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Willie M. "Bill" Pickett (December 5, 1870^[1] - April 2, 1932^[2]) was a cowboy and rodeo performer.

Pickett was born in the Jenks-Branch community of Travis County, Texas. He was the second of 13 children born to Thomas Jefferson Pickett, a former slave, and Mary "Janie" Gilbert. Pickett had 4 brothers and 8 sisters. The family's ancestry was African, white and Cherokee Native American.

Early years[link]

Pickett attended school through the fifth grade, after which he took up hard ranching work. He invented the technique of bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground. Pickett's method for bulldogging was biting a cow on the lip and then falling backwards. This method eventually lost popularity as the sport morphed into the steer wrestling that is practiced in rodeos. He also helped cowboys with bulldogging.

Biography[link]

Bill Pickett was born near Taylor, Texas in 1870. He was later called the "Greatest Cowboy" of his day. Bill Pickett was one of five boys among the Picketts' thirteen children. Bill left school in the 5th grade to become a ranch hand, and soon he began to ride horses and watch the long horn steers of his native Texas. It was known among cattlemen that, with the help of a trained bulldog, a stray steer. Bill Pickett had seen this happen on many occasions. He also thought that if a bulldog could do this feat, so could he. Bill Pickett practiced his stunt by riding hard and springing from his horse and wrestling the steer to the ground. Bill Pickett soon became known for his tricks and stunts at local country fairs. With his four brothers, he established The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association. The name of Bill Pickett soon became synonymous with successful Rodeos. He did his Bull-Dogging act, traveling about in Texas, Arizona, Wyoming and Oklahoma. In 1905 he joined the 101 Wild West Shows as they traveled across the country and in Canada, South America, and even Great Britain. In 1921, he appeared in the films, The Bull Dogger and The Crimson Skull.

In 1932, after he retired from the Wild West Shows, Bill Pickett was killed when he was kicked in the head by a wild bronco. In 1971 Bill Pickett was inducted into the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.^[3]

Bill Pickett is buried near a 14-foot stone monument to Ponca Tribal Chief White Eagle and the tribe's friendship with the Miller Brothers on Monument Hill in Kay County, Oklahoma.

His Marriage In 1890 Pickett married Maggie Turner, a former slave and daughter to a white southern plantation owner. The couple had nine children. Pickett had a kid and his brothers started their own company, the Pickett Brothers, Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association, to offer their services as cowboys. Pickett also made a living demonstrating his bulldogging skills and other stunts at county fairs. In 1905, Pickett joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show that featured the likes of Buffalo Bill, Cowboy Bill Watts, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Bee Ho Gray, and Zach and Lucille Mulhall. Pickett was soon a popular performer who toured around the world and appeared in early motion pictures. Pickett was shown in a movie created by Richard E. Norman. Pickett's ethnicity resulted in him not being able to appear at many rodeos. He often was forced to claim that he was of Comanche heritage in order to perform.

References[link]

• Powell, Lee (Dec. 3-9, 2004). Bill Pickett: a rodeo pioneer. The Sports Page, p. 3.
• Carnes, Mark C., Betz, Paul R., ed. "American National Biography". Oxford University Press.

http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/african/west/west.htm#8

Further reading[link]

Timothy G. Lowry (August 4, 1905 – February 27, 1983) was an American football player and lawyer. He played center for the Northwestern University football team from 1923 to 1925. At the conclusion of the 1925 football season, he became the second person to receive the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference. Red Grange was the first recipient of the trophy in 1924. After graduating from Northwestern, Lowry became a lawyer. He was also the secretary and treasurer of the Illinois Center Corporation at the time the Illinois Center. He was also an alderman in Evanston, Illinois. Lowry died in 1983 at age 77. He was survived by his wife, Virginia Lowry, a son and two daughters.^[1]

References[link]

Dick Tiger
File:Dick Tiger.jpg
Statistics
Real name	Richard Ihetu
Rated at	Middleweight
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Nationality	Nigerian
Born	(1929-08-14)August 14, 1929 Amaigbo, Nigeria
Died	December 14, 1971(1971-12-14) (aged 42)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	82
Wins	60
Wins by KO	27
Losses	19
Draws	3

Dick Tiger CBE (born Richard Ihetu August 14, 1929 - December 14, 1971) was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group.^[1] Tiger was a talented boxer, commercial venturer, and Biafran rebel.

