America’s Tough Guy and WWE Super Star ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan is Professional Wrestling Icon

By  //  September 5, 2020

famous for carrying a 2x4 into the ring while yelling out his trademark "Hoooo!"

2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME: America’s Tough Guy and WWE Super Star ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan is Professional Wrestling Icon.

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2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – If you were a fan of pro wrestling in the late 1980s you know the name “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

The then Titusville, Florida, resident joined what was then called the WWF in 1987 and two years later rose to become the federation’s champion.

A big-time star in the 1980s during the WWE’s first boom period, Duggan became famous for carrying a 2×4 into the ring while yelling out his trademark “Hoooo!” and leading “U-S-A!” chants.

He was the winner of the initial Royal Rumble in 1988 and following his run with WWE, he moved to WCW where he became a WCW United States and WCW Television champion.

Duggan grew up in Glens Falls, New York, where he became a star athlete in high school and his father was the Chief of police for the City of Glens Falls.

WATCH: If you were a fan of pro wrestling in the late 1980s you know the name “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. A big-time star in the 1980s during the WWE’s first boom period, Duggan became famous for carrying a 2×4 into the ring while yelling out his trademark “Hoooo!” and leading “U-S-A!” chants.

He was a letterman in football, track, wrestling and basketball, and won the New York State High School wrestling championship in the unlimited weight class division.

Duggan was recruited by Ohio State University, but would instead choose to play football at Southern Methodist University, where he played both ways and was selected as team captain.

Jim Duggan was recruited by Ohio State University, but would instead choose to play football at Southern Methodist University, where he played both ways and was selected as team captain.

After college, Duggan was signed by the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League but was released after being plagued by knee injuries.

Duggan broke into the professional wrestling business thanks in large part to wrestler Fritz Von Erich. The two met while Duggan was on a recruiting trip to SMU.

Duggan’s first professional match was in 1979 against Gino Hernandez, beginning his career as a villain. Training at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas as well as with Samoan wrestling promoter Peter Maivia, Duggan gained the attention of Vince McMahon, Sr. and the World Wrestling Federation.

Duggan was signed to the WWF in January 1987, making his first major appearance with the WWF at WrestleMania III, where he also made his pay-per-view debut.

In the weeks preceding WrestleMania, Duggan began his first WWF feud with Nikolai Volkoff.

At the event, he ran to ringside prior to a match between The Killer Bees and The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff and interrupted Volkoff’s pre-match singing of the Russian national anthem.

A big-time star in the 1980s during the WWE’s first boom period, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan became famous for carrying a 2×4 into the ring while yelling out his trademark “Hoooo!” and leading “U-S-A!” chants. (Jim Duggan image)

After WCW was purchased by the WWF in March 2001, Duggan began wrestling in the independent circuit.

After spending a year wrestling independents throughout the Northeast and a tour of Austria for Catch Wrestling Association, Duggan signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling in the summer of 1994.

In 1998, Duggan was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. Within a week of the diagnosis, he was on the operating table. Miraculously, he not only beat the disease but was back in the ring months later like nothing had happened.

On April 2, 2011, Duggan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by fellow inductee “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.

Duggan returned to wrestling in WWE with an appearance at the 2012 Royal Rumble and entered the Royal Rumble match.

In 2017, Duggan released the first issue of a biographical comic book miniseries through Squared Circle Comics, entitled Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

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In 2018, Duggan’s trademark “Hooooo!” shout was used in Tuxedo and Zapp’s song “Shy” in live performances and on TV appearances.

Duggan has had many TV and movie appearances mostly as himself and has launched a comedy club tour where he tells stories of his wrestling days.

He has been married to his wife Debra since 1989 and they have two daughters, Celia and Rebecca. The Duggans now reside in South Carolina.

Offering professional wrestling fans a ringside seat into his adventurous life, Duggan recounts key moments and legendary bouts both inside and outside the ring in his book “Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story,” which can be purchased HERE.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the Class of 2021 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

On April 2, 2011, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by fellow inductee “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. (WWE image)

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame selection committee announced an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards will be held Friday, May 8 at the Cocoa Beach Country Club.

The festivities include a meet and greet with the area’s sports royalty beginning at 6 p.m., and the dinner and induction proceeding will start at 6:45 p.m. and includes compelling video tributes of each of the inductees.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame induction event, and the 2020 High School Breakfast of Champions recognition awards, are sponsored by Health First, Erdman Automotive, All Points, Clear Choice Health Care, Savings Safari, Friday Night Locker Room and Rock Paper Simple.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame is located in the main athletic building on the Melbourne Campus of Eastern Florida State College. Portraits and biographies of the Hall of Famers are displayed on the wall in the building’s main hallway that runs parallel to the gym and outside the athletic department offices. Memorabilia items and related sports artifacts will be added to the display over time.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame includes an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

Dozens of nominees were considered in four categories including professional sports, college sports, high school sports and amateur sports.

Special honorary recognition will also be bestowed upon individuals and teams that have made significant contributions to sports on the Space Coast.

A big-time star in the 1980s during the WWE’s first boom period, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan became famous for carrying a 2×4 into the ring while yelling out his trademark “Hoooo!” and leading “U-S-A!” chants. (Jim Duggan image)
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Space Coast Daily created the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and has so far inducted more than 160 of Brevard County’s most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports personalities.

Serving on the committee are Space Coast Daily President & Publisher Tom Palermo, Vice President Giles Malone, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jim Palermo, Managing Editor Zach Clark, the Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson and Orville Susong, former Health First COO Larry Garrison and Amateur Athletic Union Vice President Rusty Buchanan.

“The list of inductees for 2020 induction include athletes and coaches everybody knows – and some that may have been forgotten with the passing of time,” said Tom Palermo.

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Tim Wakefield talks about his induction into the first class of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020

• PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Jamel Dean, Football; Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Wrestling; Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Football; Mark Lake, Skateboarding; Juwaan Taylor, Football

• COLLEGE CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Derek Hamm, Football; Paulette King, Basketball; Dylan Lewis, Soccer; Melanie Murphy, Softball

• PREP CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Lexy Denaburg, Volleyball; Apryl Bigham Nickson, Swimming; Andi Sellers, Soccer

• AMATEUR/RECREATION CATEGORY INDUCTEE: Peter Blount, Track & Field; Karina Villegas, Sled Hockey; Caylor Williams, Wrestling

• COACHING CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Sean Ballard, Wrestling; Doug Butler, Cross County and Track; Aubin Goporo, Basketball; Gerald Hodgin, Football; Bill Sinclair, Softball; Don Smith, Basketball

• SPORTS DEVELOPMENT INDUCTEE: Loren McClanahan

• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEE: Clint Hurdle

• SPORTS OFFICIAL INDUCTEES: Ted Ruta

• SPORTS JOURNALISM INDUCTEES: Steve Vaughn

• SPORTS AMBASSADOR AWARD INDUCTEE: Congressman Bill Posey

• CHALLENGER AWARDS INDUCTEES: Brevard Special Olympics

• TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2019 Satellite High Cross Country

• LEGACY CHAMPIONS: TBA

• SPECIAL TRIBUTE: TBA

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