Airdate	1925|

WFLA (970 AM) is an AM radio station in Tampa, Florida, serving the Arbitron Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (Tampa Bay Area) market (19th largest, population 2,387,300) with additional listenership to the east in the adjacent Lakeland-Winter Haven market (94th largest, population 501,400) and to the south in the adjacent Sarasota-Bradenton market (74th largest, population 626,700). The station is branded as "Newsradio 970 WFLA" (or sometimes "Fox Newsradio 970 WFLA" to reflect its network affiliation, or simply "970 WFLA") and is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications Inc., the largest U.S. radio station owner.

The station's local morning show, "AM Tampa Bay," is hosted by veteran broadcasters Jack Harris and Tedd Webb, with Allyson Turner joining in January 2010. The station is also the home and flagship for nationally syndicated afternoon host Todd Schnitt ("The Schnitt Show"). The balance of the station's weekday lineup includes nationally syndicated programs hosted by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin as well as Coast to Coast AM. Saturday programming includes "Reel Animals," an outdoors sports show hosted by Mike Anderson; Dave Zeplowitz's nationally syndicated "Cigar Dave Show," which originates from WFLA's studios; and Tony "Fatso" Siciliano's "On The Grill," a cooking show that also originates from WFLA studios and can be heard on XM Satellite Radio. The Sunday lineup features "The Florida Gardening Show," hosted by Mark Govan, followed by syndicated programming for the rest of the day.

970 WFLA is perhaps best known nationally as the station that gave national hosts Glenn Beck and Lionel their starts in talk radio. Other prominent alumni, from the days when the station concentrated on local programming, include Bob Lassiter (d. 2006), Jay Marvin, Dick Norman (d. 1989), Chuck Harder, Jack Ellery and Freddy Mertz. Other former hosts include Al Gardner, Mark Larsen, Daniel Ruth, Mark Beiro, Paul Gonzalez and Mel Berman (d. 2010).

National news is provided by Fox News Radio. At one time, WFLA boasted having live, local newscasts around the clock; in recent years, local newscasts have been limited to 5 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, and 6 a.m.-1 p.m. weekends. As of September, 2010, the weekday on-air news staff includes anchors Martin Giles (morning drive), Steve Hall (middays), Matt McClain (afternoon drive), Dennis Pavluk (early evenings) and Bill Cole (morning drive updates), with Hal Lamb as the weekend anchor. Sharon Parker, Kay Long, Steve Carney, Katrina Jennings, Gordon Byrd, Ryan Gohmann and Ryan Lang all report on the station. Dozens of newscasters have been behind the microphone over the years; most prominent are Giles, Hall and Parker, each having been with the station for more than 20 years, as was former news director Don Richards (d. 2008). Another prominent long-time personality is traffic reporter Gary McHenry, who has been a part of the station since the 1970s and provides updates during morning and afternoon drive. Producers/Board-Ops for the station include Jeff Kurkyendall, Jeff Pantridge, James Burlander (Web), Lee Ruiz, and Scott Bergoch.

The station is the home of University of South Florida Bulls football games. Jim Louk is the play-by-play announcer, and Mark Robinson serves as color analyst. Jim Lighthall and Justin Pawlowski serve as pregame, halftime and postgame hosts. It also carries other sports programming on a case-by-case basis when there are scheduling conflicts with sports events on its sister stations, WDAE (620 AM) and WHNZ (1250 AM), which hold the rights to Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Storm and University of Florida broadcasts.

According to RadioYears.com, WFLA began in 1925 as Clearwater radio station WGHB (1130 AM). By 1927, its call letters switched to WFLA and it moved to 590 AM on the dial. It shared the frequency with WSUN before they both moved together to 620 AM in 1929. In January 1941, WFLA separated to 940 AM, then to its present 970 AM that March. WFLA carried most of the popular network shows during the golden days of radio. It had various music formats over the subsequent years (Top 40, middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary) before switching to news/talk in 1986. It has been the market leader in this format ever since, and usually is among the top five stations in the market, according to Arbitron ratings.

At one time, WFLA was owned by Media General, the parent company of The Tampa Tribune and WFLA-TV. In the 1980s, federal regulations forced Media General to divest the radio station because of its other local media holdings. Sconnix Communications of Charleston, S.C., bought WFLA from Media General in 1987, and Jacor Communications purchased WFLA from Sconnix in 1988. (Clear Channel Communications purchased Jacor in 1999 and thus acquired WFLA.)

Though they share call letters, WFLA radio and WFLA television are not affiliated; the TV station provided weather information for the radio station's newscasts for nearly 20 years until the local Fox television affiliate, WTVT-TV, became the radio station's weather partner in June 2009. WTVT also sometimes provides "actualities" (sound bites) for the radio station's newscasts. In 1990, the station moved from downtown Tampa to its present location at 4002 W. Gandy Blvd., in south Tampa.

WFLA provides news coverage for other Clear Channel stations in the Tampa Bay market, and its anchors and reporters often are heard elsewhere in the state, providing reports and sometimes complete newscasts for those markets. WFLA also serves as a hub for the Florida News Network. Clear Channel's corporate director of news/talk programming, Senior Vice President Gabe Hobbs, was based at WFLA's studios until January 2009, when he and nearly 2,000 other Clear Channel employees nationwide were laid off in a cost-cutting measure. Hobbs had been with the company for more than 25 years; his position was eliminated.

Since December 2008, WFLA has been simulcast on the FM radio band, via the HD-2 (digital radio) subchannel of sister station WXTB (97.9 FM).

External links

970WFLA Home Page

Lionel's first show on WFLA

Category:Hillsborough County, Florida FLA (AM) Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States Category:United States Football League flagship radio stations

{| style="float:right;" |

Name	Mitt Romney
Alt	Portrait of Mitt Romney
Order	70th
Office	Governor of Massachusetts
Term start	January 2, 2003
Term end	January 4, 2007
Lieutenant	Kerry Healey
Predecessor	Jane Swift (acting)
Successor	Deval Patrick
Birth date	March 12, 1947
Birth place	Detroit, Michigan
Birthname	Willard Mitt Romney
Nationality	American
Party	Republican
Residence	Belmont, Massachusetts San Diego, California
Spouse	Ann Romney
Children	Tagg (b. 1970), Matt (b. 1971), Josh (b. 1975), Ben (b. 1978), Craig (b. 1981)
Alma mater	Brigham Young University (B.A.)Harvard Business School (M.B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Profession	Businessman, Politician
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Signature	Mitt Romney Signature.svg

|- | |} Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and Republican Party politician, who served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007.

Romney is the son of George W. Romney (the former Governor of Michigan) and Lenore Romney. He was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and served as a Mormon missionary in France. He attended Stanford University and Brigham Young University as an undergraduate, then earned a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He entered the management consulting business which led to a position at Bain & Company, eventually serving as its CEO to lead it out of crisis. He was co-founder and head of Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm, which during his time there became highly profitable and one of the largest such firms in the nation. He ran as the Republican candidate in the 1994 U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts but lost to incumbent Edward M. Kennedy. Romney organized and steered the 2002 Winter Olympics as President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, and helped turn the troubled games into a financial success.

