Barnard, Ad Kelly and <mask> <mask> would have gained had it had the forward pass asset?" References
Year of birth uncertain
1870s births
Year of death missing
American football drop kickers
American football fullbacks
American football quarterbacks
19th-century players of American football
Princeton Tigers football players
All-American college football players
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
People from Haverford Township, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from
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<mask> OAM (born 22 February 1966) is a former Australian politician. Grieg was an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Senate from 1999 to 2005, representing the state of Western Australia. Early life
<mask> was born in Fremantle, but his family moved to the small crayfishing village of Lancelin in 1970. He went to primary school there, but received secondary education as a boarder at Hale School, Perth. He studied Arts (English Literature) at Murdoch University, where he became involved in student politics, elected to the Guild in 1988 and editor of student newspaper ‘Metior’. At university, Greig campaigned on the issue of student fees and, in 1986, helped re-establish the National Union of Students. He also began to get involved in gay rights activism during the 1990s, and for several years was spokesperson for Gay and Lesbian Equality (GALE), campaigning for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, anti-discrimination protections and partnership recognition for same-sex couples.Greig also helped establish the now defunct Australian Council for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1993, the first national lobby of its kind focused on discriminatory commonwealth laws. Campaigns included the successful lifting of the homosexual ban in the military, and recognition of same-sex partner's right to carer's and bereavement leave. Political career
During the 1990s, Greig worked for a range of Australian Labor Party politicians, including Senator Peter Cook, Diana Warnock MLA and Opposition Leaders Ian Taylor MLA and Dr Carmen Lawrence MLA, but became disillusioned with Labor and joined the Democrats. He cited Labor's ‘weak’ commitment to LGBTI reform and was attracted to the work in this area by Democrats Senator Sid Spindler, at that time creating on a commonwealth Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)
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Bill. Between 1995 and 1999, he was a local-government councillor in the City of Vincent, becoming the first openly gay person elected to public office in Western Australia. At the October 1998 federal election, aged 33, <mask> was elected to the Senate. He used his maiden speech to acknowledge his homosexuality, highlight existing areas of discrimination and called for a range of national reforms in this area.It is considered to be the first time a federal politician had spoken so openly and strongly in favour of LGBTI rights, and Grieg has been considered the first LGBTI rights activist elected to federal parliament. In August 2002, <mask> became interim leader of the Australian Democrats for six weeks following the ousting of former leader Natasha Stott Despoja by senators including the parties deputy, Aden Ridgeway. Ridgeway was expected to become the interim leader, though <mask>, a supported of Despoja, made a late challenge appealing to the Democrats governing National Executive to appoint him instead. <mask> has been considered to be the first openly gay leader of an Australian political party. <mask> was replaced in the resulting leadership ballot by Andrew Bartlett in October, 2002. In the Senate, <mask> had Democrat portfolio responsibilities for Attorney Generals, Justice and Customs; Family and Community Services; Transport; Resources; Fisheries; Disability and Sexuality Issues. He campaigned against internet censorship, and also served on the Joint Parliamentary Committee for the Australian Crime Commission and prompted it to investigate the trafficking of women into the Australian sex industry.<mask> is mostly remembered for his pursuit of LGBTI issues, raising questions with Ministers, moving same-sex amendments to government legislation and triggering speeches from all parties on how to
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remedy commonwealth inequality against same-sex couples. In 2003, the conservative Howard Government which had opposed his agenda, reluctantly agreed to one of his campaigns and ended discrimination against same-sex couples in private sector Superannuation death benefits. Along with Spindler's SOGI Bill, his advocacy across all areas of federal LGBTI discrimination has been credited with laying the foundations for the Rudd Government's ‘Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws General Law Reform) Bill 2008. In 2004, just prior to the election being called, <mask> was one of only nine senators to vote against the ban on same-sex marriage by the Howard Government. That legislation triggered a movement for marriage equality that would last another 13 years. The ban was overturned in 2017 and <mask>'s pioneering speech and advocacy from 2004 was acknowledged by sitting senators and referenced in the media. During his term in office, Greig introduced three Private Member's Bills — one to outlaw genocide in Australia, another to eliminate discrimination against LGBTI people, and another to promote government use of open source software.All were blocked by the Liberal–National government. <mask> stood for re-election at the 2004 election, but lost his seat to Rachel Siewert of the Australian Greens. His term expired 30 June 2005. Post-political career
