Hailing from Rayville, Louisiana is 'Big Cat' Ernie Ladd who was one of the first Black-American heels in professional wrestling back in the early 1960s. Surprisingly, wrestling was not Ladd's original calling as he was also a professional football player and was drafted 15th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1961. Ladd worked as a wrestler during the offseason but on the field won the AFL title in 1963 and also played for the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring from football in 1968.
'Big Cat' Ernie Ladd's cocky interviewing style and dirty in-ring tricks helped him become a household name for wrestling fans everywhere while he held titles in the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), National Hollywood Wrestling Association (NWA) and the World Wrestling Association (WWA). Unfortunately, Big Cat lost his battle with colon cancer at the age of 68 in 2007. Ernie Ladd was and still is one of the most cherished and personable two-sport athletes in wrestling history.