Romney won the election for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002. In his one term, he presided over a series of spending cuts and increases in fees while the state's finances improved. He signed into law the landmark Massachusetts health care reform legislation, which provided near-universal health insurance access via subsidies and state-level mandates. Romney was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election, winning several caucuses and primaries but ultimately losing to John McCain. Since then he has published a book, , and also given speeches and raised campaign funds on behalf of fellow Republicans. He is widely seen as a front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential election.

Early life and early education

Romney was born in Detroit, Michigan. The three siblings before him were Margo Lynn, Jane LaFount, and G. Scott, His father became CEO of American Motors and turned the company around from the brink of bankruptcy with his promotion of the fuel-efficient, compact Rambler. By the time Mitt was twelve, his father had become a nationally known figure in print and on television. and then from seventh grade on, attended Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, a private boys preparatory school of the classic mold where he was the lone Mormon and where many students came from even more privileged backgrounds. He was an indifferent athlete and at first an underachieving student. While a sophomore, his father was elected Governor of Michigan. Mitt campaigned for him using loudspeakers at county fairs, exclaiming "You should vote for my father for Governor. He's a truly great person." George Romney was a popular governor who was elected for three two-year terms; Mitt worked for him as an intern in the governor's office, and was present at the 1964 Republican National Convention when his moderate father battled conservative party nominee Barry Goldwater over issues of civil rights and ideological extremism. Mitt did not flaunt the connection with his father to his friends nor did he trade in on his father's famous name to gain any advantages for himself.

Romney enjoyed partying and was known as a kinetic kid who loved to pull off non-malicious pranks, such as sliding down golf courses on large ice cubes, dressing as a police officer and tapping on the car windows of teenage friends making out, and staging an elaborate formal dinner in the center of a busy intersection. during his final year at Cranbook, he joined the cross country running team and improved academically but was still not a star pupil. His social skills were strong, however, and he won an award for those "whose contributions to school life are often not fully recognized through already existing channels." In March of his senior year, he began dating Ann Davies, two years behind him, whom he had once known in elementary school; she went to the private Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, the sister school to Cranbrook. Although the campus was becoming radicalized with the beginnings of 1960s social and political movements, Romney kept a clean-cut, Chamber of Commerce-style appearance, enjoying traditional campus events and in one case even protesting against a group of protesters staging a sit-in.

Missionary work, later education, marriage, and family

In 1966, Romney left for France for 30 months as a Mormon missionary, a traditional duty that his father and other relatives had done before him. He arrived in Le Havre with ideas about how to change the French Mission and better market their presence; he approached his duties with zeal, while facing physical and economic deprivation for the first time in his life in the mission's cramped quarters. Rules against drinking, smoking, and dating were strictly enforced. Like most Mormon missionaries, he failed to gain many converts, with the nominally Catholic but secular, wine-loving French people proving especially resistant to a largely unfamiliar religion that prohibits alcohol. In one episode in Nantes, Romney suffered a badly bruised jaw in defending two female missionaries against a horde of local rugby players. He continued to work hard, however, and encouraged his colleagues to read and absorb Napoleon Hill's recently republished self-help tome Think and Grow Rich. Having grown up in Michigan rather than the more insular Utah world, Romney was better able to interact and relate to the local population. After gaining a promotion to zone leader in Bordeaux in early 1968, he was still looking to rise higher; he subsequently became assistant to the mission president in Paris, the highest position a missionary could assume. Romney's hawkish views about the Vietnam War were only reinforced when the French greeted him with hostility over his country's role in it and he debated them in return. He also witnessed first-hand the May 1968 general strike and student uprisings.

Paris Mission, where Romney served during his youth As they drove through the village of Bernos-Beaulac, a Mercedes that was passing a truck missed a curve and suddenly swerved into the opposite lane and hit the Citroën DS Romney was driving in a head-on collision. The wife of the mission president was killed and other passengers were seriously injured as well. George Romney relied on his friend Sargent Shriver, the U.S. Ambassador to France, to go to the local hospital and discover that Mitt had survived. The fault for the accident was attributed completely to the driver of the other vehicle. Romney and another assistant became acting presidents of a mission demoralized and disorganized by the May disturbances and the accident. Romney rallied and motivated the other missionaries and they met an ambitious goal of performing 200 baptisms for the year, the highest mark for the mission in a decade. By the end of his mission in December 1968, Romney was overseeing the work of 175 fellow members. Both the accident and the overall missionary experience changed Romney, giving him both an appreciation for the fragility of life and an ambition, capacity for organization and seriousness of purpose, and record of success that he had theretofore lacked. It also presented a crucible for his religious faith, after having been only a half-hearted Mormon growing up: "On a mission, your faith in Jesus Christ either evaporates or it becomes much deeper. For me it became much deeper."

While he was away, Ann Davies had converted to the LDS Church during 1966, guided by George Romney, and had begun attending Brigham Young University. Romney married Ann Davies on March 21, 1969, in a Bloomfield Hills civil ceremony presided over by a church elder.

In order to be closer to her, Romney began attending Brigham Young University as well. Romney had missed much of the American anti-Vietnam War movement and associated tumult while away, and was surprised to find out that his father had turned against the war during his ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign. The circumstances of his father's loss would grate on Mitt for decades. Regarding his own status in terms of the military draft, Romney had initially gotten a student deferment, then like most other Mormorn missionaries he had received a ministerial deferment while in France. Following his return, Romney got another student deferment. When those ran out and he became eligible for military service in 1970, his high number in the annual draft lottery (300) meant he would not be drafted. He became president of an all-male social club and showed a newfound discipline in his studies. In his senior year he took time off to return to Michigan to work as a driver and advance man for his mother Lenore Romney in her eventually unsuccessful 1970 campaign for the U.S. Senate. He graduated from Brigham Young in 1971, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and giving commencement addresses to both his own College of Humanities and to the university's entire graduating class. Ann Romney's work as a stay-at-home mom would enable her husband to pursue his career, first in business and then in politics. he lived in a Belmont, Massachusetts house with Ann and by now two children. He graduated in 1975 cum laude from the law school, representing a standing in the top third of that class, and was named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top five percent of his business school class. Romney's legal and business education proved valuable in this role, and he quickly became a rising star.

