STEVE "DR. DEATH" WILLIAMS

Born May 14, 1960 in Lakewood, CO (a suburb on the west side of Denver), Steve Williams has been a star of numerous sports at all levels.  Nicknamed "Dr. Death" at an early age, it seems Steve was destined for a career in professional wrestling.  Steve attended the University of Oklahoma and, during his time as a Sooner, was named an All-American at football and competed in the finals of the NCAA wrestling tournament.

After graduating from Oklahoma in 1981, Steve signed with the short-lived USFL's New Jersey Generals.  After his stint playing football was over, Steve trained for professional wrestling with "Cowboy" Bill Watts and began wrestling in 1982 in Watts's Mid-South Wrestling promotion.  Steve won his first world title, the Universal Wrestling Federation (the successor to Mid-South Wrestling) title on July 11, 1987. 

After the UWF was sold to and absorbed by Jim Crockett Promotions, Steve held the NWA World Tag Team Titles with partner Mike Rotunda in 1989.  After his JCP run, Williams went to All Japan Pro Wrestling where formed perhaps his most famous tag team, "The Miracle Violence Combination," with Terry Gordy.  They were a dominant force in Japan through 1993 and also included a stop in WCW where they held both the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Titles in 1992.

Williams held perhaps the most prestigious title of his career, the All Japan Triple Crown Title (consisting of the NWA United National Championship, the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship), from July 28, 1994 until October 22, 1994. 

In 1998, Steve made his return to US rings and competed briefly in the WWE before going to WCW in 1999.

After his battles with throat cancer beginning in 2004, Steve took the new moniker, "Dr. Life."  Today, Steve assists with training up and coming wrestlers with WWE and speaking about his life and experiences.  Steve was inducted to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007.

Due to Steve's stellar amateur and professional wrestling careers, the Board of Directors of the CAC believe he is an ideal candidate to be the first recipient of the Lou Thesz Award to not be chosen by Thesz himself.

Click here to visit the Steve Williams Photo Gallery