BILL "SUPERFOOT" WALLACE - Martial Arts Champion and Film Star

BILL "SUPERFOOT" WALLACE

Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and trained in wrestling during his high school years. He began his study of Judo in 1966 and was forced to discontinued his Judo related activities due to an injury he suffered to his right knee during practice. He then began to study Shorin-ryu Karate in February 1967 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. After entering the point fighting tournament scene and achieving success there, he switched to full-contact kickboxing. With the coaching help of veteran fighter Jim 'Ronin' Harrison, Wallace won 23 consecutive professional fights between 1974 and 1980, becoming the Professional Karate Association middleweight world full-contact karate champion and retiring undefeated. He was known for his fast left leg kicks, especially his roundhouse kick and his hook kick, which was clocked at about 60 mph. He focused on his left leg due the Judo-related injury to his right knee, using the right leg primarily as a base. He also suffered the loss of one testicle during a point fighting tournament, when his protective cup was struck at an unfortunate angle.

In 1973, Wallace suffered what many considered a career-ending injury. However, one of Wallace's friends, the late Elvis Presley, flew in a Los Angeles acupuncturist to treat him at Graceland Manor. A year later, Wallace turned professional and captured the PKA middleweight karate championship with a second-round knockout. He relinquished the crown in 1980, undefeated. The PKA promoted the sport of full-contact karate. Full-contact karate differed from kickboxing in that leg kicks were allowed in kickboxing and forbidden in full-contact karate.

Wallace has taught Karate, Judo, Wrestling, and weight lifting at Memphis State University and has also authored a college texbook on Karate and Kinesiology. He is the author of three books: Karate: Basic Concepts & Skills , Dynamic Kicking & Stretching , and The Ultimate Kick , and continues to give seminars. He has also acted, most notably in A Force of One starring Chuck Norris. Wallace was also the play-by-play commentator for the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event in 1993 alongside a fellow kickboxer Kathy Long and NFL Hall of famer Jim Brown. He also runs the Superfoot organization which are karate schools under his system. His film credits include A Force of One with Chuck Norris; Kill Point, with Cameron Mitchell; Continental Divide and Neighbors, with John Belushi; The Protector, with Jackie Chan; Los Bravos with Hector Echavarria; A Prayer for the Dying, with Mickey Rourke; Ninja Turf; and A sword of Heaven. Wallace was a close friend of John Belushi and was the one who found him dead of a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont on March 5, 1982.

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