In 1977, he was hired away by Bain & Company, a hot new management consulting firm in Boston that had been formed a few years earlier by Bill Bain and other former Boston Consulting Group employees. Bain would later say of the thirty-year-old Romney, "He had the appearance of confidence of a guy who was maybe ten years older." and not simply to issue recommendations, but to stay with the company until they were effectively changed for the better. With a record of success with clients such as the Monsanto Company, Outboard Marine Corporation, Burlington Industries, and Corning Incorporated, Romney became a vice president of the firm in 1978 and within a few years one of the its best consultants. Romney became a firm believer in Bain's methods; he later said, "The idea that consultancies should not measure themselves by the thickness of their reports, or even the elegance of their writing, but rather by whether or not the report was effectively implemented was an inflection point in the history of consulting."

Romney was restless for a company of his own to run, and in 1983 Bill Bain offered him the chance to head a new venture that would buy into companies, have them benefit from Bain techniques, and then reap higher rewards than just consulting fees. Romney was initially cautious about accepting the offer, and Bain re-arranged the terms in a complicated partnership structure so that there was no financial or professional risk to Romney. Thus, in 1984, Romney left Bain & Company to co-found the spin-off private equity investment firm, Bain Capital. As general partner of the new firm, Romney was frugal and cautious, spending little on office appearance and finding the weak spots in so many potential deals that by 1986, very few had been done. At first, Bain Capital focused on venture capital opportunities. Their first big success came with a 1986 investment to help start Staples Inc., after founder Thomas G. Stemberg convinced Romney of the market size for office supplies; Bain Capital eventually reaped a nearly sevenfold return on its investment.

Romney soon switched Bain Capital's focus from startups to the relatively new business of leveraged buyouts: buying existing firms with money mostly borrowed against their assets, partnering with existing management to apply the "Bain way" to their operations (rather than the hostile takeovers practiced in other leverage buyout scenarios), and then selling them off in a few years. Bain Capital lost most of its money in many of its early leveraged buyouts, but then started finding successes with spectacular returns. Indeed, during the 14 years Romney headed the company, Bain Capital's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments was 113 percent. Romney excelled at presenting and selling the deals the company made. The firm initially gave a cut of its profits to Bain & Company, but Romney later persuaded Bain to give that up.

The firm successfully invested in or acquired many well-known companies such as Accuride, Brookstone, Domino's Pizza, Sealy Corporation, Sports Authority, and Artisan Entertainment, as well as lesser-known companies in the industrial and medical sectors. He also personally opted out of the Artisan Entertainment deal, not wanting to profit from a studio that produced R-rated films. Romney was on the board of directors of Damon Corporation, a medical testing company later found guilty of defrauding the government; Bain Capital tripled its investment before selling off the company, with the fraud being discovered by the new owners (Romney was never implicated).

Leveraged buyouts such as those Bain Capital did sometimes led to layoffs. Bain Capital's acquisition of Ampad exemplified a deal where it profited handsomely from early payments and management fees, even though the subject company itself ended up going into bankruptcy. Bain was among the private equity firms that took the most such fees, and more cases happened as Romney was leaving the firm. He said in retrospect, "It is one thing that if I had a chance to go back I would be more sensitive to. It is always a balance. Great care has got to be taken not to take a dividend or a distribution from a company that puts that company at risk. [Taking a big payment from a company that later failed] would make me sick, sick at heart."

In 1990, Romney was asked to return to Bain & Company, which was facing financial collapse. He was announced as its new CEO in January 1991 (but drew only a symbolic salary of one dollar). Romney managed an effort to restructure the firm's employee stock-ownership plan, real-estate deals and bank loans, while rallying the firm's thousand employees, imposing a new governing structure that included Bain and the other founding partners giving up control, and increasing fiscal transparency. Within about a year, he had led Bain & Company through a highly successful turnaround and returned the firm to profitability without further layoffs or partner defections. He served as ward bishop for Belmont from 1984 to 1986, acting as the ecclesiastical and administrative head of his congregation. By that time, Bain Capital was on its way to being one of the top private equity firms in the nation, having increased its number of partners from 5 to 18, had 115 employees overall, and had $4 billion under its management. Bain Capital's approach of applying consulting expertise to the companies it invested in became widely copied within the private equity industry. His experience at Bain & Company and Bain Capital gave Romney a world view that was business oriented – centering around a hate of waste and inefficiency, and a love for data and charts and analysis and presentation, and a belief in keeping an open mind and seeking opposing points of view – that he would take with him to the public sector. As a result of his business career, by 2007 Romney and his wife had a net worth of between $190 and $250 million, most of it held in blind trusts. An additional blind trust existed in the name of the Romneys' children and grandchildren that was valued at between $70 and $100 million. He decided to take on longtime incumbent Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, who was more vulnerable than usual in 1994 – in part because of the unpopularity of the Democratic Congress as a whole and also because this was Kennedy's first election since the William Kennedy Smith trial in Florida, in which Kennedy had taken some public relations hits regarding his character. He stepped down from his position at Bain Capital during the run.

Romney came from behind to win the Massachusetts Republican Party's nomination for U.S. Senate after buying substantial television time to get out his message, gaining overwhelming support in the state party convention, and then defeating businessman John Lakian in the September 1994 primary with over 80 percent of the vote. the smallest margin in Kennedy's eight re-election campaigns for the Senate.

2002 Winter Olympics

Romney returned to Bain Capital the day following his senatorial campaign, but still smarted from the loss, and told his brother, "I never want to run for something again unless I can win." His father died in 1995 and his mother in 1998, and Romney felt restless as the decade neared a close; the goal of just making more money was losing its appeal to him. Ann Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998; Romney described watching her fail a series of neurological tests as the worst day of his life. After two years of severe difficulties with the disease, she found in Park City, Utah (where the couple had built a vacation home) a mixture of mainstream, alternative, and equestrian therapies that gave her a lifestyle mostly without limitations. When the offer came for Romney to take over the troubled 2002 Olympic Winter Games, to be held in Salt Lake City in Utah, she urged him to take it, and eager for a new challenge, he did. On February 11, 1999, Romney was hired as the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Plans were being made to scale back the games to compensate for the fiscal crisis and there were fears the games might be moved away entirely.

Romney revamped the organization's leadership and policies, reduced budgets, and boosted fund raising. He soothed worried corporate sponsors and recruited many new ones. He admitted past problems, listened to local critics, and rallied Utah's citizenry with a sense of optimism. Romney worked to ensure the safety of the Games following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by ignoring those who suggested the games be called off and coordinating a $300 million security budget. Romney's omnipresence irked those who thought he was taking too much of the credit for the success, or had exaggerated the state of initial distress, or was primarily looking to improve his own image. Overall he oversaw a $1.32 billion budget, 700 employees, and 26,000 volunteers.

Despite the initial fiscal shortfall, the Games ended up clearing a profit of $100 million, His performance as Olympics head was rated positively by 87 percent of Utahns. and it solidified his reputation as a turnaround artist. Indeed, Romney was mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide office in both Massachusetts and Utah, and also as possibly joining the Bush administration.

Governor of Massachusetts

2002 gubernatorial campaign

In 2002, Republican Acting Governor Jane Swift's administration was plagued by political missteps and personal scandals. Many Republicans viewed her as a liability and considered her unable to win a general election against a Democrat.

