Houston Harris (July 10, 1924 – January 20, 1998) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Bobo Brazil. Credited with breaking down barriers of

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

in professional wrestling, Harris is considered one of the first black professional wrestlers to be a marquee name in North America.

Early life

Houston Harris was born on July 10, 1924, in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, but later lived in East St. Louis, Illinois, and

Benton Harbor, Michigan Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 2 ...

. His father died when he was seven years old, which resulted in him doing odd jobs such as working on a local fruit farm for fifty cents a container. He played baseball in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

for the House of David, where he was discovered to become a wrestler at a

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

Professional wrestling career

Harris was trained by Joe Savoldi after meeting him at matches at the Naval Armory. Savoldi originally named Harris "BuBu Brasil, The South American Giant," where he wrestled using a sequined satin cape stitched together by his wife, but a promoter misprinted his first name as "Bobo" in an advertisement, and the name stuck with Harris throughout his career. During that time, segregation in the South normally limited African-American wrestlers to wrestling other African-American wrestlers; Harris proved so popular that promoters put aside their prejudices in order to make money. Brazil's first recorded match was on March 29, 1948, in Benton Harbor, wrestling as "Houston Harris, The Black Panther" against Armand Myers to a 30-minute draw. Harris was taught by Joe Savoldi to "be an honest athlete in the ring and never to take shortcuts on anybody to win a match. He was instilled to be a crowd’s friend right to the end." Finding success in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Brazil developed a fanbase among both the black and white populace with his modesty and stylish dress and professionalism, making him a big draw and an appealing babyface to both races of fans. Although loved by fans, Brazil nonetheless dealt with bigotry and discrimination during that time. In the era when Harris ascended to stardom, African American fans were forced to sit in areas that made it hard to see his matches; Harris himself was banned from going to restaurants, hotels, and even wrestling in certain territories due to the color of his skin. In the early 50s, he also performed in Japan. Brazil had many matches with competitors such as

Killer Kowalski Wladek Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008) was a Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Killer Kowalski. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the ...

, Dick the Bruiser, Johnny Valentine, Haystacks Calhoun and The Sheik, who feuded with Brazil over the course of several decades, with a variety of their matches being acclaimed bloody matchups. These and other rivals would all fall victim to Brazil's finishing maneuver, the Coco Butt. Brazil also once wrestled Bill Miller to a draw, and challenged

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with the WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Sammartin ...

for the

WWWF World Heavyweight Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...

in a battle of two top babyface competitors. On October 18, 1962, Brazil defeated "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers by hitting him in the groin causing Rogers to be unable to continue. Brazil refused the championship and they met a couple of weeks later and Rogers won. At the time, the promoters were working a gimmick where the champion would be hit in the groin and the challenger wouldn't accept the title. The same scenario occurred in Toronto two weeks earlier with Bruno Sammartino and Rogers. Neither Brazil nor Sammartino were officially recognized by the NWA as having won the World Heavyweight Championship. On October 9, 1970, Brazil and El Mongol defeated Mr. Ito and The Great Ota in the first racially mixed match in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

history. Brazil served as a mentor to wrestler "Soulman" Rocky Johnson and was inspirational to boxer

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

. Brazil's manager was James Dudley, the first African American to be in charge of a major arena in the United States. Dudley would run to the ring waving a towel, as Brazil followed behind. Brazil retired in 1993 after a four-decade career. His last official match was in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

against Kelly Kiniski, son of rival

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 ...

. Brazil was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1994 by longtime rival

Ernie Ladd Ernest L. Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "the Big Cat", was an American professional American football, football defensive tackle and professional wrestling, professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd ...

. The following year, Brazil inducted Ladd into the WWF Hall of Fame.

Personal life and death

Harris had a wife and six children. After retiring from wrestling, he ran a restaurant called Bobo's Grill which lasted for more than 20 years. Harris would later on train pro wrestler James "Kamala" Harris. His son Karl (born 1952) wrestled as Bobo Brazil Jr. in the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

. His brother wrestled as Hank James. Harris died on January 20, 1998, at the Lakeland Medical Center in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,856. It lies on the shore ...

. He had been admitted to the hospital on January 14 and used a wheelchair, after suffering a series of

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

Championships and accomplishments

* Big Time Wrestling ''(Detroit)'' ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 9 times) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 8 times) – with Art Thomas (1), Bill Miller (1), Athol Layton (1), The Stomper (1), Tony Marino (3) and Fred Curry (1) * Big Time Wrestling ''(San Francisco)'' ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(San Francisco version)'' ( 1 time) *

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida professional wrestling promotion, wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it close ...

NWA Florida Tag Team Championship The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...

( 2 times) – with Sweet Brown Sugar (1) and

Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...

(1) *

Eastern Sports Association The Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It ran during the spring and summer months from 1969 to 1976. History The ...

** ESA North American Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2023 * Japan Wrestling Association ** NWA International Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) *

Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name of a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Frank Tunney and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded in 1930, Maple Leaf was a territory of the National Wrestli ...

NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship The NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship (professional wrestling), championship in the Canada, Canadian professional wrestling promotion, promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1952 through ...

( 1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Toronto version)'' ( 1 time) *

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in ...

** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'' ( 1 time) * Midwest Wrestling Association (Ohio) ** MWA Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** MWA Ohio Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Frankie Talaber *

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

** NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2013) *

NWA Hollywood Wrestling 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 ...

/ Worldwide Wrestling Associates ** NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) ** NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA International Television Tag Team Championship ( 4 times) – with Wilbur Snyder (2), Sandor Szabo (1), and

Primo Carnera Primo Carnera (; 26 October 1906 – 29 June 1967) was an Italian professional boxer and wrestler who achieved international fame during the 1930s. He reigned as the boxing World Heavyweight Champion from 29 June 1933 to 14 June 1934. He won ...

(1) ** NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship ''(Los Angeles version)'' (1 time) **

WWA World Heavyweight Championship The World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling All-Stars. It was the primary championship in the WWA. The title was sanctioned by WWA as their wor ...

( 2 times) *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas; following the postponement of its 19th induction ceremony, planned for May 2020, and an annou ...

** Television Era (Class of 2008) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** PWI Editor's Award (1998) * Superstars of Wrestling ** SoW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis) The World Wrestling Association was an Indianapolis-based professional wrestling promotion which was operated by Dick the Bruiser and his business partner Wilbur Snyder. It was affiliated with the larger American Wrestling Association and re ...

( 2 times) ** WWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Chris Carter * World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation ** WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship ( 7 times) ** WWF Hall of Fame ( Class of 1994) * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

(Class of 1996) * Other championships ** World Negro Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

References

External links

*
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame profile (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil, Bobo 1924 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers African-American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers NWA Florida Tag Team Champions NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Champions NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Champions NWA United States Heavyweight Champions (Toronto version) NWA Americas Heavyweight Champions NWA International Heavyweight Champions NWA World Tag Team Champions (Detroit version) NWA United States Heavyweight Champions (Detroit version) NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions NWA World Heavyweight Champions Professional wrestlers from Arkansas Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWWF United States Heavyweight Champions