Ed Gantner

Edward James Gantner Jr. (February 4, 1959 – December 31, 1990) was an American professional wrestler and football player who was nicknamed "the Bull".

Early life Edward James Ganter Jr. was born in Orlando, Florida, the youngest of four children. Ed was the only son with three older sisters. By the time he was three years old, his father would throw him a football hard enough to knock him down, only to get back up and throw it back. His mother and sisters never recall Gantner having a knack for football. He was considered a "puny little runt," all the way through junior high school.

Gantner's life began to change around age twelve when his parents separated. His father moved out of the house, while his mother went back to school. His mother and sisters worked to keep the family afloat, and during this period he found solace in weight lifting, pumping iron for hours alone in his room, also finding solace in surfing.

Professional football career Gantner's major football career started at Edgewater High School. Around his junior year, he began using steroids. Between his junior and senior years in high school, he gained 45 lbs. His newly found physique gained him confidence to the point, where he talked incessantly about the weight he gained, how much he could lift, and the size of his biceps and neck.

After graduating from high school, he received a college scholarship to play football for the University of Tennessee, but after less than a year, he became depressed and homesick.

After returning home to Orlando, he took a hiatus, working as a bartender and a bouncer at Rose O’Grady‘s big time Emporium, owned by Bob Snow at that time. It was the number three tourist attraction in the state of Florida. In 1979 through 1982, he returned to playing college football, this time for the UCF, as a defensive tackle alongside Thomas Michael O’Shaughnessy Jr. and defensive back Mark Whigham. Tom Murphy was part of that original UCF coaching staff of Sam Woodshed local fame. He also had the honor of being the 2nd man from the college to go professional (Tim Kiggins, a defensive back playing for the Toronto Argonauts was the first from the first two years of UCF Football. He played pro football in the United States Football League, where he played for the Tampa Bay Bandits for one year, and for the Jacksonville Bulls for two years. Within the group, he formed a tag team with Kareem Muhammed called the Shock Troops. He would also have a feud with Lex Luger that would go on for a good part of 1986.

In February 1987, Gantner was awarded the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship, after his manager Sir Oliver Humperdink defeated Bad News Allen for the title. After losing the title to Mike Rotunda a month later,

Championships and accomplishments Championship Wrestling From Florida NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)