Richard Heron Avis Hutton (October 4, 1923 – November 24, 2003) was an American amateur and professional wrestler. He was a three-time NCAA champion and, as a professional, held the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...

, making him a one-time

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Early life

Hutton was born in Amarillo, Texas to Bailey and Gladys Hutton. He had one brother, Jerald Hutton. He moved to

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

where he became a two-time state finalist for Daniel Webster High School. later on Dick joined the army and was a veteran of World War II. He attended Oklahoma A&M. While at Oklahoma A&M he was the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

wrestling champion three times, in 1947, 1948 and 1950 (In 1949 he lost in the finals to

Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrest ...

, future professional wrestler). Also while at Oklahoma A&M, he went to the 1948

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

. He came 7th in Freestyle wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

Hutton made his debut in 1952, in a loss against

Bill Longson Willard Rowe Longson (June 8, 1906 – December 12, 1982) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Wild Bill Longson. He spent most of his career in St. Louis, Missouri. He perfected the role of the arrogant heel, and ...

. Hutton left Tulsa, as it was primarily a territory for light-heavyweight wrestlers, and went to Texas. While in Columbus, Ohio, in a territory run by Al Haft, Hutton would wrestle members of the audience. Beating Hutton would've earned the fan $1,000. No one ever won. Hutton developed a friendship with Lou Thesz. After several competitive training contests with Hutton, Thesz considered him to be the best wrestler he'd ever faced and chose Hutton to be the next NWA World Champion, winning the title from himself. On November 14, 1957, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

's Maple Leaf Gardens 10,000 people saw Hutton beat Thesz for the belt after 35:15, when Thesz submitted to an abdominal stretch. He teamed regularly with

Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and then became a three-time professional wrestling world heavyweight champion. "Canada's Greatest Athlete", as he b ...

in Toronto. On January 9, 1959, after a championship reign of 421 days, Hutton dropped the belt to Pat O'Connor. Hutton never really had much other success in professional wrestling. He was criticised by some people for having a lack of charisma with poor drawing ability. However, many other wrestlers praised his wrestling ability. Hutton was forced into retirement because of heart trouble and other injuries.

Personal life

Hutton was married to Katherine. He died on November 24, 2003.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

** NCAA Wrestling Championship (3 times) - in 1947, 1948, and 1950 ** NCAA Hall Of Fame Inductee *

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

** Oklahoma State University Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee ** National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee *

** 1948 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling - seventh place

Professional wrestling

50th State Big Time Wrestling 50th State Big Time Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Hawaii or Mid-Pacific Promotions) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Ha ...

NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship The NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the US state of Hawaii. The title, which is still currently defended, began in 1935. From February ...

(1 time) *

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...

**Other honoree ( 1994) *

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame museum located within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum's Dan Gable Museum. The hall of fame honors wrestlers with a strong amat ...

** Class of 2000 *

Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Queensbury Athletic Club The promotion, initially known as the Queensbury Athl ...

NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship The NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any ty ...

( 1 time) - with Hard Boiled Haggerty * National Wrestling Alliance **

( 1 time) * NWA Western States Sports ** NWA North American Tag Team Championship ''(Amarillo version)'' (1 time) - with Dory Funk ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Amarillo version)'' ( 2 times) - with Dory Funk *

Worldwide Wrestling Associates NWA Hollywood Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Los Angeles) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Los Angeles, California in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Southern California. It ...

WWA International Television Tag Team Championship The WWA International Television Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Los Angeles-based Worldwide Wrestling Associates from the title's formation in 1954 (as the NWA International Television Tag Team Championship, renamed as a Nort ...

( 1 time) - with Sam Steamboat * Other titles ** Ohio Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

References

External links

Article on Dick Hutton
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton, Dick 1923 births 2003 deaths American male professional wrestlers American male sport wrestlers NWA World Heavyweight Champions Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestlers Oklahoma State University alumni Olympic wrestlers of the United States Professional wrestlers from Texas Sportspeople from Amarillo, Texas Stampede Wrestling alumni Wrestlers at the 1948 Summer Olympics 20th-century professional wrestlers NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Champions NWA Canadian Tag Team Champions (Calgary version)