Houston Sports - Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris

Born: March 10, 1940

Sport: Martial Arts (183-10-2 career record, 6-time undefeated World Karate Middleweight Champion, Numerous Black Belts - Chun Kuk Do: 10th, American Tang Soo Do: 9th, Taekwondo: 8th, Kyokushin Budokai: 8th, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: 3rd, Judo: 1st)

Six years ago, my youngest daughter was in need of a physical activity that could teach her some discipline while also socializing outside the house.  A few friends of ours recommended a local martial arts school under the leadership of a man named Al Garza, a grand master in karate who held a number of belts in other disciplines.  On the wall of his school was a picture of Grand Master Garza alongside a familiar face who had become legendary in movies and TV, but who got his start on the mat as a dominant and respected martial artist.  This week, people around the world were shocked to hear that the second person in that photo, Chuck Norris, had died unexpectedly shortly after his 86th birthday.  With a heavy heart and utmost respect, I wanted to take this week to share just a bit of his story here.

Chuck Norris moved into the Lone Wolf Ranch near Houston in 2011

Carlos Ray Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, as the oldest son of Ray and Wilma Norris.  Named after his father's pastor the young man was quiet and shy, the kind of kid who hated to be called upon in school and wasn't outstanding in any noticeable way.  Ray was an army veteran and auto mechanic who struggled with alcoholism, and after moving the family several times he eventually settled in California while Carols was 12 years old.  He divorced Wilma four years later, leaving her with three growing boys and significant financial hardship.  She had to turn to welfare in order to make ends meet and the teenaged Carlos, who had been attending North Torrance High School just south of Los Angeles, chipped in to help raise his younger brothers.  Upon graduating two years later in 1958, Norris married his girlfriend Dianne Holechek, with whom he would have two children, enlisted in the US Air Force and was soon sent to serve in South Korea at Osan Air Force Base.  There, two things happened that helped shape the rest of his life - first, other airmen started calling him "Chuck", and second, he decided to try out some of the local martial arts schools as an escape from boredom.  Initially learning judo, Norris soon pivoted to an art called Tang Soo Do and became a black belt before his tour of duty was over.

Moving back to civilian life in California in 1962, Chuck Norris had to figure out what sort of career he would pursue.  Having served as an Air Policeman, he applied for a position with the Torrance Police Department and also opened up his first martial arts school.  Norris soon found his way to competitions, where he participated in full-contact karate bouts.  Losing several of his early bouts, he learned and improved quickly.  By 1968 Norris owned a string of karate schools and had suffered the last of his career defeats, and on November 24 he avenged that loss by defeating rival Louis Delgado to claim the World Karate Middleweight title.  He held that title for six years, including winning the 1969 Triple Crown for most tournament wins and being named Black Belt magazine's Fighter of the Year, while also developing a student roster that included many film stars, including Priscilla Pressley, Bob Barker, and Donnie and Marie Osmond.  He also met another fighter with whom he would train and eventually be linked to forever - Bruce Lee.  The pair sparred and worked out together for a few years before Lee decided to pursue an acting career in Hong Kong, but in 1972 Norris got a call from his old friend to appear in a movie.  It wasn't the first time Norris had been filmed - he'd gotten his official card from the Screen Actors Guild in 1968 in a Dean Martin movie called The Wrecking Crew.  This time, however, Lee had in mind that Norris would be his opponent in a fight to the death at the Roman Colosseum.  The legendary fight scene that resulted made The Way of the Dragon a favorite of martial arts film enthusiasts and opened the door to Norris becoming an acting star.  Retiring from competitive tournaments in 1974, he had sold his schools to a larger corporate group that didn't expand nationally as planned, and when they subsequently closed Norris began teaching private lessons to help make ends meet.  On the advice of one of his students, actor Steve McQueen, he decided to try acting school and was fortunate to find one that he could attend with his GI Bill benefits.

While on his way to becoming a film star, Chuck Norris still embraced martial arts and loved to teach.  He wrote his first book, entitled Winning Tournament Karate, in 1975 before landing his first starring role two years later in Breaker! Breaker!.  Norris became one of the original American stars of martial arts films, and by the time the 1980s arrived he had solidified himself as an action movie star.  Films such as A Force of One, Silent Rage, and The Octagon were well received, and soon he made what many consider to be his greatest work, Lone Wolf McQuade in 1983.  Rejecting the antihero model that had been popular in the 70s and sensitive to the role his father had played in his own childhood, Norris leaned heavily towards playing wholesome and sometimes reluctant hero characters who were forced into action in order to defend justice.  His pro-veteran films such as Delta Force and Missing in Action displayed his personal values and reflected his memory of younger brother Wieland, who died while serving in the Vietnam War.  Norris' personal life became rocky for a few years as he revealed infidelity shortly after his military career had resulted in a child, at which time his wife Dianne separated from Chuck and eventually filed for divorce.  Seeking to pass along the lessons he had learned to that point in his life, Norris wrote a second book in 1987 called The Secret to my Inner Strength: My Story that outlined his philosophy of self-improvement, and in 1990 he formalized his own martial arts form called Chun Kuk Do (Korean for The Universal Way - it was later renamed the Chuck Norris System in 2015) that merged Korean and American disciplines.  He came to Houston in 1993 to film a movie called Sidekicks at Lamar High School, which was assisted by local businessman Mattress Mac and aligned with a campaign he supported to get drugs out of schools.  That same year Norris cemented his connection to Texas by launching his TV series Walker, Texas Ranger, which drew inspiration from his Cherokee heritage and Lone Wolf character, and the show had a successful eight-season run.  One year later he made a cameo appearance during a World Wrestling Federation fight between Houston legend The Undertaker and Yokozuna, acting as an enforcer to keep out anyone who would interfere.  Still continuing to learn and develop his martial arts skills, however, he became the first American ever to achieve 8th degree black belt in taekwondo in 1997.  The following year he married Gena O'Kelley, a model who he had met while recording his TV series, and the couple would have a set of twins together three years later.

By the time Chuck Norris had reached his late 50s he was seen as a reliable voice for health and fitness, as well as maintaining his reputation for being a positive role model.  He endorsed exercise equipment such as the Total Gym, became active in the Make-a-Wish Foundation, created the Kickstart charitable organization with support from George Bush, and founded the United Fighting Arts Federation.  As an outspoken Christian, Norris spent the early 2000s supporting faith-based films and TV projects.  In 2005, right as the internet began making so-called Chuck Norris Facts popular, he organized the World Combat League to create team-based, full-contact competitions.  His support of the military and positive portrayal of soldiers was so influential that in 2007 Norris was named an honorary United States Marine by Commandant Gen. James Conway.  Just three years later, Chuck and his brother Aaron were named honorary Texas Rangers by Governor Rick Perry.  His political views were conservative, and he was vocal about supporting Republican candidates in various state and national elections, while also writing online articles on a variety of issues.  Norris eventually moved to a ranch in Navasota, just outside of Houston, where the family operates a dog food company called Lone Wolf Ranch Pets and bottles water from an artesian well under the brand name CForce Water.  Over his final years he was honored by numerous martial arts publications and organizations, including being part of the inaugural induction class of the Black Belt Hall of Fame. 

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