Massachusetts Democratic Party officials claimed that Romney was ineligible to run for governor, citing residency issues involving Romney's time in Utah as president of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee. In June 2002, the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission unanimously ruled that Romney was eligible to run for office. Supporters of Romney hailed his business record, especially his success with the 2002 Olympics, as the record of someone who would be able to bring a new era of efficiency into Massachusetts politics. Romney was elected Governor in November 2002 with 50 percent of the vote over his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts State Treasurer Shannon O'Brien, who received 45 percent. Upon entering office in the middle of a fiscal year, Romney faced an immediate $650 million shortfall and a projected $3 billion deficit for the next year. Unexpected revenue of $1.0–1.3 billion from a previously enacted capital gains tax increase and $500 million in unanticipated federal grants decreased the deficit to $1.2–1.5 billion. Romney increased the state gasoline fee by 2 cents per gallon, generating about $60 million per year in additional revenue. Romney also closed tax loopholes that brought in another $181 million from businesses over the next two years. The state legislature, with Romney's support, also cut spending by $1.6 billion, including $700 million in reductions in state aid to cities and towns. Romney sought additional cuts in his last year as Massachusetts governor by vetoing nearly 250 items in the state budget, but all of them were overridden by the Democratic-dominated legislature. In particular, Romney successfully pushed for incorporating an individual mandate at the state level. Past rival Ted Kennedy, who had made universal heath coverage his life's work and who over time developed a warm relationship with Romney, The effort eventually gained the support of all major stakeholders within the state, and Romney helped break a logjam between rival Democratic leaders in the legislature.

On April 12, 2006, Romney signed the resulting Massachusetts health reform law, which requires nearly all Massachusetts residents to buy health insurance coverage or face escalating tax penalties such as the loss of their personal income tax exemption. The legislature overrode all eight vetoes; Romney's communications director Eric Fehrnstrom responded by saying, "These differences with the Legislature are not essential to the goal of getting everyone covered with insurance." The law was the first of its kind in the nation and became the signature achievement of Romney's term in office. Faced with the dilemma of choosing between same-sex marriage or civil unions after the November 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision legalizing same-sex marriages (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health), Romney reluctantly backed a state constitutional amendment in February 2004 that would have banned same-sex marriage but still allow civil unions, viewing it as the only feasible way to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. In June 2005, Romney abandoned his support for the compromise amendment, stating that the amendment confused voters who oppose both same-sex marriage and civil unions. Instead, Romney endorsed a petition effort led by the Coalition for Marriage & Family that would have banned same-sex marriage and made no provisions for civil unions. In 2004 and 2006 he urged the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Romney generally used the bully pulpit approach towards promoting his agenda, staging well-organized media events to appeal directly to the public rather than pushing his proposals in behind-doors sessions with the state legislature. Romney was especially effective in dealing with a crisis of confidence in Boston's Big Dig project following a fatal ceiling collapse in 2006, wresting control of the project from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and helping ensure that it would eventually complete.

During 2004, Romney spent considerable effort trying to bolster the state Republican Party, but it failed to gain any seats in the state legislative elections that year. he spent part or all of more than 200 days out of state during 2006, preparing for his run. He conceded that 2006 would be a difficult year for Republicans and that they would likely lose gubernatorial seats, including possibly his own.

Romney filed to register a presidential campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission on his next-to-last day in office as governor. and casting himself as a political outsider, said, "I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician." which matched the commonly held notion that American industry had star players who could straighten out what was wrong in the nation's capital. Ann Romney, who had become an outspoken advocate for those with multiple sclerosis, Moreover, with his square jaw, handsome face, white teeth, and full head of dark hair graying slightly at the temples, Mitt Romney looked like a president. The candidate's Mormon religion was also viewed with suspicion and skepticism by some in the Evangelical portion of the party;

]] Romney assembled for his campaign a veteran group of Republican staffers, consultants, and pollsters. He was little-known nationally, though, and stayed around the 10 percent range in Republican preference polls for the first half of 2007. Romney's strategy was to win the first two big contests, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, and carry the momentum and visibility gained through the big Super Tuesday primaries and on to the nomination. He also partly financed his campaign with his own personal fortune. These resources, combined with his August 2007 win in the Iowa Straw Poll and the mid-year near-collapse of nominal front-runner John McCain's campaign, made Romney a threat to win the nomination and the focus of the other candidates' attacks. In it, Romney said he should neither be elected nor rejected based upon his religion,

In the January 3, 2008, Iowa Republican caucuses, the first contest of the primary season, Romney received 25 percent of the vote and placed second to the vastly outspent Huckabee, who received 34 percent. Indeed, this label would stick to Romney through the campaign (but was one that Romney rejected as unfair and inaccurate, except for his acknowledged change of mind on abortion). Romney seemed to approach the campaign as a management consulting exercise, and showed a lack of personal warmth and political feel; journalist Evan Thomas wrote that Romney "came off as a phony, even when he was perfectly sincere.")

in mid-January 2008]] Romney finished in second place by five percentage points to the resurgent McCain in the next-door-to-his-home-state New Hampshire primary on January 8. Romney rebounded to win the January 15 Michigan primary over McCain by a solid margin, capitalizing on his childhood ties to the state and his vow to bring back lost automotive industry jobs which was seen by several commentators as unrealistic. Although many Republican officials were now lining up behind McCain, Romney persisted through the nationwide Super Tuesday contests on February 5. There he won primaries or caucuses in several states, including Massachusetts, Alaska, Minnesota, Colorado and Utah, but McCain won more, including large states such as California and New York. Altogether, Romney had won 11 primaries and caucuses, Romney spent $110 million during the campaign, including $45 million of his own money. Romney became one of the McCain campaign's most visible surrogates, appearing on behalf of the GOP nominee at fundraisers, state Republican party conventions, and on cable news programs. He also had a network of former staff and supporters around the nation who were eager for him to run again.

The Romneys sold their main home in Belmont and their ski house in Utah, leaving them an estate in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, along Lake Winnipesaukee, and an oceanfront home in La Jolla, San Diego, California that they had bought the year before. who by 2010 numbered fourteen. While acknowledging that his plan was not perfect and still was a work in progress, Romney did not back away from it; he focused on its having had bipartisan support in the state legislature, while the Obama plan received no Republican support at all in Congress. Also, a Romney spokesperson stated: "Mitt Romney has been very clear in all his public statements that he is opposed to a national individual mandate. He believes those decisions should be left to the states." In the 1992 Democratic Party presidential primaries, he had voted for the Democratic former senator from the state, Paul Tsongas.

