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Bios

Bill Mercer

From: Muskogee, OK

Birthday: Feb 13th

Feds Worked For: WCCW, Wild West Wrestling (TX)

Other Facts: -Full name was William A. Mercer
-Replaced Dan Coates as television commentator and interviewer for WCCW from 1975-1982.
-At one point, was a minority owner of WCCW.
-Covered many sports, including wrestling, for radio station KMUS in Muskogee, OK. When he began, part of his assignment required that he cover wrestling, although he knew nothing about it. He met with Red Berry, Danny McShain and The Fabulous Moolah, who stretched him in the ring. This allowed him to understand better the significance of each move and help describe it to the radio audience.
-The famous late-night news conference with President Kennedy's alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas City Jail, held in the early hours of November 23, 1963, happened as a result of Mercer's journalistic efforts.
-Is credited with the idea of using handheld cameras at ringside to bring the audience closer to the action, rather than the standard wide & medium shots from 2 stationary cameras.
-In 1997, Mercer and Mickey Grant helped Gary Hart launch World Class II: The Next Generation at the Sportatorium, but by then both the building and pro wrestling in Dallas were on their last legs, and the effort was not successful.
-A member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame
-Was a professor at North Texas State University
-Serves on the selection committee of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, NY
-Was one of the many interviewees on WWE's "Triumph & Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling" DVD.
-His autobiography, entitled "Play-by-Play: Tales from a Sports Broadcasting Insider", was published in September, 2007. He also wrote "When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963" with George Phenix, Wes Wise and Bob Huffaker about their experiences during the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination.
-Passed away March 23, 2025 at the age of 99. At the time of his death, he was the oldest wrestling personality alive.