Tragic Details About Junkyard Dog

Junkyard Dog is often considered the first Black superstar in wrestling. Even so, as with many wrestlers, there was a lot of tragedy behind his smile. Here are tragic details about Junkyard Dog's life.

Football is one of the most common athletic backgrounds for wrestlers. Many of wrestling's biggest stars played college ball and spent some time at the pro level. Back when Junkyard Dog was just Sylvester Ritter, he was among this fraternity. He was a star offensive lineman at Anson County High School in North Carolina and continued his success at Fayetteville State. He then tried to continue his career in the pros.

Junkyard Dog is often listed as a Green Bay Packers draft pick, but that's false on two counts. First, he was never drafted. The name "Sylvester Ritter" doesn't show up in any draft, especially not from 1975. Second, the Packers were the second team he was attached to; he started his pro career with a tryout for the Houston Oilers in the summer of '75.

After not making the Oilers, he returned home and played for the Ohio Valley Panthers of the Carolina Professional Football League. In April 1976, Ritter was signed as a free agent by the Green Bay Packers. During an off-season camp, Ritter suffered an injury, and he was cut before the season started. That injury spelled the end of his football career. Luckily, he had another career waiting for him that brought him greater renown than being a lineman ever would.

Keep watching to see Tragic Details About Junkyard Dog.

#Wrestling #JunkyardDog #Wrestler

A failed football player | 0:00
Battling racism | 1:25
A crazed fan | 2:16
Issues with drug abuse | 3:13
A midcarder | 3:47
Weight gain | 4:49
Washed up in his 30s | 5:28
He died relatively young | 6:40
Waning popularity | 7:25

Read Full Article: https://www.looper.com/353047/tragic-details-about-junkyard-dog/