In the 1994 Senate race, Romney explicitly aligned himself with Republican Massachusetts Governor William Weld, who believed in fiscal conservatism and supported abortion rights and gay rights, saying "I think Bill Weld's fiscal conservatism, his focus on creating jobs and employment and his efforts to fight discrimination and assure civil rights for all is a model that I identify with and aspire to." However, Romney's position on certain social issues, including same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and abstinence-only sex education, evolved into a more conservative stance during his time as governor. The change on abortion drew particular attention and was the result of what Romney described as an epiphany; he later said, "Changing my position was in line with an ongoing struggle that anyone has that is opposed to abortion personally, vehemently opposed to it, and yet says, 'Well, I'll let other people make that decision.' And you say to yourself, but if you believe that you're taking innocent life, it's hard to justify letting other people make that decision."

in Washington, D.C.]]

That this aligning with traditional conservatives on social, and additionally foreign policy, issues coincided with Romney's becoming a candidate for the Republican nomination for President caused many skeptics, including a number of Republicans, to charge Romney with opportunism and having a lack of core principles. Romney generally responds to criticisms of ideological pandering with remarks like, "The older I get, the smarter Ronald Reagan gets."

While there have been many biographical parallels between the lives of George Romney and his son Mitt, Mitt Romney has said that learning from experience and changing views accordingly is a virtue, and that, "If you're looking for someone who's never changed any positions on any policies, then I'm not your guy." Writer Robert Draper holds a somewhat similar perspective: "The Romney curse was this: His strength lay in his adaptability. In governance, this was a virtue; in a political race, it was an invitation to be called a phony." Romney has said, "There were two key things I learned at Bain. One was a series of concepts for approaching tough problems and a problem-solving methodology; the other was an enormous respect for data, analysis, and debate." Romney believes the Bain approach is not only effective in the business realm but also in running for office and, once there, in solving political conundrums such as proper Pentagon spending levels and the future of Social Security. Former Bain and Olympics colleague Fraser Bullock has said of Romney, "He's not an ideologue. He makes decisions based on researching data more deeply than anyone I know." During his 2008 presidential campaign he was constantly asking for data, analysis, and opposing arguments, and has been viewed as a potential 'CEO president' should he get that far.

Electoral history

Awards and honors

Romney received an honorary degree from the University of Utah in 1999, an honorary doctor of law degree from Bentley College in 2002, an honorary doctor of public administration degree from Suffolk University Law School in 2004, and an honorary degree from Hillsdale College in 2007.

People magazine included Romney in its 50 Most Beautiful People list for 2002. In 2004, Romney received the inaugural Truce Ideal Award for his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2008, he shared with his wife Ann the Canterbury Medal from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, for "refus[ing] to compromise their principles and faith" during the presidential campaign.

See also

Presidents and Prophets: the Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church

List of JD/MBAs

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

;Official

Mitt Romney's Free And Strong America PAC

;Databases

NewsMeat - Campaign Contributions Made by Mitt Romney

OpenSecrets.org - Mitt Romney campaign contributions

;Biographical

Press releases as Governor of Massachusetts 2003–2007

Boston Globe special series on Romney

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries Category:American chief executives Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American Mormon missionaries Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American political writers Category:Bain Capital Category:Bishops of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Category:Boston Consulting Group people Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts Category:Brigham Young University alumni Category:Cranbrook alumni Category:Governors of Massachusetts Category:Harvard Business School alumni Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Management consultants Category:Massachusetts Republicans Category:Michigan Republicans Category:Mormon missionaries in France Category:People from Belmont, Massachusetts Category:People from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:Pratt–Romney family Category:Private equity and venture capital investors Category:Stake presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Category:Stanford University alumni Category:United States presidential candidates, 2008 Category:Writers from Massachusetts

Name	Jessica Sierra
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jessica Ann Sierra
Born	November 11, 1985
Occupation	Singer
Genre	Pop
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2005–present
Label	Verge (2006-2010) Elite B Records (2010-Present)
Url	www.jessicasierra.com

Jessica Ann Sierra (born November 11, 1985) is an American singer and was the tenth-place finalist on the fourth season of American Idol. She was the third finalist eliminated, on March 30, 2005. Sierra released her single Enough in October 2010, from her upcoming debut album Rebound due out sometime December 2010.

Career

Sierra was a contestant on Star Search before auditioning for American Idol. She first auditioned for Idol in the second season, but was rejected.

Sierra auditioned in Orlando for the fourth season of American Idol. She was eliminated on March 30, during 1990s music week after she sang LeAnn Rimes' "On the Side of Angels", surprising some fans since Simon Cowell had previously stated that she was one of the strongest female vocalists in the competition.

American Idol performances

{|class="wikitable" align="left" |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Week # |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Song choice |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Original artist |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Result |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Audition |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|At Last |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Etta James |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 24 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Phil Collins |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 20 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|A Broken Wing |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Martina McBride |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 16 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|(Boys Are) Back in Town |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Busboys |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 12 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Shop Around |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Miracles |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Bottom 3 |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 11 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Total Eclipse of the Heart |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Bonnie Tyler |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 10 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|On the Side of Angels |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|LeAnn Rimes |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Eliminated |}

Post Idol

After American Idol, Jessica Sierra performed all over the world. She sang at many concerts and private events, including a private event in Kazakhstan. Jessica did concerts for charities such as the Special Olympics, and performed at numerous corporate events including shows sponsored by Kelloggs and Edy's Ice Cream. In July 2006 Jessica visited U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait, performing six shows for an Independence Day celebration including a July 4 show in Baghdad.

In 2006, Jessica was featured in OK! Magazine and appeared on TV Guide Channel's program Idol Tonight.

2006-2008: First record deal, "Unbroken" and Celebrity Rehab

In late 2006, Jessica recorded a song, "Unbroken", for a Toys "R" Us Exclusive CD that came with the purchase of a Sony CD player. It was released as a single in early 2007 on iTunes.

On January 8, 2008, Verge Management released Sierra's Deepest Secret EP on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Rhapsody. On March 14, 2008, Sierra's Deepest Secret EP was made available in CD format via her official website: http://www.jessicasierra.com/. On March 15, 2008, Jessica's video for her single "Unbroken" was released. "Unbroken" is the song that Jessica sang on VH1 Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Sierra exited Verge records shortly after Celebrity Rehab, and signed with a new record label for her upcoming debut album. "Unbroken" was the only single released with Verge.

On January 31, 2008 a sex tape entitled Jessica Sierra Superstar was released.

Sierra has since been clean and sober for 18 months, and thanks Dr. Drew Pinsky for saving her life.

2010-Present: new label, release of "Rebound"

In 2010, Sierra signed with a new record label called "Elite B Records" and released her new single "Enough" and released the music video online in October 2010. Her debut album "Rebound" is due to be released sometime in December 2010. Sierra's new album will follow her struggles, and how she got clean and sober, and how she has changed for the better.

