Happy Humphrey

In all the columns I have done thus far, I have yet to consider the largest of athletes for a story. Just whom, you would ask, are the big men of our business?

You would have to consider big men like Man Mountain Dean, Haystacks Muldoon, Andre The Giant, Haystacks Calhoun, Klondike Bill, Primo Carnera, and, of course, Happy Farmer Humphrey.

Humphrey began a very simple life as William J. Cobb of Macon, Georgia. He was a huge baby of 13 pounds, and, by the time he was three years old, he weighed in excess of 100 pounds. By the time he graduated from school, he weighed in at over 500 pounds. He was a star defensive fullback on the football field and excelled at putting opposing players into the hospital.

His passion was eating, and he spent many long hours every day he could at the farmers market in downtown Macon. He bought many bushels of fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meats, consuming them right on the spot daily. It was not long before he weighed over 600 pounds.

He was told by a few friends to get into professional wrestling to help with his food bills that continued to grow with each day. He contacted a promoter in Atlanta and began training to be a wrestler. It didn't take long before he was ready to go solo into the world of professional wrestling.

It was during this time that Bill decided on a ring character that would fit his size. A comic strip character by the name of Humphrey, who was also a huge man, was to be his name in professional wrestling. He even had a three-wheeled Harley Davidson outfitted with an outhouse on the back, just like the comic strip character.

He began wrestling primarily in Georgia, where he developed a huge winning streak in battle royals. His success was told in many arenas around the country, and, soon, promoters were calling for him to come and be a part of their wrestling extravaganzas.

Vince McMahon Sr., who was a huge part of Capital Sports, called on Humphrey to face his giant of 601 pounds, Haystacks Calhoun, at Madison Square Garden. The match had all the pre-event status of a world championship bout. The ring was reinforced for the event, and the two giants met before a sellout crowd. Humphrey, at 750 pounds, entered the ring wearing a pair of 101"-waist polka-dotted tights with a plain tan shirt. He had a small 30's style cap on and was well received by the fans. He was signing autographs when the smaller Haystacks Calhoun, who tipped the Toledo's at 601 pounds, entered the ring wearing a modified pair of bib overalls and a sweatshirt with the arms cut out of it.

The two huge men faced each other as the referee gave them their instructions. Calhoun began sizing up the larger opponent by walking around him. Just the huge size of Humphrey was enough to make anybody not want to get into the ring with him.

The bell rang, and the two men locked up in a referee position and began to push against each other until they reached the ropes. They pushed a little harder, and the top rope gave way to the heavy men. The ring crew was sent quickly to the ring to try and fix the problem even as the match continued. Calhoun had grabbed Humphrey in a side headlock and dropped to the mat, throwing the rotund Humphrey over his back and stomach.

The move left Humphrey very much out of breath, and Calhoun jumped across his shoulders for a three count. At the two count, Humphrey pushed the 601-pound man off his shoulders and through the ropes to the arena floor. Humphrey regained his composure and got back upright from the mat.

By then, Calhoun had again entered the combat zone, and the two men started in again on each other, grabbing headlocks and arm locks. Much to the delight of the crowd, these giant men went to a time limit draw and were applauded with a standing ovation.

Humphrey continued to amaze audiences around the entire United States in almost every arena that carried professional wrestling. He got himself into a few embarrassing moments. In Alabama, he went into a phone booth to call a local promoter about a date he was to appear and got stuck. It took eight police officers to get him out of the booth.

In New Orleans, he got stuck in a set of theater seats, and they had to cut the seats from the flooring and then use cutting tools to get the seats away from his ample backside.

He spent 28 minutes in the ring in 1953 wrestling a bear. It was an unheard of thing, as the bear had beaten every man that he faced. Humphrey had done some farming in Georgia before getting into the wrestling business and had the natural strength needed to become a top wrestler.

A daily menu for Humphrey would have been to start his day with two dozen eggs, two pounds of ham, a couple of plates of toast with a huge platter of potatoes, and, to wash it down, a gallon of buttermilk. For lunch, he would have a five-pound salad and wash it down with a gallon of iced tea. Dinner, after he wrestled, usually would be an 18-course banquet with a 48-ounce steak with all the trimmings.

It cost him an average of $30-$40 a day just to eat … and that's when you could buy a loaf of bread for 10 cents and a hamburger for 15 cents at a place called McDonald's. A specially built car was designed for him with super overload suspension on it. It was a very hard life for this jolly man from the Peach State.

Humphrey had continued to eat as he never had before, and the weight continued to build up. He went up to 900 pounds and was not able to walk across a 12-foot room without stopping to rest, and he used a cane that was specially built for him.

He entered the university hospital in Atlanta and became a human testing machine for them in solving diet problems. He stayed there for nearly two years and emerged as a 230-pound man.

Humphrey returned to farming and working around the farmers market in Macon. Soon afterwards, he became contented with eating again and was soon back to his HAPPY self at around 600 pounds.

William J. Cobb (Happy Farmer Humphrey) passed away on March 14, 1989, and is sadly missed by the wrestling family he was a part of.

Rest in peace, Bill.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree