Bulldog Brower
{{Short description|American professional wrestler}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name = Bulldog Brower
|image = Bulldog Brower pinup 1979.png
|alt =
|caption = Gland, circa 1979
|birth_name = Richard T. Gland{{Cite news |last=Hager |first=Mary |date=September 18, 1997 |title=Richard Gland, 63; 'Dick the Bulldog' |page=5 |work=The News Journal |location=Wilmington, Delaware |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-journal/23759504/ |access-date=June 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624215725/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-journal/23759504/ |archive-date=June 24, 2023}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1933|9|17|mf=y}}{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/d/dick-brower.html|title=Wrestler Profiles: Dick "The Bulldog" Brower|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=July 22, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712142430/http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/d/dick-brower.html|archive-date=July 12, 2007}}
|birth_place = Delaware, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1997|9|15|1933|9|17}}{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/brower.html|title=Dick 'The Bulldog' Brower|work=SLAM! Wrestling|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|accessdate=December 8, 2009|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115091908/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/brower.html|archive-date=January 15, 2013}}
|spouse = Susan Gland (his death)
|names = Bulldog Brower
Delaware Destroyer
Dick Brower
The Gestapo
|height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}}
|weight = {{convert|270|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}
}}
Richard T. Gland (September 17, 1933 – September 15, 1997), better known by his ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower, was an American professional wrestler.
Early life
Gland served in the U.S. Marines and frequently visited his local YMCA.{{Cite book |last=Harris M. Lentz III |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000lent/page/52/mode/2up |title=Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling |publisher=McFarland |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7864-1754-4 |edition=2nd |pages=52 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-6DoPuiRkEC&pg=PA167 |title=Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Heels |last2=Oliver |first2=Greg |publisher=ECW Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55490-284-2 |pages=167–169 |language=en}} He got into powerlifting after graduating from Wilmington High School in 1952. However, Gland dropped out of chiropractic school to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
File:Bulldog Brower pulls Johnny Powers face 1979.png face (bottom), circa 1979]]
Gland started his career in the Delaware territory in 1958 under the ring name the Delaware Destroyer, however, other sources state that his debut was in 1960.{{Cite book |last1=Shields |first1=Brian |url=https://archive.org/details/wweencyclopediad0000shie/page/54/mode/2up |title=WWE Encyclopedia |last2=Sullivan |first2=Kevin |publisher=DK |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7566-4190-0 |page=54 |language=en}} Brower, at one point, wrestled Terrible Ted and hit Haystacks Calhoun with a body slam. In 1961, Brower traveled to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart in his promotion Stampede Wrestling. Hart claimed that Brower wrestled Whipper Billy Watson over 500 times. After his run in Stampede, Brower wrestled for Frank Tunney in Toronto from 1961 to 1974. There, Brower won the NWA International Tag Team Championship five times,{{Cite web |title=International Tag Team Title (Ontario) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/on/nwa/on-int-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406091920/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/on/nwa/on-int-t.html |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}} including with Sweet Daddy Siki in 1962, and Johnny Valentine in February 1963. He also worked for other promotions including the American Wrestling Association, NWA St. Louis, Big Time Wrestling in Detroit, and All-Star Wrestling in Montreal.
In 1966, Brower got a call from Vincent J. McMahon to be a heel in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He enjoyed a lengthy feud with WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino, whom he main evented shows with over the next few years.{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1970 |title=Sammartino Takes Measure Of Bulldog Brower on Mat |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/17/archives/sammartino-takes-measure-of-bulldog-brower-on-mat.html |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808043428/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/17/archives/sammartino-takes-measure-of-bulldog-brower-on-mat.html |archive-date=August 8, 2020}} He also feuded with Bob Backlund, who, in his book Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion, described Brower as the least favorite man he ever had to wrestle for the championship.{{Cite book |last1=Backlund |first1=Bob |title=Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion |last2=H. Miller |first2=Robert |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2015 |isbn=9781683584445 |page=362 |language=en |author-link=Bob Backlund}}
Brower also wrestled for the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), where he won the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship in 1970.{{Cite web |title=NWF North American Heavyweight Title |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/oh/nwf/nwf-na-h.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405010445/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/oh/nwf/nwf-na-h.html |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}} He went on to wrestle for World Championship Wrestling in Australia, where he won the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship in 1972,{{Cite web |title=NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Title (Australia) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/australia/wcw/aa-h.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327091031/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/australia/wcw/aa-h.html |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}} as well as the short-lived International Wrestling Association in the New York City area.
Brower returned to the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1979 to 1982, where he was managed by Lou Albano. He then traveled to Puerto Rico, where he competed for the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He and Luke Graham won their version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship,{{Cite web |title=WWC North American Tag Team Title (Puerto Rico) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pr/wwc/wwc-na-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915190801/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pr/wwc/wwc-na-t.html |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}} before Brower retired from professional wrestling in 1988.
Death
While with his son Richie, Gland fell and broke a hip, and was later found to have an infection in his chest. After living with diabetes and going into a coma, Gland died on September 15, 1997, at the age of 63. At the time of his death, Gland was divorced from Susan and had two daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren.{{cite web |author=Cole |first=Glenn |date=September 17, 1997 |title=Bulldog Brower a legend |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/sep17_wcole.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714025819/http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/sep17_wcole.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |accessdate=December 8, 2009 |work=SLAM! Sports |url-status=usurped |publisher=Toronto Sun}}
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling Association
- IWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time){{cite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2000|edition=4th | isbn=0-9698161-5-4 }}
- IWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Mighty Igor (1) and Johnny Powers (1)
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (5 times) – with Sweet Daddy Siki (1), Johnny Valentine (1), Dr. Jerry Graham (1), and Whipper Billy Watson (2)
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF North American Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWF World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Mighty Igor (1) and Johnny Powers (1){{Cite web |title=NWF World Tag Team Title (Ohio/Upstate New York) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/oh/nwf/nwf-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410045441/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/oh/nwf/nwf-t.html |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}}
- World Class Championship Wrestling
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Roddy Piper{{cite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories |chapter= (Dallas) Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [Fritz Von Erich] | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-9698161-5-7}}
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Brass Knuckles Championship{{Cite web |title=World Brass Knuckles Title (Australia) |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/australia/wcw/au-world-bk.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905080923/http://www.wrestling-titles.com/australia/wcw/au-world-bk.html |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=Wrestling-Titles.com}}
- World Wrestling Council
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version) (1 time) – with Luke Graham
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{professional wrestling profiles}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brower, Bulldog}}
Category:American male professional wrestlers
Category:Professional wrestlers from Delaware
Category:Sportspeople from Wilmington, Delaware
Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni
Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers
Category:20th-century American professional wrestlers
Category:NWF North American Heavyweight Champions
Category:NWF World Tag Team Champions
Category:NWA International Tag Team Champions (Toronto version)
Category:NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Champions