Medical and legal troubles

Stalking incident

A 59-year-old man from California was arrested on January 17, 2006 at the home of Sierra's grandmother. Tampa police reported that Daniel Young left at least 40 voice mail messages telling Sierra that he loved her and was willing to go to jail for her. Sierra was a spokeperson for the United States Department of Justice's National Stalking Resource Center, and was featured in a national campaign to promote awareness of the risks of and remedies for stalking; Diane Stuart, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, United States Department of Justice, worked with Sierra on this project.

Substance abuse

On April 29, 2007, Sierra was arrested at a Tampa bar after throwing a glass at a fellow bar patron. During her booking, cocaine was found in her purse; she subsequently was charged with assault and possession of cocaine. Prior to her plea and sentencing on these charges, Sierra participated in a VH1 rehab reality show run by Dr. Drew Pinsky of Loveline called Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. The television series, featuring Sierra and eight other celebrities, was filmed during the summer of 2007 and premiered on VH1 on January 10, 2008.

On November 19, 2007, after regular filming on Celebrity Rehab had ended but before the series aired, Sierra pleaded no contest in a Tampa courtroom to the assault and cocaine possession charges. and was sentenced to 12 months probation. Less than 2 weeks later, on December 1, Sierra was arrested again at a Tampa bar, this time for disorderly intoxication (misdemeanor), resisting arrest without violence (misdemeanor), and violation of her probation. The police report of the incident stated that Sierra was out of control, offered a sexual favor to one of the arresting officers, and vomited in the police car. On January 7, 2008, after spending 39 days in jail without benefit of bond, she was sentenced to time served plus 12 months in rehab at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the same California rehab center where Celebrity Rehab took place, and three additional years of probation. The judge's sentence followed a plea to the court on her behalf from Drew Pinsky, where he stated that while the treatment she received while on the show was not adequate considering her level of addiction, he felt that she would have a better chance of recovery if she participated in a year-long treatment program. As part of her probation terms, instead of a possible ten-year prison stint, Sierra was also prevented from getting within 100 yards of a camera or microphone, a restriction that kept her from participating in the reunion episode of Celebrity Rehab 1 as well as in update interviews for American Idol Season 4's Rewind episodes.

In March 2009, Pinsky stated in interviews and on his Twitter account that he had recently presented Sierra with her one year of sobriety celebration cake and that she was "a new woman". He also noted on his VH1 blog that court-mandated treatment had saved her life.

On April 15, 2009, a Florida judge lifted the media ban restriction on Sierra. It was noted in court that she had tested clean and sober for about a year and a half. On April 29, two years to the date after her initial 2007 arrest, Sierra credited Dr. Drew Pinsky with saving her life in a taped interview.

That same year, Sierra and other alumni of Celebrity Rehab appeared as panel speakers to a new group of addicts at the Pasadena Recovery Center, marking 18 months of sobriety for her. Her appearance was aired in the third season episode "Triggers".

Discography

Studio albums

2010: Rebound

EP's

2008: Deepest Secret

References

External links

Jessica's Official Website

Celebrity Rehab

Jessica's Unbroken Music Video

;Sierra's criminal history

A site about Sierra's criminal and civil cases

Initial report of April 29, 2007 arrest

Article about December 1, 2007 arrest

Jessica Sierra denied bond, faces 11 years in jail

Jessica Sierra pleads not guilty, asks for more time

Fallen "Idol" wins rounds in court

Category:1985 births Category:American child singers Category:American female singers Category:American Idol participants Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Florida Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Tampa, Florida

Jeffrey Michael "Jeff" Fisher (born February 25, 1958, in Culver City, California) is the current head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. Fisher has the longest tenure as head coach with one team among active head coaches in the league. He has a 141-116 record prior to the 2010 season.

Early life

A native of Southern California, Fisher starred as a high school All-American wide receiver for Taft High School in Woodland Hills.

Playing career

Fisher later went on to star as a USC Trojan under coach John Robinson. During his collegiate career (1977–80), he played alongside such defensive stars as Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith, and Joey Browner. Fisher's USC teammates also included star offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, whom he would coach years later with the Oilers and Titans. Fisher and the Trojans won a national championship during the 1978 season, and in 1980 he was honored with a Pac-10 All-Academic selection.

Fisher entered the NFL as a 7th round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1980 and appeared in 49 games as a defensive back and return specialist in five seasons.

He earned a Super Bowl ring after Chicago’s 1985 Super Bowl season, despite spending the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury that prematurely ended his playing career. In 1983, Fisher had suffered a broken leg on a punt return when he was tackled by then-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Bill Cowher, the future head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coincidentally the two became rivals as head coaches beginning in the AFC Central in 1995; Fisher's Oilers/Titans squads came out with an 11-7 record against Cowher's Steelers.

Early coaching career

Realizing his playing days were over, and not content to be idle, Fisher wanted to still be involved with professional football. In 1985, the Bears put him on injured reserve, so during this time he became a defensive assistant to Buddy Ryan, the Bears' defensive coordinator. After the 1985 Bears won Super Bowl XX, Ryan left Chicago to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Fisher went with him. He joined the Eagles as a defensive backs coach and in 1988 was promoted to defensive coordinator at the age of 30, becoming the youngest one in the league at that point. Fisher found great success despite his youth, and the 1989 Eagles defense led the NFL in interceptions (30) and sacks (62). The 1990 squad led the League in rushing defense and was second in sacks.

In 1991, Fisher headed west to be reunited with his college coach John Robinson, serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator for one season. The next two seasons, he served as the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers. These years as an assistant to George Seifert placed Fisher in the Bill Walsh coaching tree. On February 9, 1994, Fisher again became a defensive coordinator, this time for the Houston Oilers under Jack Pardee. Fisher succeeded his one-time mentor Ryan, who left the post to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Head coach

On November 14, 1994, Pardee was fired, and Fisher was promoted to replace him for the last six games of the season. The Oilers retained Fisher as head coach, and the Oilers drafted quarterback Steve McNair in the 1995 NFL Draft. The new coach did not disappoint, leading the team to a 7–9 record in 1995, tied for second place in the division. The following year the Oilers added Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, and they achieved an 8–8 record. However, an inability to get a new stadium deal in Houston caused owner Bud Adams to relocate the team to Tennessee for the 1997 season.

In the team's first two seasons in Tennessee the Oilers compiled a two-year record of 16-16.

In the 1999 season, which saw the renaming of the team to the Tennessee Titans, the Titans finished with a 13–3 regular season record, going all the way to Super Bowl XXXIV, in part due to the Music City Miracle. There the team fell to the St. Louis Rams, 23–16; wideout Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard short of the end zone with no time remaining, in what became known as "The Tackle". Tennessee achieved the same record the next year, but were defeated in the AFC playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens who would go on to win Super Bowl XXXV.

The 2001 season was a disappointing one for the Titans, as they could only muster a 7–9 showing. The beginning of the next season proved to be even worse, with the franchise starting off with a 1–4 record. Following one home loss, owner Bud Adams made the comment to reporters that perhaps the Titans "were getting outcoached." This provided a spark the team needed, and they finished the season with a 11–5 record and made it to the AFC Championship Game.