Since leaving parliament, <mask> has worked as a Communications Manager for the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia and in media operations for Anglicare WA and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. He continues with social commentary in platforms such as On Line Opinion and Crikey, as well as publishing articles in mainstream media including for The Age and The Guardian. <mask> maintained his LGBTI advocacy, serving as the WA
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Representative to Australian Marriage Equality between 2013 and 2016 and is currently WA spokesperson for lobby group Just-Equal Australia. On 13 June 2011, <mask> was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community as a social justice advocate for the gay and lesbian community.In 2019, Greig moved to Busselton WA. That year, he unsuccessfully stood for Busselton City Council in 2019. He is self-employed in consulting and works for the hospitality sector. He is chairperson of local LGBTI advocacy group Busselton Pride Alliance, and is also a founding member of the LGBTIQ advocacy group Just-Equal Australia. References
External links
Just-Equal Australia official website
Busselton Pride Alliance official website
Video: Senator <mask> Maiden Parliament Speech 1999
Video: Senator <mask>ig Valedictory Parliament Speech 2005
1966 births
Australian Democrats members of the Parliament of Australia
Australian people of Scottish descent
Gay politicians
LGBT rights activists from Australia
Living people
Western Australian local councillors
Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia
People from Fremantle
LGBT legislators in Australia
People educated at Hale School
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Leaders of the Australian Democrats
21st-century Australian politicians
20th-century Australian politicians
21st-century LGBT
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<mask> (Persian: بابک خرمدین, Bābak-e Khorramdin, from Middle Persian "Pāpak"/"Pābag", meaning "Young Father"; 795 or 798 – January 838) was one of the main Iranian revolutionary leaders of the Iranian Khorram-Dinān ("Those of the joyous religion"), which was a local freedom movement fighting the Abbasid Caliphate. Khorramdin appears to be a compound analogous to dorustdin "orthodoxy" and Behdin "Good Religion" (Zoroastrianism), and are considered an offshoot of neo-Mazdakism. Babak's Iranianizing rebellion, from its base in Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran, called for a return of the political glories of the Iranian past. The Khorramdin rebellion of Babak spread to the Western and Central parts of Iran and lasted more than twenty years before it was defeated when Babak was betrayed. Babak's uprising showed the continuing strength in Azerbaijan of ancestral Iranian local feelings. Etymology
Bābak () is a New Persian name meaning "father", which is derived from the Middle Persian Pāpak/Pābag (𐭯𐭠𐭯𐭪𐭩), a common name in pre-Islamic Iran and also the hereditary name of the Sasanian Empire, whose founder Ardashir I (), was the son of a prince named Pabag. The original name of Babak was al-Hasan.Background
<mask> was born in 795 (or 798) in Bilalabad in the Mimadh district of the Ardabil area, which was part of Azerbaijan, a region in north-western Iran. The Mimadh district had provided the Sasanian marzban ("margrave") of Ardabil with troops during the Muslim conquest of Iran in 633–654,
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which resulted in the fall of the Sasanians and the conquest of Azerbaijan. The region was briefly occupied by the Khazars in 730–731, and had since the mid 8th century been under occupation by the Arab Rawadid clan. Azerbaijan was populated by an Iranian people known as the Adhari, who although closely related, were distinct from the Persians. They spoke Adhari, which according to the 10th-century geographer al-Maqdisi, was similar to Persian. <mask> was most likely himself not of pure Persian extraction, but of Adhari. His mother Mahru (meaning "Moon-Face") was a non-Muslim wet-nurse from Azerbaijan.She is described as being "one-eyed" in Muslim sources and furthermore, by Al-Tabari, as having become pregnant with her son after being raped by a mercenary. However, these stories are more than likely fabrications created by hostile authors in order to disgrace Babak. As for the identity <mask>'s father, there are also multiple conflicting accounts. Al-Waqidi, as quoted by Ibn Al-Nadim, states that he was an oil-seller from al-Mada'in (Ctesiphon), who had settled in Azerbaijan. Crone takes this to mean that he was of Aramean origin. However, Dinawari, a contemporary of <mask>, concludes and states that there is ample evidence to support that his father's true name was Mutahar, a descendant of Abu Muslim through his daughter, Fāṭema. C.E.Bosworth argues that more credence should be lent to this latter account, as other sources are hostile and are eager to propose lowly or otherwise less
