Ever since I was a kid, professional wrestling was a huge part of my life. When I was born, my parents were living in Irving where they both worked.
They were both getting started in new careers–my dad was working his way up in the banking world while my mom was building her client list as a CPA.
When Dad was working at the bank in Irving, he was the banker for numerous professional wrestlers.
These wrestlers were both former and current WCCW wrestlers controlled by the legendary Jack Adkisson AKA Fritz Von Erich.
My dad, Henry Summerall–former president of Security Bank of downtown Whitesboro, had moonlighted as a pro wrestler himself in his early 20s, and these wrestlers all bonded with Dad almost immediately.
Having those wrestling connections paid off later in life especially when it was for a great Whitesboro ISD Bearcat cause.
During the spring of 2000, my dad helped to start a committee for the purpose of purchasing an inflatable Bearcat head for the WISD athletic department.
The committee included Mike Hughes, Margie McCauley, Jane Parish and many others.
A fundraising event was planned: Dad called on his old wrestling connections to come through, and they did in a big way.
A night of wrestling was to be held in the Bearcat Gym in May, and the card was to include “Jake the Snake” Roberts, Sam Houston and “Cowboy” Johnny Mantell.
Whitesboro resident and Grayson County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Mark Haning, was also on the card for a special match.
The wrestlers on the card for the evening even came to WHS during the lunch hours to pump up and promote the match to get all of us excited to attend.
The day of the event, the ring crew/setup/breakdown team included Bearcat football players Matt Ferguson, Micah Hughes, Patrick Bingham, Steve Guess, Trent Briley, Joey McCauley, Dustin Smith and yours truly.
I’ll never forget how my dad, a larger-than-life banker-by-day and emcee-by-night, was the ring announcer for the evening, and he wore a carnation boutonnière in honor of all of the old-time wrestling announcers.
With the help of the wrestlers on the card that night, the evening went off without a hitch, the fans had a great time, and the proceeds from the event helped to purchase the inflatable Bearcat head for later that fall.
A special education teacher during the day, Matthew is an old soul with a zeal for life. A self-described Chili King, Matthew loves a good AM radio station, the great American songbook, and sweet iced tea. He lives in north Texas with his wife, Megan, and their beautiful Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Bella. You can follow Matthew on Facebook and Instagram as BigSumBites.