The 2003 season saw more success, with yet another trip to the playoffs and McNair winning the League MVP award. Again, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, but the team's progress did not go unnoticed. The 2004 season, however, was plagued by injuries from the start, and Fisher's worst record as head coach (4–12) was the result. Following the season, many veteran players (such as Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason) were cut in an effort to comply with the strict salary cap. The relative youth of the team resulted in a disappointing 2005 season as well. Before the 2005 season, Fisher hired Norm Chow out of USC to be his offensive coordinator.

In 2006, the Titans finished a better-than-expected 8–8. Quarterback Steve McNair was released and Vince Young was drafted, but began the season as backup to veteran Kerry Collins. The season began slowly at 0-3 before Collins was replaced by Young. The team ultimately started 2-7, but following a 27-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and McNair, the Titans erupted to win six straight games, including a 24-point rally to beat the Giants. With this promising record the Titans exercised their right to extend his contract by a year, keeping him as the head coach through the 2007 NFL season season.

In 2007, he led the Titans to a 10-6 record and made the AFC playoffs as the 6th seed, but lost in the opening round to the San Diego Chargers.

In 2008, Fisher led the Titans to a 10-0 undefeated streak only to be upset by Brett Favre and the New York Jets midway through the 2008 season. Young was benched after the first game due to emotional stress and replaced by Collins. The Titans finished 13-3 and secured the number 1 seed in the AFC, yet lost in the second round of the 2008 NFL Playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2009 the Titans lost in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season's opening game. The loss began a six-game slide that reached its nadir in a 59-0 slaughter by the New England Patriots. Collins, at the public recommendation of Titans owner Bud Adams, was benched and replaced by Young; the Titans responded by winning eight of their next ten games, highlighted by a dramatic comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals, a season-ending comeback against the Seattle Seahawks, and a hard-fought overtime win over the Miami Dolphins. Highlighting this season was the play of running back Chris Johnson; in his second year of professional football (he'd been drafted 24th in the 2008 NFL Draft) Johnson broke Marshall Faulk's record of total yards from scrimmage with 2,509, becoming the sixth back in NFL history to rush over 2000 yards.

Fisher is among the relatively few NFL head coaches to have started out as an interim head coach and then to have gone on to enjoy a successful tenure.

Fisher was rumored as a possible head coach of the USC Trojans in 2010, but did not voice interest in the position.

Competition committee

Fisher is Co-Chair of the NFL competition committee along with Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay.

Head coaching record

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Jeff Fisher has served:

Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears (1985)

Buddy Ryan, Philadelphia Eagles (1986–1990)

John Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (1991)

George Seifert, San Francisco 49ers (1992–1993)

Jack Pardee, Houston Oilers (1994)

Assistant coaches under Jeff Fisher who have become NFL head coaches:

Gregg Williams, Buffalo Bills (2001–2003)

Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions (2009–present)

Personal

Fisher has three children. His son Brandon plays linebacker for the University of Montana and younger son Trent has accepted a walk-on offer from Auburn University for the fall of 2010.

Notes and references

External links

Tennessee Titans Bio

NFL.com Profile

Jeff Fisher Profile at USC Legends

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American football cornerbacks Category:American football return specialists Category:Chicago Bears players Category:Houston Oilers coaches Category:Houston Oilers head coaches Category:Los Angeles Rams coaches Category:National Football League head coaches Category:People from the San Fernando Valley Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches Category:Tennessee Oilers head coaches Category:Tennessee Titans head coaches Category:USC Trojans football players

Name	Hulk Hogan
Names	The Super DestroyerSterling GoldenTerry BoulderHulk HoganHulk MachineHollywood Hulk HoganHollywood HoganMr. America
Real height	(current) (peak)
Weight
Birth date	August 11, 1953
Birth place	Augusta, Georgia
Billed	Venice Beach, CaliforniaWashington, D.C. (as Mr. America)Hollywood, California (as Hollywood Hogan)
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Trainer	Hiro Matsuda
Debut	August 10, 1977
Website	www.HulkHogan.com

Terry Gene Bollea

In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which at the time was generally recognized as the highest honor in wrestling. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championship, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship, recognized in Alabama and Tennessee when he defeated Ox Baker.

World Wrestling Federation (1979–1980)

Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature. McMahon, who wanted to use an Irish name, gave Bollea the last name Hogan. Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the prestigious MSG Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. Hogan's popularity in Japan was so great, he even recorded an album there—a forerunner to the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" of the mid 1980s.

American Wrestling Association (1981–1983)

After filming his scene for Rocky III, against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run as a heel, taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager, but AWA audiences loved the muscular and more charismatic Hogan, and soon the AWA's bookers were compelled to turn Hogan face. Using "Eye of the Tiger" as his theme music, Hogan soon became the promotion's top babyface, and throughout 1983, he engaged in a big feud against AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan. Gagne, however, continued to tease the AWA audience by booking numerous screwjobs meant to keep the championship with Bockwinkel, who was a veteran of the territory and had assumed the mantle of the organization's centerpiece following Gagne's retirement from active competition. Due to backstage politics at the time (Gagne had a talent-sharing agreement with All Japan Pro Wrestling while Hogan was a New Japan star; these two groups were in an intense rivalry at the time), Gagne would not let him be champion. On several occasions, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel to win the title, only to have the decision later reversed. Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their business deal. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Their feud culminated in Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF Championship at WrestleMania V.

Later title reigns (1989–1992)

Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in the movie No Holds Barred. The film was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was a monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and wanted revenge. Hogan, however, was easily able to defeat Zeus in a series of matches across the country during late 1989, beginning with a tag team match at SummerSlam, in which Hogan and Brutus Beefcake topped Zeus and Savage. He dropped the title to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior in a title vs. title match at WrestleMania VI. as he won the 1991 Royal Rumble match. Flair had interfered in both matches and due to the resulting controversy, the title was again declared vacant.

At this time, news sources began to allege that Dr. George Zahorian, a doctor for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, had been selling steroids illegally to wrestlers in general and Hogan in particular. Hogan appeared on an episode of The Arsenio Hall Show to deny the allegations. Due to intense public scrutiny, Hogan took a leave of absence from the company. At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake took on Money Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship but ended up losing the match by disqualification. The new stable gained prominence in the following weeks and months.

Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild, defeating The Giant for the title. Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach.

On the August 4, 1997 edition of Nitro, Hogan lost the WCW title to Luger by submission. Sting later won by submission. After a rematch the following night, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW Championship became vacant. Sting then went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII. The heat culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored, which ended in a no contest. In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and powerbombed Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night. Bret Hart interfered moments later and turned heel by jumping in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who won his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

After some time off from WCW, Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999 edition of Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW title. Hogan won the match for his fifth WCW World Heavyweight Championship, but many people found the change to be "scandalous". The turn would have to wait, however, as Hogan was severely injured in a Texas Tornado match for the world championship featuring him, Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, and Flair at Spring Stampede Whether or not the whole incident was a shoot or a work was hotly debated. As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after,

In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the Xcitement Wrestling Federation promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.

