William M. Miller[2] (June 5, 1927 – March 24, 1997) was an American professional wrestler. He was a one time American Wrestling Association world champion and also wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance, the World Wrestling Association and the World Wide Wrestling Federation.
| Dr. Bill Miller | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name | William M. Miller |
| Born | June 5, 1927 Fremont, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1997 (aged 69) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Bill Miller Dr. Bill Miller Doctor "X" Mr. M The Crimson Knight |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 290 lb (130 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Fremont, Ohio[1] |
| Debut | 1951 |
| Retired | 1976 |
Professional wrestling career
Born on June 5, 1927, Miller was raised on the Twin Pines Farm in Fremont.[3][4] He was a nine-letterman at Ohio State University in wrestling, football and track; he was also a member of the OSU team that won the 1950 Rose Bowl.[1][5] He was an all-american heavyweight wrestler, a two-time Big Ten heavyweight champion, and Conference MVP in his senior year.[3][5] Miller was also an All-American shot-put and discus track star.[1][3] He was voted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 for both wrestling and track.[1]
After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Miller began to wrestle professionally in Columbus under promoter Al Haft.[4] He became a veterinarian while starting his wrestling career, hence, the "Dr." in his name.[3][1][4] On May 1, 1952, Miller defeated Don Eagle to win the Ohio version of the AWA title, until losing it on September 2 to Don Arnold.[3][4] He wrestled as "Mr. M" in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and held the AWA title for over seven months while engaging in a feud with Verne Gagne.[4] On August 21, 1962, Mr. M was unmasked by Gagne.[2] Under his own name, he wrestled in the Detroit area with The Sheik (Eddie Farhat) through the 60s. Miller also donned a mask as the Crimson Knight, until November 20, 1970, when he lost to Dory Funk Jr. and was subsequently unmasked by him.[3][2] Near the end of his career, he worked for the WWA with Dick the Bruiser in the Indianapolis area.[2] He was also a frequent challenger to Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Championship in the mid-1960s, facing him in a one-hour bout and a 48 second squash loss.[4]
In the early 1960s, Bill teamed with both his storyline brother Big Ed Miller, and real life brother Danny Miller.[5][6] From August 1965 to February 1966, Bill and Danny held the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, winning it from Gorilla Monsoon & Cowboy Bill Watts, but losing them to Johnny Valentine & Antonio Pugliese in Madison Square Garden.[4][1] He was also a part of a brutal feud against Ray Stevens for the San Francisco version of the United States title, leading to a death match between the two on June 21, 1969, at the Cow Palace, where guest referee Rocky Marciano knocked out Miller, disappointed in his rule breaking tactics.[4]
After retiring from the ring in 1976,[1] he returned to his first love of veterinarian medicine and opened a practice in Ohio, performing autopsies on animals.[3][4]
Death
On March 24, 1997, Miller died of a heart attack at the age of 69, after working out at a gym while leaving the building.[2][3] He was survived by his wife and six kids.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Association
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2005[6]
- Southwest Sports, Inc. / NWA Big Time Wrestling
- International Pro Wrestling
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2016
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)[12]
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
- World Wide Wrestling Federation
- WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dan Miller[1]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
References
External links
- Dr. Bill Miller's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database
