Tyrone High School’s Officer Robert “Bub” Dick is one of the most respected and well-liked staff members at TAHS because of his friendly disposition and legendary fist bumps.

However, most students and staff don’t know that long before becoming our school’s police officer, he earned his respect in a very different place…the professional wrestling ring.

“From a young age I was obsessed with pro wrestling. It was my dream to wrestle with the superstars. That’s what inspired me to wrestle during high school. My love for the sport grew even more after I met Vince McMahan and Hulk Hogan in the mid 1980s. They really shaped my life and made me realize what I wanted to do,” said Bub.

So to follow his dream, Bub worked hard and wrestled wherever he could.

“I would travel around the country with whatever money I could scrape together, wrestling in whatever bush league I could find. I slowly got better and better with every match and continued to work toward my dream.”

Bub even wrestled once at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona in the late 1970s.

Bub’s monicker was “Big Chief” for the ceremonial Native American garb he wore during his bouts. His signature move, the “Knuckle Duster,” was a fan favorite and a force to be reckoned with.

“I worked hard to create an identity for myself. I eventually signed with an agent and began to compete in tag team matches. My partner was nicknamed “The Comrade,” which made for an odd combination, but we were definitely a powerhouse duo.”

As “Big Chief” and “The Comrade” continued their tirade across the country, in 1984 Bub got his big break when he caught the attention of WWE (then known as the WWF) founder Vince McMahon.

“After touring the country as a duo I got a call from McMahon asking if I wanted to join the WWF. I was elated that all of my hard work had paid off and my dream was about to come true,” said Bub.

However, Bub’s dream ended right before he was about to wrestle on the national stage for the first time.

Bub was to make his WWF debut at the first WrestleMania in 1985 at Madison Square Garden. The main event was supposed to be a tag-team match between the WWF Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, accompanied by Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka against the team of “Roudy” Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, who was to be accompanied by none other than Tyrone’s own Bub “Big Chief” Dick.

“Vince wanted me to wrestle my hero, Hulk Hogan.  I was going to come in at the very end of the match and be the heel that took Hogan down at Wrestlemania.  I was about to become a wrestling superstar. But two days before the bout, in training Jimmy Snuka accidentally hit me on the back of the head with a coconut.  I got a concussion and was unable to do the event.”

Bub was replaced at the last minute by “Cowboy” Bob Orton and the storyline was changed to have Hogan win the match.

And just like that, Officer Bub’s WWF wrestling career ended before it even began.

“At first I was devastated, all that hard work getting to the professional level squandered by a stupid coconut,” said Bub, “But I’m at peace with the situation now and it helped me realize where I really wanted to be, back home, right off of Exit 48. But hopefully, by telling my story I can inspire people here to follow their dreams and work hard at whatever they do.”

Of course, not everyone was disappointed. Hogan ended up winning Wreslemania and has been an international superstar since.

Bub doesn’t like to think about it much, but if not for that coconut, that might have been him.

So the next time you go to fist bump Officer Bub, think twice about the road he’s travelled and remember the “Big Chief.”