World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2003)

Hollywood Hogan and Undisputed Champion (2002)

in 2002]]

At No Way Out in 2002, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the WWF Undisputed Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. After Hogan won at WrestleMania XIX, McMahon was (kayfabe) frustrated with him and wanted Hulkamania to die. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during SmackDown!. There was also on-screen discussion on SmackDown! between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen." On May 1, Mr. America debuted on SmackDown! on a Piper's Pit segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day.

Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 edition of SmackDown! when The Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated the team of Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. The Mr. America gimmick came under fire briefly from Marvel Comics, who anointed it a rip-off of Captain America, citing costume similarity; the single star on the mask was also a trademark on Captain America's chest piece. This was also adding fuel to the fire over the rights to use the Hulk Hogan name because of Marvel's ownership of the Incredible Hulk character. Because of these problems, WWE was forced to edit out all references to the "Hulk Hogan" name, including pictures which featured Hogan wearing memorabilia that said "Hulk" (a majority of them) and started to refer to Hogan under the "Hollywood Hogan" name he used in WCW. It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick. Vince decided to terminate Hogan's contract, and Hogan left WWE in 2003.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003)

Shortly after Hogan left the WWE, TNA Wrestling began making overtures to Hogan, culminating in Jeff Jarrett, co-founder of TNA and then NWA World Heavyweight champion, launching an on-air attack on Hogan in Japan in October 2003. The attack was supposed to be a precursor to Hogan battling Jarrett for the NWA title at TNA's first three-hour Pay-Per-View. However, due to recurring knee and hip problems, Hogan did not appear in TNA. Still, the incident has been shown several times on TNA broadcasts, and was included in the DVD of TNA's fifty greatest moments. In 2005, Hulk Hogan re-signed with the WWE.

Part-time WWE appearances (2005–2007)

In 2005, weeks before WrestleMania 21, it was announced on all WWE programming that Hogan would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On April 2, Hogan was inducted by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin. Hulk Hogan defeated Wight at PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following his signature Leg Drop.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–present)

On October 27, 2009 it was announced on TNAwrestling.com that Hulk Hogan had signed a contract to join Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on a full time basis where, partnered with Eric Bischoff, he would partner with TNA President, Dixie Carter. The footage of his signing and the press conference in the Madison Square Garden following it were featured on the October 29 episode of TNA Impact!. His role remained uncertain. This proceeded in later weeks to be a Team Flair versus Team Hogan situation with the addition of Jeff Jarrett and debutant Rob Van Dam to Team Hogan and Beer Money as well as Sting to Team Flair after turning heel through an attack on Hogan. At Lockdown Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm) in a Lethal Lockdown match.

In October 2007, Bollea transferred all trademarks referring to himself to his liability company named "Hogan Holdings Limited". The trademarks include Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, and Hulkapedia.com.

Bollea is currently living with his daughter, Brooke, who stars in the VH1 reality series, Brooke Knows Best. (Crooked arm lariat) – North America

Signature moves

Atomic drop

Body slam

Clothesline

* Corner foot choke

* Military press slam

Multiple punches, with theatrics

Raking the opponent's eyes or back

* Reverse chinlock

* Vertical suplex

Managers

* Brutus Beefcake / The Disciple

* Eric Bischoff

"Classy" Freddie Blassie

Miss Elizabeth

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

"The Hulk"

"The Immortal"

"Hollywood"

Entrance themes

* "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (AWA / WWF; 1984–1986)

* "Hulk Hogan's Theme" by Jim Steinman (WWF; 1985)

* "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa (WWF; 1985)

* "Real American" by Rick Derringer (WWF/E; 1986–1993, 2002, 2003, 2005–2007)

* "" by The Wrestling Boot Band (WCW / XWF; 1994–1996, 1999–2000, 2001, 2007, 2009)

* "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (WCW; used while a part of the New World Order; 1996–1998, 2000, 2002)

* "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (WCW / WWF/E; 1997–1999, 2002–2003)

* "" (WCW; used while a part of the nWo wolfpac elite; 1999)

* "nWo Original Theme" (Rockhouse remix) by Jimmy Hart (TNA; 2010)

Championships and accomplishments

New Japan Pro Wrestling

IWGP League Tournament (1983)

* NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) (2 times)

Tokyo Sports Grand Prix

Match of the Year (1991)- vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

* Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff

* Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)

* Most Overrated (1985–1987, 1989–1991)

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc

* Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter

* Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom

* Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior

* Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman

* Best Babyface (1982–1991)

* Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)

* Worst Wrestler (1997)

* Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1998–2000)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

References

Notes

External links

HulkHogan.com (Official Website)

Professional wrestling record for Hulk Hogan from The Internet Wrestling Database

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile

WWE Hall of Fame Profile

TNA Profile

Official Twitter

Category:1953 births Category:American film actors Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Augusta, Georgia Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Category:WWE Hall of Fame Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Actors from Florida Category:Living people

Name	Bob Hite
Background	solo_singer
Born	February 26, 1943Torrance, California, United States
Died	April 05, 1981
Alias	The Bear
Genre	BluesBlues rock
Instrument	Vocals, harmonica, Flute
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1965–1981
Associated acts	Canned Heat
Url	Official website

Bob "The Bear" Hite (February 26, 1943 – April 5, 1981) was the American lead singer of the blues-rock band, Canned Heat, from 1965 to his death in 1981.

He was introduced to Alan Wilson by Henry Vestine and the two of them helped convince blues pianist Sunnyland Slim to get back into the recording studio to record. In 1965, aged 22, he formed a band with Wilson. Vestine joined soon after and this trio formed the core of Canned Heat. The trio were eventually joined by Larry Taylor (bass) and Frank Cook (drums).

Canned Heat appeared on a November 1969 episode of Playboy After Dark. Hite was invited to talk with Hugh Hefner after the performance, along with other guests Sonny and Cher, Vic Damone, Dick Shawn and Larry Storch. A 20-year-old Lindsay Wagner, playing the part of one of Hefner's party guests, sat on Hite's lap and played a party game. When asked by Hefner what kind of animal Hite would be if he were an animal, Wagner claimed he'd be a bear. Hite told her she got it right, that people called him "the bear." It was also on this episode that Bob Hite informed Hugh Hefner that he had over 15,000 78s.

He produced the John Lee Hooker/Canned Heat album, Hooker 'N Heat (1971). Hite was found dead in his van of a heart attack in 1981, at the age of 38.

References

External links

Bob Hite tribute site

Category:1943 births Category:1981 deaths Category:American blues singers Category:American male singers Category:American blues harmonica players Category:Canned Heat members Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction