The Sheikh Of Baghdad
By Mike Mooneyham Sept. 25, 2005 When Adnan Alkaissy thinks about Iraq, it evokes wistful memories of a beautiful homeland of hard-working, peace-loving people. His memories, though, are in stark contrast to the images of war and bloodshed beamed to America on a daily basis. The 65-year-old Alkaissy, son of a Muslim cleric, traces much [...]
Ladd Comes Full Circle
By Mike Mooneyham Sept. 18, 2005 Final of two parts Few men ever cast a more imposing figure on a football field or in a wrestling ring than Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd. At 6-9 and well over 300 pounds, the Grambling State product was arguably the biggest, strongest and toughest man in professional football during [...]
Ladd Answers The Call
By Mike Mooneyham Sept. 11, 2005 First of two parts When former President George Bush asked for help, “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd answered the call. The ex-pro football and wrestling star joined Bush and his wife, Barbara, last week in Houston as they visited Hurricane Katrina evacuees at the Astrodome and the nearby Reliant Center. [...]
Ole, Young Flair Face Off
By Mike Mooneyham Sept. 4, 2005 Ole Anderson’s been out of the wrestling business for some years now, but that doesn’t mean the contentious ex-mat great has quit generating headlines. The always controversial Anderson got into what was described as an embarrassing squabble with David Flair, son of 16-time world champion Ric Flair, at a [...]