Joseph Edgar Blanchard (December 7, 1928 – March 22, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler and promoter. His son is original Four Horseman member Tully Blanchard and his granddaughter is former Impact Champion Tessa Blanchard.[1]
Blanchard graduated from Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS where he played football and was a star for the college wrestling team and won the Big 7 Conference wrestling tournament in 1950.[2]
He played his first three seasons of professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League, eventually playing in the 1952 Grey Cup, a 21–11 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
In 1978, Blanchard founded Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) in San Antonio, where he retired from active competition later that year after 25 years. He returned to the ring in December 1984 for one last match losing to Jonathan Boyd. Blanchard ran the promotion until selling it to Fred Behrend in April 1985, changing its name to Texas All-Star Wrestling (TAW). In 1989, he joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA), replacing Stanley Blackburn as President of the company. He would remain with the promotion until its closure in 1991.
^*Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 268–269. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
