Husky Boy Hall of Fame, Grappling with Greatness

It is my distinct pleasure to announce the first inductee to the Husky Boy Hall of fame. For those of you who do not know (and why should you? I haven’t told anyone yet), the HBHOF honors great men and women who live large. These are the individuals who sink their teeth into every day and never refuse seconds. They live husky. So without further adieu I am proud to induct the first member into the Husky Boy Hall of Fame, a fabled star of sports entertainment and a boyhood hero of mine, Mr. Haystack Calhoun.

As a boy growing up in the 70s I marveled at the feats of strength, the bombastic personalities and the comic book morality play of professional wrestling. Over flowing with villains and heroes who were quite literally larger than life, pro wrestling was Saturday morning cotton candy escapism for preteen boys. Bobo Brazil, Dick the Bruiser, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rodgers, Pompero Firpo, I loved or hated them as prompted by the announcers. I gobbled up their exploits like they were Lucky Charms. My hands down favorite though was the largest of all, the first inductee to the Husky Boy Hall of Fame, Mr. William “Haystack” Calhoun.

Haystack tipped (or crushed) the scales at 640lbs. He was huge, by far the biggest man I had ever seen, but he was no stiff. He could move. He could grapple. His finishing move, “the splash” was, as you may imagine, devastating. He was inhumanly strong, earning the name “Haystack” from his ability to through bails of hay from the ground into a hayloft.  Calhoun was nearly impossible to beat but what won me (and the crowd) over was is affable personality. It’s always good to see a man enjoy his work and Haystack was obviously enjoying every moment in the squared circle. In just about every match he could be seen laughing at an opponents attempts to pick him up for a slam or smiling  as smaller wrestlers bounced off him in failed attempts to knock him off his feet. He played the part of a good-natured hillbilly with a twinkle in his eyes (and a horseshoe around his neck). He was a hell of an entertainer, and a sight to behold. He lived large, a true Husky Boy. Congratulations Haystack Calhoun, you are the first member of the Husky Boy Hall of Fame.