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honorable origins for Babak. In the other sources, his name is variably given as Abdallah, Merdas, Matar, Amir ibn Abdallah, or Amir ibn Ahad, all which suggest that he was seemingly a Muslim. Likewise, <mask>'s father is also the subject of derogatory fabrication in Muslim sources. Masudi noted in his ″Murūj al-dhahab wa maʿādin al-jawāhir″: ″What seems to us to be true and proven is that Bābak was a son of Moṭahhar, the son of Abū Moslem's daughter Fāṭema, and that the Fāṭemīya group of the Khurramites took their name from this Fāṭema, not from Fāṭema the daughter of God's Prophet″. The original faith of <mask> is uncertain; he was born with the Muslim name of al-Hasan, and his three brothers, Mu'awiya, Abdallah, and Ishaq, also had Muslim names. Having a Muslim name is not in itself proof of any religious beliefs, as it was not uncommon for people to have a Muslim name in order "to move freely in Muslim society by virtue of their high position in their own community, such as the Armenian princes" (Crone). According to Crone, who follows Al-Waqidi, <mask>'s parents were probably no more than landless villagers, but knew that Babak and his brothers' futures lay with the Arab warlords of Azerbaijan, and thus as a way of "adapting to the standards of new the world," raised them as Muslims.Early life
During <mask>'s youth, his travelling father was killed near Sabalan. Till the age of twelve, Babak worked as a cowherd, and afterwards entered the service of an Arab warlord named Shibl
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ibn al-Muthanna al-Azdi in Sarab, where he worked as a groom and servant. The ghilman ("slaves") of Shibl taught Babak how to play the lute. Babak also learned to recite poetry, probably in the local Adhari dialect. According to the 11th-century writer Abu'l Ma'ali, Babak played the lute and sang songs for the locals whilst working as a fruit vendor in the village. Babak later established himself in the city of Tabriz. There he worked under another Arab warlord, Muhammad ibn Rawwad Azdi for two years, until he reached adulthood and left for his village, Bilalabad.There Babak encountered a wealthy and influential landlord named Javidhan, who was reportedly impressed with the latters cleverness, and as result recruited him into his service. Unlike the previous men <mask> had served, Javidhan was a local Iranian, and the leader of one of the two Khurramite movements in Azerbaijan. The leader of the other Khurramite movement was a certain Abu Imran, who often clashed with Javidhans forces. During one of the clashes, Abu Imran was defeated and killed, whilst Javidhan was mortally wounded, dying three days later. Javidhan was succeeded by <mask>, who had already converted to Khurramism under the latters service. It was most probably during this period that <mask> changed his name from al-Hasan to Babak. Movement
In 755, Abu Muslim was murdered.Although he had helped the Abbasids to defeat the former Caliphs, the Umayyad dynasty, the ruling Caliph had given the order to kill him, probably
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under Bābak's leadership between 816–837. During these most crucial years, they not only fought against the Caliphate, but also for the preservation of Persian language and culture. After the death of Javidhan, <mask> married Javidhan's wife and became the Khorramis' leader, sometime in the year 816–17 during al-Ma'mun's reign. Babak incited his followers to rebel against the caliphate. According to Vladimir Minorsky, around the 9th–10th century:
At that time of Babak, there were Khorramis scattered in many regions of Iran, besides Adharbayjan, reportedly in Tabarestan, Khorasan, Balkh, Isfahan, Kashan, Qom, Ray, Karaj, Hamadan, Lorestan, Khuzestan as well as in Basra, and Armenia.Tabari records that <mask> claimed he possessed Javadan's spirit and that <mask> became active in 816–817. In 819–820 Yahya ibn Mu'adh fought against <mask>, but could not defeat him. Two years later <mask> vanquished the forces of Isa ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Khalid. In 824–825 the caliphal general Ahmad ibn al Junayd was sent against <mask>. Babak defeated and captured him. In 827–828 Muhammad ibn Humayd Tusi was dispatched to fight <mask>. He won a victory and sent some captured enemy, but not Babak, to al-Ma'mun.However, about two years later, on June 9, 829, <mask> won a decisive victory over this general at Hashtadsar. Muhammad ibn Humayd lost his life. Many of his soldiers were killed. The survivors fled in disarray. <mask>'s victories over Arab generals were associated with his possession of Badd fort and
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inaccessible mountain stronghold according to the Arab historians who mentioned that his influence also extended even to the territories of today's Azerbaijan - ″southward to near Ardabil and Marand, eastward to the Caspian Sea and the Shamakhi district and Shervan, northward to the Muqan (Moḡan) steppe and the Aras river bank, westward to the districts of Jolfa, Nakjavan, and Marand”. In 835–836 the caliph al-Mu'tasim sent his outstanding general Afshin against <mask>. Afshin rebuilt fortresses.He employed a relay system to protect supply caravans. Babak tried to capture the money being sent to pay Afshin's army, but was himself surprised, lost many men and barely escaped. He did succeed in capturing some supplies and inflicting some hardship on his enemies. Amongst Babak's commander, various names have been mentioned including Azin, Rostam, Tarkhan, Mua’wiyah and Abdullah. The next year Babak routed the forces of Afshin's subordinate, Bugha al-Kabir. In 837–838 al-Mu'tasim reinforced Afshin and provided him clear military instructions. Patiently following these enabled Afshin to capture Babak's stronghold of Badhdh.Babak escaped. Al-Mu'tasim sent a safety guarantee for Babak to Afshin. This was taken to Babak who was very displeased. He said: "Better to live for just a single day as a ruler than to live for forty years as an abject slave." He decided to leave the country for the Byzantine Empire and on his way Babak met Sahl Smbatean (Sahl ibn Sunbat in Arab sources), Prince of
