In the windswept Texas Panhandle, long before pyrotechnics and televised cage matches, the seeds of wrestling greatness were planted on the gridiron.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A new book by West Texas State alumnus Bill Neeley and his grandson Justin Neeley tells the story of eight future WWE Hall of Famers whose path to the squared circle began with football cleats and a no-nonsense coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Touchdowns and Turnbuckles: Championship Athletes from West Texas State” recounts how eight former WT football players \u2014 including Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Stan Hansen, Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Tully Blanchard, Tito Santana and Barry Windham \u2014 went on to earn induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
But the book also dives deeper into WT\u2019s broader wrestling legacy, spotlighting others like Bruiser Brody, Bobby Duncum, Kelly Kiniski and Manny Fernandez. Though they never made it to Stamford, the symbolic home of WWE and its Hall of Fame, they became legends in their own right \u2014 feared brawlers, regional stars, and pioneers who left their mark on the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most unusual pipelines in all of sports history,\u201d Bill Neeley said. \u201cEight Hall of Famers, all tied to this one little place most people wouldn\u2019t think of as a launching pad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A coach who trained warriors\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the heart of that story is Joe Kerbel, the former Oklahoma lineman and World War II Marine who transformed WT football \u2014 and the lives of the men who played for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before arriving in Canyon, Kerbel had hoped to lead his alma mater \u2014 the University of Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was mad he didn\u2019t get the OU job,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cHe thought he was going to get it. But when he didn\u2019t, and he ended up at WT, he made it his mission to win. That was fuel for him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKerbel treated us like Marines in basic training,\u201d Dory Funk Jr. says in the book. \u201cThat mentality never really left us \u2014 we took it into the ring.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a team builder off the charts,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cHis guys had to act as one. He believed that was the only way to survive \u2014 on the field or in war.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kerbel also integrated WT\u2019s football program in 1961 \u2014 a groundbreaking move in the still-segregated town of Canyon. He recognized a Black student had already enrolled and didn\u2019t hesitate to bring in Black players like Pete Pedro, who scored six touchdowns against UTEP and was featured in Sports Illustrated. Future NFL stars like Duane Thomas, Mercury Morris, Jesse Powell and Jerry Logan followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHis passion above all was to win,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t care what you looked like. He cared whether you were tough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From football to fame\u00a0<\/p>\n
Terry and Dory Funk weren\u2019t just standout football players \u2014 they were also the sons of promoter Dory Funk Sr., who ran the Amarillo wrestling territory. And they were always scouting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like extra recruiters,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cThey saw raw talent on the field and thought, \u2018That guy could wrestle.\u2019 And they were usually right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As word spread, WT became more than just a football destination. It became a dual path to professional sports \u2014 one on the field, the other in the ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of these guys came to Canyon thinking, \u2018If I don\u2019t make it in football, I\u2019ve still got a shot at pro wrestling,\u2019\u201d Neeley said. \u201cThat\u2019s how strong the Funk name was. It was like a second chance already built in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That network pulled in names like Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody \u2014 both known for punishing, physical styles that reflected their days on the line at WT.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Amarillo territory was like a pebble dropped in a pond,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cThe ripples reached across wrestling \u2014 from Japan to Madison Square Garden.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brody, whose real name was Frank Goodish, even worked as a sportswriter for the San Antonio Express-News before wrestling. He was also expelled from WT after a prank involving railcars \u2014 but never gave up the names of his teammates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t rat them out,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cHe was a wild man, but he had a moral code.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The WT 8: Gridiron to wrestling glory as WWE Hall of FamersTerry Funk \u2013 WT lineman; NWA champion and wrestling innovator\u00a0Dory Funk Jr. \u2013 WT standout; NWA world champion and trainer\u00a0Stan Hansen \u2013 WT offensive lineman; legendary in Japan\u00a0Dusty Rhodes (Virgil Runnels Jr.) \u2013 WT lineman; the American Dream\u00a0Ted DiBiase \u2013 Played under Gene Mayfield; became the Million Dollar Man\u00a0Tully Blanchard \u2013 WT quarterback; one of the Four Horsemen\u00a0Tito Santana (Merced Solis) \u2013 Played under Mayfield; went on to WWF stardom\u00a0Barry Windham \u2013 Briefly attended WT; became a world tag team champion and Horseman\u00a0The American Dream, denied and redeemed\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the most fascinating stories is that of Dusty Rhodes, born Virgil Runnels Jr., who played football at WT after growing up in Austin. A lineman with big personality and big dreams, Runnels showed toughness on the field \u2014 and unmatched charisma off it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While working at a gas station in Amarillo owned by Terry Funk\u2019s father-in-law, Runnels once told Terry, \u201cMan, I\u2019d love to have a car like yours someday.\u201d When he expressed interest in wrestling, the Funks initially turned him down. They doubted whether he could cut a strong promo because of his lisp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that perception didn\u2019t last.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rhodes eventually broke into the business and quickly rose to become one of the most iconic professional wrestlers in history. Known as the American Dream, he blended blue-collar authenticity with poetic charisma, delivering legendary promos that resonated with everyday fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe studied poetry. He listened to gospel preachers. He had rhythm,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cDusty created a character who spoke for working people \u2014 and they believed him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In time, the Funks recognized his talent. Terry would go on to wrestle alongside Rhodes \u2014 and against him \u2014 in multiple promotions, cementing a lasting partnership and friendship that began in Canyon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bonds built in Canyon\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book goes beyond the ring to explore the deeply personal connections among these men. Kelly Kiniski lost his mother to suicide his first semester. Tully Blanchard lost his teenage brother in a car crash. Bruiser Brody was stabbed to death in a locker room in Puerto Rico.