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David Chappell: Dick, I’m
really delighted to have you
talk with the Mid-Atlantic
Gateway. I appreciate your
taking the time to chat a little
bit tonight.
Dick Slater: I’ve been
looking forward to it, David.
Chappell: Same here! Hope
things are going well down in
Tampa Bay and vicinity…at least
hurricane season is over!
Well, to start, please tell us
about your beginnings in
wrestling if you would.
Slater: I actually
started wrestling, Mike Graham
and myself, in 1968. I started
with Eddie Graham at Robinson
High School.
Chappell: We’re talking
about the Tampa, Florida area,
right?
Slater: That’s right.
There had never been a high
school wrestling program in the
state of Florida. What happened,
is that Eddie Graham, who was a
promoter here for Florida
Championship Wrestling and Don
Curtis, who was the promoter in
Jacksonville, bought a wrestling
mat for Robinson High School and
actually started the high school
wrestling program.
Chappell: I know you
played football and wrestled for
the University of Tampa, so
obviously we now know you got
into wrestling before your
college days!
Slater: This was all
before I went to the University
of Tampa. What happened, is I
was wrestling for what was
called AAU---which was a
wrestling organization that
trained people to go from, say,
college to the Olympics…
Chappell: Yes…
Slater: [AAU] was a
different league all together,
but it was a league that almost
anybody could get into…if you
were a college or high school
athlete.
So, I was wrestling with them,
and with Hiro Matsuda, who was
the Japanese trainer…
Chappell: Right, I
thought Hiro had trained you in
the early days…
Slater: Yeah…I wanted to
go try to get into the Olympics
at that time. Then, I went to
the University of Tampa and got
on the wrestling team there.
Plus, I was on the football
team---so it was pretty hectic!
Chappell: I bet!
Slater: (laughs)
Practices, twice a day. And
sometimes it was two football
practices, and then wrestling
practice in one day…so that was
three in a row!
Chappell: I’m
interested…what position did you
play in football?
Slater: I was a
linebacker…
Chappell: (laughs)
Honest…that would have been my
guess! In the ring, you look
like you had the make up of a
linebacker!
Slater: I played middle
linebacker in high school, and I
also played some running
fullback, not running with the
ball, but running in front of
somebody with the ball!
(laughing)
Chappell: (laughs) You’re
the one that cleared the way!
Slater: Yeah, the other
guys did the running!
Chappell: How long did
you stay at the University [of
Tampa]?
Slater: Actually, they
folded the football program
there…
Chappell: Really?
Slater: Yeah, it was an
academic school…and they decided
to close football there. So, I
decided not to play (football)
anymore. Later, I had a chance
to go down and play for the
Miami Dolphins…but I decided I
needed to take care of my family
instead. I had to earn my way…I
needed to go to work!
Chappell: What time frame
are we talking about, Dick…when
you had a chance to go with the
Dolphins?
Slater: 1969 I graduated
out of high school, so this
would have been around ’71…
Chappell: The Dolphins
were getting pretty good then!
Slater: Yeah…
Chappell: So, they were
going to let you come in as a
free agent…but you decided
against it?
Slater: (pauses) The
money wasn’t there, then. I
wanted to go…could have gone.
Chappell: As you said
before, you had to take care of
your family.
Slater: That’s right.
Chappell: Now, when you
were at the University of Tampa,
didn’t you play with John
Matuszak?
Slater: I did. John was
the smart guy of the football
team, you know? I was in most of
his classes, and he would take
most of my exams for me!
Chappell: (laughing) Come
on!
He was a character, wasn’t he? I
remember when he played for the
Raiders.
Slater: Oh my God, he was
pretty much of a character! Ol’
John really was!
Chappell: (laughs) And he
had the brains on top of that!
Slater: Yeah! And Paul
Orndorff was on the same team,
you know?
Chappell: I was going to
ask you about Orndorff…
Slater: Oh yeah…he played
at Brandon High School, and I
played at Robinson High School.
Chappell: They were big
rivals in Tampa?
Slater: At one time they
were…yeah.
Chappell: I’ve always
heard that Orndorff was a tough
customer…
Slater: He’s a tough
man…and a good friend of mine.
He’s having some back
problems…like I’ve had. I talk
to him frequently…he lives up in
Atlanta, Georgia now.
Chappell: So you all
still stay in touch…that’s good.
Slater: Yeah…we’re still
close.
Chappell: We’ve talked
about you participating in high
school, college and AAU
wrestling. How did you break
into the professional wrestling
ranks?
Slater: Well, I went to a
National AAU meet and Don Curtis
was the referee. I made it to
the Finals, and wrestled this
one guy and I lost, but it was
so close.
What I learned collegiately…I
was doing really well. You know,
if I had a little bit more
training and a little bit more
experience…I could have won the
National AAU’s.
Chappell: You really
hadn’t been wrestling much at
that point…
Slater: All I had been
wrestling then was probably a
year and a half of collegiate
wrestling and AAU…so I was doing
pretty good.
Chappell: Sounds like you
were taking off fast…
Slater: I was close, you
know, to being able to go to the
Olympics at that point. I mean,
I at least might have gone on a
tryout basis.
But anyway, Mike Graham who was
a good friend of mine…he asked
me if I wanted to get into the
business. I thought about it for
a long time…and finally said.
‘Yeah!”
Chappell: Tell us about
those early days.
Slater: I went back down
to the Sportatorium here in
Tampa, and started training to
become a professional wrestler.
Chappell: Who was
training you at the very
beginning?
Slater: Jack Brisco, Bob
Roop, Hiro Matsuda, Bill Watts…
Chappell: Wow! What a
‘Who’s Who!’
Slater: A whole bunch of
people, who were really good
teachers and professional
wrestlers at that time.
Chappell: But Mike Graham
was the person who really turned
you toward professional
wrestling?
Slater: Well, I was going
to Ft. Lauderdale every Friday
night with him, when he was
running the town for his Dad…who
was the promoter there.
Chappell: Right, Eddie…
Slater: I got to be
around all the guys in the
wrestling business. I started
hangin’ around with Dick
Murdock…
Chappell: (laughs) I bet
there are some stories there!
Slater: (laughs)
Yeah…Murdock was quite a guy! He
was one of my best friends. I
used to hang around Dick when I
was in high school…matter of
fact.
PART
TWO
RETURN TO THE MID-ATLANTIC
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