Professional career[link]

Dick Tiger was one of the greatest fighters to come out of Africa. He became a two-time undisputed world middleweight titlist and helped keep boxing alive during the 1950s boxing industry recession. Tiger earned an undisputed Light-Heavyweight world championship. In 1962, Tiger won the world middleweight boxing championship.

On May 20, 1965, Tiger floored Rubin "Hurricane" Carter three times and won a unanimous 10-round decision. Tiger took on Gene Fullmer and won the world's Middleweight title by decision in fifteen. Later in a rematch he drew in fifteen and in the rubber match won by knockout in seven rounds.

Tiger was an "in-house fighter" at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Retirement and death[link]

After retiring from boxing, Tiger worked as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. One day, he felt a strong pain in his back. Tested by doctors, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Tiger had been banned by the Nigerian government in his country because of his involvement in the Biafran movement; however, the ban was lifted immediately after news about his condition arrived in Nigeria.

He died of liver cancer on December 14, 1971; he was 42 years old.^[2]

Biafran rebel cause[link]

Tiger developed a portfolio of investments before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. Tiger was appointed CBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but he returned his insignia as a protest for what he perceived as a lack of support by Great Britain to the Biafran cause.

Professional boxing record[link]

60 Wins (27 Knockouts), 19 Defeats (2 Knockouts), 3 Draws[3]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	60-19-3	Emile Griffith	UD	10	1970-07-15	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	60-18-3	Andy Kendall	UD	10	1969-11-14	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	59-18-3	Nino Benvenuti	UD	10	1969-05-26	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	58-18-3	Frank DePaula	UD	10	1968-10-25	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" (1968)
Loss	57-18-3	Bob Foster	KO	4 (15), 2:05	1968-05-24	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Light Heavyweight titles
Win	57-17-3	Roger Rouse	TKO	12 (15), 0:12	1967-11-17	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Light Heavyweight titles
Win	56-17-3	José Torres	SD	15	1967-05-16	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Light Heavyweight titles
Win	55-17-3	Abraham Tomica	TKO	5 (10)	1967-02-05	Mile One Park, Port Harcourt
Win	54-17-3	José Torres	UD	15	1966-12-16	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Won The Ring, WBC & WBA World Light Heavyweight titles
Loss	53-17-3	Emile Griffith	UD	15	1966-04-25	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Middleweight titles
Win	53-16-3	Peter Mueller	KO	3 (10), 0:57	1966-02-18	Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	52-16-3	Joey Giardello	UD	15	1965-10-21	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Won The Ring, WBC & WBA World Middleweight titles
Win	51-16-3	Rubin Carter	UD	10	1965-05-20	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	50-16-3	Juan Carlos Rivero	TKO	6 (10)	1965-03-12	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	49-16-3	Joey Archer	SD	10	1964-10-16	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	49-15-3	Don Fullmer	UD	10	1964-09-11	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win	48-15-3	Jose Monon Gonzalez	TKO	6 (10)	1964-07-31	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	47-15-3	Joey Giardello	PTS	15	1963-12-07	Atlantic City Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Middleweight titles
Win	47-14-3	Gene Fullmer	RTD	7 (15), 3:00	1963-08-10	Liberty Stadium, Ibadan	Retained WBA & Won vacant The Ring, WBC World Middleweight titles
Draw	46-14-3	Gene Fullmer	PTS	15	1963-02-23	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBA World Middleweight title
Win	46-14-2	Gene Fullmer	UD	15	1962-10-23	Candlestick Park, California, California	Won vacant WBA World Middleweight titles
Win	45-14-2	Henry Hank	UD	10	1962-03-31	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	44-14-2	Florentino Fernández	TKO	6 (10)	1962-01-20	Miami Beach, Florida
Win	43-14-2	William Pickett	UD	10	1961-12-16	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	42-14-2	Hank Casey	SD	10	1961-05-15	New Orleans, Louisiana
