Pro football, wrestling ... Ladd was one talented `Cat'
LAS VEGAS · Ernie "The Cat" Ladd feels blessed that he is on the prowl again.
Ladd will be honored this weekend by the Cauliflower Alley Club, an organization that recognizes some of the top names in pro wrestling at its annual convention in Las Vegas. Ladd is especially grateful to attend the event since recovering from colon cancer last year.
"I asked the doctor to tell me exactly what his diagnosis was," said Ladd, 66. "He told me, `Mr. Ladd, you need to get your business straight. You've got three to six months [to live].'
"The Holy Spirit spoke right out in me and said, `That was a lie. You don't pass verdict on me. Jesus passes verdict on me.' I went back to the doctor two months later and he told me, `Somebody up there must really like you.' He saw things that just didn't normally happen."
Fans could say the same about Ladd's athletic talent when watching him perform in both pro wrestling and pro football in the 1960s and '70s.
At 6 feet 9 and 320 pounds, Ladd was a standout defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers as a 1961 first-round draft choice from Grambling. Ladd began wrestling in the offseason after being recruited to participate in a match by a San Diego promoter.
Ladd would wrestle in the football offseason during subsequent stints with the Houston Oilers (1966) and Kansas City Chiefs (1967 and 1968) before becoming a full-time grappler. Ladd was a heel for a slew of regional promotions with headline feuds against such performers as Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino and Andre the Giant.
"My first full year in wrestling, I earned $98,000," Ladd said. "It was more than I was making in football. Over the next 10 years, I earned over $100,000 every year except for one where I hurt my knee. I still made $66,000 that year. It was awesome."
Ladd earned his cash by combining moves that belied his size with brash interviews that evoked such hatred from fans that he was part of two riots at live events. Ladd's in-ring success, spurred by use of a taped thumb that became his trademark, led to The Cat becoming a pioneer for black performers.
"I was the first black guy to wrestle against a white guy in Louisiana," said Ladd, who also was one of the industry's first black headliners as a heel. "I broke a lot of color barriers. It was important that other black talent could come in and wrestle against other guys. A lot of other black talent didn't have that opportunity and couldn't come to the Deep South to make money."
Ladd wrestled and then managed until 1985 before deciding to make a clean break from the industry. Ladd's strong religious ties led to him becoming involved with prison ministry while working as a consultant near his home in Franklin, La.
Ladd, a member of the WWE's Hall of Fame, doesn't follow today's grappling scene much. However, Ladd said he is appreciative to get honored by CAC along with such legends as Terry Funk, Jack Brisco and Sir Oliver Humperdink.
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