68
Age
12
Movies
17
TV Shows
8.8
Rating
Ernest Ladd, nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship before being drafted in 1961 by the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). Ladd found success in the AFL as one of the largest players in professional football history at 6′9″ and 290 pounds. He helped the Chargers to four AFL championship games in five years, winning the championship with the team in 1963. He also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers. Ladd took up professional wrestling during the AFL offseason, and after a knee injury ended his football career turned to it full-time in 1969. As a professional wrestler, Ladd became one of the top heels in the business. For the majority of his career, he played a villainous character who would arrogantly taunt both opponents and crowds. Ladd feuded with many popular wrestlers of the time, including Wahoo McDaniel, André the Giant, Bobo Brazil, Dusty Rhodes, and Mr. Wrestling, before retiring from the ring in 1986. Ladd was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame in 1981, the Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1989, and the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. Ladd was diagnosed with colon cancer in the winter of 2003–2004, and died from the disease on March 10, 2007 at the age of 68.
68
Died at
12
Movies
17
TV Shows
8.8
Avg Rating
Ernest Ladd, nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship before being drafted in 1961 by the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). Ladd found success in the AFL as one of the largest players in professional football history at 6′9″ and 290 pounds. He helped the Chargers to four AFL championship games in five years, winning the championship with the team in 1963. He also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers. Ladd took up professional wrestling during the AFL offseason, and after a knee injury ended his football career turned to it full-time in 1969. As a professional wrestler, Ladd became one of the top heels in the business. For the majority of his career, he played a villainous character who would arrogantly taunt both opponents and crowds. Ladd feuded with many popular wrestlers of the time, including Wahoo McDaniel, André the Giant, Bobo Brazil, Dusty Rhodes, and Mr. Wrestling, before retiring from the ring in 1986. Ladd was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame in 1981, the Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1989, and the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. Ladd was diagnosed with colon cancer in the winter of 2003–2004, and died from the disease on March 10, 2007 at the age of 68.
1986
Ernest Ladd, nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship before being drafted in 1961 by the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). Ladd found success in the AFL as one of the largest players in professional football history at 6′9″ and 290 pounds. He helped the Chargers to four AFL championship games in five years, winning the championship with the team in 1963. He also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers. Ladd took up professional wrestling during the AFL offseason, and after a knee injury ended his football career turned to it full-time in 1969. As a professional wrestler, Ladd became one of the top heels in the business. For the majority of his career, he played a villainous character who would arrogantly taunt both opponents and crowds. Ladd feuded with many popular wrestlers of the time, including Wahoo McDaniel, André the Giant, Bobo Brazil, Dusty Rhodes, and Mr. Wrestling, before retiring from the ring in 1986. Ladd was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame in 1981, the Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1989, and the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. Ladd was diagnosed with colon cancer in the winter of 2003–2004, and died from the disease on March 10, 2007 at the age of 68.
Gender
Male
Birthday
November 28, 1938
Died
March 10, 2007
Birthplace
Rayville, Louisiana, USA
Also Known As
WrestleMania 2 (Duplicated)
1986
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
2013
Villains of the Squared Circle
1986
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
1985
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
2008
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
2007
WWE Hall Of Fame 1995
1995
WWE Hall Of Fame 1994
1994
WWE: True Giants
2014
WWE Houston Wrestling: The Paul Boesch Retirement Show
1987
NWA Boogie Jam
1984
WCCW Christmas Star Wars '81
1981
Raw
1993
That '70s Show
1998
WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986
WWE Old School
1973
Mid-South Wrestling
1981
Mid-South Wrestling
1981
Mid-South Wrestling
1981
Mid-South Wrestling
1981
WWF All-Star Wrestling
1975
WWF All-Star Wrestling
1975
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
1981
Tuesday Night Titans
1984
WWF Championship Wrestling
1980
WWF Championship Wrestling
1980
WWF Championship Wrestling
1980
WCW Arena Shows
1983
WCCW Star Wars
1981