Plasse Dennis Bradford Conway (August 4, 1932 – November 13, 2006) was an American
professional wrestler, better known by his
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name 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, or projecting ...
, Tiger Conway.
Professional wrestling career
Conway was born on August 4, 1932, in Shreveport, Louisiana. He grew up living on a
plantation with his parents and moved to
Houston,
Texas in 1947, where he worked in a hotel. At the hotel, he met wrestler
Danny McShain, who helped him get involved in wrestling.
In the 1950s, when Conway made his debut, professional wrestling was segregated and people competed against others of their own race. Conway was forced to compete against only other
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
for much of his career. Conway was forced to wrestle on the "
chitterling
Chitterlings (), sometimes spelled chitlins or chittlins, are the small intestines of domestic animals. They are usually made from pigs' intestines. They may also be filled with a forcemeat to make sausage.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st editio ...
circuit",
[ named after the innards of pigs that slave owners refused to eat and gave to their slaves instead. Conway won his only title, the Texas Negro Championship, in his first professional match.][ Later in his career, Conway formed a tag team with his son, who competed as Tiger Conway Jr.][
]
Personal life
Conway was a member of the Cauliflower Alley Club, an organization for retired wrestlers and boxers.[ After his retirement from wrestling, he operated a fence-building business and was a member of the Christian Alliance for Humanitarian Aid, Inc. board of directors.][
Conway married Inita Conway, and they remained married until his death 56 years later. In November 2006, Conway suffered a ]stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
and brain aneurysm. He died on November 13, 2006 in Houston.
Championships and accomplishments
* NWA Southwest Sports
**NWA Texas Negro Championship (1 time)[
* Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
**Class of 2021
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Tiger
1932 births
2006 deaths
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
African-American male professional wrestlers
American male professional wrestlers
People from Shreveport, Louisiana
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
Professional wrestlers from Louisiana