Win	41-14-2	Spider Webb	KO	6 (10), 2:41	1961-04-15	St. Nicholas Arena, New York, New York
Win	40-14-2	Gene Armstrong	TKO	9 (10), 1:21	1961-02-18	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	39-14-2	Wilf Greaves	TKO	9 (15), 1:20	1960-11-30	Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta	Won Commonwealth (British Empire) Middleweight title
Loss	38-14-2	Wilf Greaves	SD	15	1960-06-22	Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta	Lost Commonwealth (British Empire) Middleweight title
Win	38-13-2	Víctor Zalazar	MD	10	1960-04-01	Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Win	37-13-2	Gene Armstrong	UD	10	1960-02-24	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win	36-13-2	Holly Mims	MD	10	1959-12-30	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	35-13-2	Joey Giardello	UD	10	1959-11-04	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win	35-12-2	Joey Giardello	UD	10	1959-09-30	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win	34-12-2	Gene Armstrong	PTS	10	1959-09-02	Convention Hall, Camden, New Jersey
Loss	33-12-2	Rory Calhoun	SD	10	1959-07-17	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York
Draw	33-12-2	Rory Calhoun	PTS	10	1959-06-05	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	33-12-1	Randy Sandy	PTS	10	1959-05-12	Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Loss	32-11-1	Randy Sandy	PTS	10	1959-05-12	Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside
Win	32-10-1	Yolande Pompey	PTS	10	1958-10-14	Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Loss	31-10-1	Spider Webb	PTS	10	1958-06-24	Empress Hall, Earl's Court, Kensington, London
Win	31-9-1	Billy Ellaway	KO	2 (8)	1958-05-01	Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside
Win	30-9-1	Pat McAteer	KO	9 (15)	1958-03-27	Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside	Won Commonwealth (British Empire) Middleweight title
Win	29-9-1	Johnny Read	KO	6 (8)	1958-03-27	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Win	28-9-1	Jimmy Lynas	KO	7 (8)	1958-02-03	King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester
Win	27-9-1	Jean Ruellet	PTS	8	1958-01-13	City Hall, Hull, Yorkshire
Win	26-9-1	Paddy Delargy	KO	6 (10)	1957-11-28	Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham, West Midlands
Draw	25-9-1	Pat McAteer	PTS	10	1957-11-11	Maindy Stadium, Cardiff
Win	25-9	Jean Claude Poisson	PTS	10	1957-10-21	Maindy Stadium, Cardiff
Win	24-9	Phil Edwards	PTS	10	1957-09-09	Maindy Stadium, Cardiff
Win	23-9	Alan Dean	PTS	8	1957-07-25	Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside
Loss	22-9	Willie Armstrong	PTS	8	1957-07-15	Engineer's Club, West Hartlepool, County Durham
Win	22-8	Marius Dori	TKO	7 (8)	1957-06-04	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Win	21-8	Terry Downes	TKO	5 (8)	1957-05-14	Town Hall, Shoreditch, London
Win	20-8	Johnny Read	TKO	2 (8)	1957-04-29	National Sporting Club, Piccadilly, London
Win	19-8	Alan Dean	PTS	8	1956-11-09	Tower Circus, Blackpool, Lancashire
Loss	18-8	Alan Dean	PTS	6	1956-10-18	Liverpool Stadium, Blackpool, Lancashire
Win	18-7	Jimmy Lynas	PTS	8	1956-07-02	Tower Circus, Blackpool, Lancashire
Win	17-7	Wally Scott	TKO	4 (8)	1956-05-28	Engineer's Club, West Hartlepool, County Durham
Win	16-7	Alan Dean	PTS	8	1956-05-10	Liverpool Stadium, Blackpool, Lancashire
Win	15-7	Dennis Rowley	KO	1 (8)	1956-05-03	Liverpool Stadium, Blackpool, Lancashire
Loss	14-7	George Roe	PTS	8	1956-03-22	Liverpool Stadium, Blackpool, Lancashire
Loss	14-6	Jimmy Lynas	PTS	8	1956-03-01	Tower Circus, Blackpool, Lancashire
Loss	14-5	Gerry McNally	PTS	8	1956-01-27	Tower Circus, Blackpool, Lancashire
Loss	14-4	Alan Dean	PTS	6	1955-12-08	Liverpool Stadium, Blackpool, Lancashire

TV[link]

• Appeared as a guest on an episode of the American television series What's My Line?. The panel correctly guessed his occupation.

See also[link]

• List of WBC world champions

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Makinde, Adeyinka (2005). Dick Tiger: The Life and Times of a Boxing Immortal. Tarentum, PA: Word Association Publishers. ISBN 1-59571-042-6. 

External links[link]

	Book: Dick Tiger
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Professional boxing record for Dick Tiger from BoxRec
• Emeagwali, Philip, "DICK TIGER: Photo Essay"
• Makinde, Adeyinka, DICK TIGER WEBPAGES
• YOUNG DICK TIGER, Nephew of Dick Tiger TIGER BOXING GYM in Los Angeles