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Khachen, who was Armenian due to the Armenian historiography and Caucasian Albanian due to the Adharbayjani historiography. Sahl Smbatian, however, handed Babak over to Afshin in return for a large reward. Al-Mu'tasim commanded his general to bring Babak to him.Afshin informed <mask> of this and told him since <mask> might never return, this was the time to take a last look around. At <mask>'s request, Afshin allowed his prisoner to go to Badhdh. There <mask> walked through his ruined stronghold one night until dawn. Eventually, Bābak, his wife, and his warriors were forced to leave Ghaleye Bābak after 23 years of constant campaigns. Death
He was eventually betrayed by Afshin and was handed over to the Abbasid Caliph. During Bābak's execution, the Caliph's henchmen first cut off his legs and hands in order to convey the most devastating message to his followers. The legend says that Bābak bravely rinsed his face with the drained blood pouring out of his cuts, thus preventing the Caliph and the rest of the Abbasid army from seeing his pale face, a result of the heavy loss of blood.He was then gibbeted alive whilst sewn into a cow's skin with the horns at ear level to gradually crush his head as it dried out. Legacy
<mask> <mask> was not well known outside academia until the 20th century; however, due to Soviet nation building efforts and <mask>'s following of teaching of Mazdak with its proto-socialist themes, <mask> <mask> was proclaimed a national hero in the Azerbaijan Soviet
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Socialist Republic. For example, the Soviet era scholar Ziya Bunyadov, claimed that "Babak was a national hero of Azerbaijani people" while the Russian ethnologist, historian and anthropologist Victor Schnirelmann dismisses Bunyadov's theory, criticizing Bunyadov for not mentioning that Babak spoke Persian, and ignoring the witness accounts of Babak's contemporaries who call him Persian. To this day, in the modern Republic of Azerbaijan, <mask> is a cult figure and celebrated as a national hero. In modern Iran, due to the rise of nationalism in the 20th century, and renewed interest in pre-Islamic Iran, <mask> <mask> was rediscovered during the reign of Reza Shah, and is celebrated as a national hero. However, <mask> remains a controversial figure in the Islamic Republic, whose idolization is criticized by some Shia clerics. References
Sources
790s births
838 deaths
Iranian Zoroastrians
Iranian rebels
9th-century executions by the Abbasid Caliphate
8th-century Iranian people
9th-century Iranian people
Rebellions against the Abbasid Caliphate
Khurramites
Azerbaijan under the Abbasid Caliphate
Converts to
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<mask> (1895–1979) was a Presbyterian minister active for more than 50 years in civil rights, race relations, and labor advocacy. He worked with the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, founded the People's Institute for Applied Religion, and served as the national vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. He was also the director of Commonwealth College in Mena, Arkansas, from 1937–1939. As a young fundamentalist preacher in the rural South, <mask>' initial motivation was the spiritual salvation of his parishioners, or in his words, to “save their never-dying, ever-precious souls from the devil’s hell eternal.” This motivation later evolved into a quest for social justice for the poor throughout society, leading to confrontations with white supremacists and lifelong charges of Communist activities. As <mask> put it, “I’ve been run out of the best communities, fired from the best churches, and flogged by the best citizens of the South.”
Early life
<mask> was born in rural Weakley County, Tennessee. His parents, Jess and <mask>, were sharecroppers and members of the fundamentalist Cumberland Presbyterian Church. <mask> enlisted in the army in 1916.He became a drill sergeant and trainer of draftees, re-enlisting in 1919. After leaving the army in 1921 he entered Bethel College, a small Cumberland Presbyterian seminary. While studying for the ministry he became an accomplished evangelical preacher. At Bethel he met Joyce King, a missionary student from Mississippi, whom he married in 1922. After graduating from Bethel in 1924, <mask> gained his first pastorate at a Presbyterian church in Auburntown, Tennessee. Career Transition
In 1927, <mask> read Harry Emerson Fosdick's Modern Use of the Bible. Fosdick interpreted the Bible as a militant social text, de-emphasizing a literalist interpretation and
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advocating societal progress and change.<mask> credited this book as a turning point in his life. <mask> was also influenced by seminars held by Dr. Alva W. Taylor at the Vanderbilt School of Religion. Taylor was a noted social activist and proponent of the Social Gospel, a movement that applied Christian ethics to social problems. At Vanderbilt the concept of Jesus as the “Son of Man” made a profound impression on <mask>. Referring to Dr. Taylor, <mask> said, “He cleared the debris of theological crap and let Him rise among us as a challenging human leader.”