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey carried a lot of pain,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cBut they stayed bonded.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Terry Funk died in 2023, Neeley attended the funeral in Canyon and recalled the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were guys there who didn\u2019t look like wrestling fans,\u201d he said. \u201cOne old man had on a Terry Funk shirt. I asked where he got it. He said, \u2018Terry gave it to me.\u2019 That tells you who Terry was.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book also recounts lighter memories, including the time Funk\u2019s daughters painted Kiniski\u2019s fingernails pink while he slept on their couch. He woke up and had to sprint to a football team meeting \u2014 polish still drying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were wild, but they had a sense of family. You didn\u2019t forget that,\u201d Neeley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A changing landscape\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the mid-1980s, the wrestling territories that had once thrived in places like Amarillo were giving way to national promotions like the WWE. Around the same time, West Texas State was undergoing a transition of its own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After decades competing at the top level of college football, the school became a Division I-A program in the late 1970s. Not long after, it dropped to NCAA Division II \u2014 a shift that marked the end of its big-time athletic era.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without the prominence of Division I football, and with the Funk family’s influence fading as wrestling consolidated nationally, the once-thriving gridiron-to-ring pipeline quietly disappeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than muscle\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neeley, a longtime educator, was also struck by how many of these athletes took their academics seriously. Most majored in communications or physical education, knowing it could serve them in or out of the ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them majored in communications because they knew they\u2019d need to speak well if they ever wanted to cut promos or run their own territory,\u201d Neeley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEven Bruiser Brody was a serious student. He loved his journalism classes,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kerbel didn\u2019t let players slack in the classroom. David Sims, an honor student and former player, tutored teammates in biology and geology \u2014 and later contributed photos and insight for the book.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKerbel even paid Sims to tutor his teammates,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cThat was your job if you were smart \u2014 not pumping gas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neeley said WT\u2019s influence wasn\u2019t limited to athletics \u2014 it also shaped him as a writer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had people like Loula Grace Erdman teaching us,\u201d he said. \u201cShe was a nationally known novelist, but she never talked about herself. She just taught \u2014 with humility and purpose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Erdman, who authored more than 20 novels and taught English and creative writing at WT, became a quiet but steady force in Neeley\u2019s academic life. Her encouragement stuck with him, even as his writing career took decades to unfold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy writing didn\u2019t really blossom until I was 50,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what I learned from Miss Erdman \u2014 about craft, about humility \u2014 never left me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He later invited her to speak at a gathering of English teachers in Midland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me once, \u2018My work is just a small light in the firmament of American letters,\u2019\u201d Neeley said. \u201cBut to me, she was the North Star.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A story built on grit\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book, which took 11 months to write, blends biography and storytelling. Though it\u2019s his fifth published work, Neeley said this one was the easiest \u2014 and the most meaningful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a labor of love,\u201d he said. \u201cI saw some of them play. I followed their journeys. And I taught at Boys Ranch, where Dory Funk once worked. It all came full circle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The story also touches on the wrestlers\u2019 philanthropic efforts. Dory Funk spent years mentoring troubled youth at Boys Ranch. Others supported places like the Maverick Club in Amarillo \u2014 raising money through matches and giving back to the community that shaped them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though there\u2019s no official deal, a producer has expressed interest in adapting the story as a series.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it had the bones of something special,\u201d Neeley said. \u201cAnd I believe her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this isn\u2019t just about football. Or wrestling. It\u2019s about pride. Pain. Loyalty,” he said. “It\u2019s about the kind of grit that only comes from the Texas Panhandle \u2014 and the stories that refuse to be forgotten.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
To order the book, go to https:\/\/west7.com\/p\/bk_neeley_tdtb\/index.html . While the electronic version of the book is available now online, pre-orders are open for the paperback version, expected to be released in fall 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the windswept Texas Panhandle, long before pyrotechnics and televised cage matches, the seeds of wrestling greatness were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[182,40119,9069,6177,223,13710,88,399,10719,40120,13547,3,13470,13560,99,2415,13546,13717,1139,4477,28833,28592,4366],"class_list":["post-52292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-books","tag-ai","tag-amarillo","tag-american","tag-american-football","tag-books","tag-enabled","tag-entertainment","tag-football","tag-highlights","tag-ii","tag-neutral","tag-news","tag-overall","tag-overall-neutral","tag-sports","tag-sports-news","tag-story","tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","tag-war","tag-world","tag-world-war-ii","tag-wrestling","tag-wwe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}