In 1930, the Presbytery assigned <mask> to a small church located in Paris, Arkansas. The church community consisted of poor miners, sharecroppers, and a few black families. <mask> was determined to organize local miners, and through his efforts the congregation grew rapidly.However, church and community leaders were opposed to the influx of impoverished workers from surrounding areas, and were shocked by the prospect of mixed race services. As a result, the Presbytery removed <mask> from the church. In 1935, <mask> was assigned to a church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Here <mask> and eight others were arrested for organizing a hunger march for unemployed workers. He was fined one hundred dollars, served ninety days in jail, and was tried for heresy by the Presbytery. After his release from prison, <mask> went to Little Rock, Arkansas where he trained sharecroppers and other workers as grassroots organizers. In 1936 <mask> founded the New Era School for Social Action and Prophetic Religion.He also worked with the Southern Tenant Farmers Union to raise funds and promote schools. During this time <mask> also served as vice-president of the American Federation of Teachers. In June 1936, while traveling to Memphis to prepare the funeral for a black
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sharecropper who had been beaten to death, <mask> was stopped by five sheriff's deputies and was himself severely beaten. Afterward he was forced to sign a statement that he hadn't been hurt, and was not allowed to continue to Memphis. In 1937, <mask> was appointed director of Commonwealth College in Mena, Arkansas. He remained in that position for two years, resigning in 1939 after accusations of Communist sympathies. The PIAR and Detroit
In 1940, <mask> reorganized his New Era school as the People's Institute of Applied Religion (PIAR).The PIAR organized rural farmers and industrial workers, using <mask>' skills as a minister to reach workers through their religious beliefs. The organization worked closely with the sharecropper movement and supported CIO activism in the South. The PIAR received support from Reinhold Niebuhr and Harry Ward, the Methodist Federation for Social Action, the Church League for Industrial Democracy, and the National Religion and Labor Foundation. <mask> attempted to blend religious piety with social activism. As he noted in later years:
“We were realistic, or at least we tried to be. We discovered that the fact that people believed in the Bible literally could be used to an advantage….Being so-called fundamentalists, accepting the Bible verbatim, had nothing whatsoever to do with a person’s understanding of the issues that related to bread and meat, raiment, shelter, jobs and civil liberties. Therefore, our approach was not an attempt to supplant their present mindset, but to supplement it with a more horizontal frame of reference.And we found that supplementing and supplanting turned out to be the same thing.”
The message of the PIAR was spread by a network of black and white preachers using visual aid charts and sermon outlines, presenting biblically-based aspects of
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social justice in simple terms. In 1942, the Detroit Presbytery asked <mask> to become an “industrial chaplain” ministering to the needs of southerners who had come north to work in the auto plants. <mask> brought his PIAR organization along, and spent three years working with laborers, unions, and the black community. Accused by Gerald L. K. Smith and others of Communist activities, <mask> was fired by the Presbytery in 1945. Later career
In 1946, <mask> returned south to Birmingham, Alabama, where he established a Bible training program and continued his work with the PIAR. In 1953 <mask> was again accused of being a Communist, this time by the House Un-American Activities Committee. A subsequent trial by the Detroit Presbytery did not address the issue of Communism but did find <mask> guilty of heresy.He was defrocked as a minister and not reinstated until 1965. Final Years
During the 1950s and 1960s, <mask> was active in the civil rights movement, working to register black voters, organize protests against police brutality, and help black farmers keep their land. Living with his wife in their trailer home near the rural community of Alabaster south of Birmingham, <mask>’ financial support came from funds raised by the Claude Williams Committee. <mask>' wife died in 1976. He continued work until his own death in 1979. References
Further reading
External links
Cumberland Presbyterian Church ministers
Hard Times at StudsTerkel.org
<mask> papers at the Walter P. Reuther Library in Detroit. Excerpts from Angela Dillard's Faith in the City
1954 Time magazine article
1895 births
1979 deaths
People from Weakley County, Tennessee
20th-century Christian clergy
American Presbyterian ministers
American anti-racism activists
Leaders of American trade unions
Southern Tenant Farmers Union
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