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A Humongous Weekend Looms For The Van Camps

Posted: Apr 28th 2011 By: CMBurnham

A humongous opportunity now awaits a second member of the Van Camp family.

And the man who once donned the tights as the dreaded Lord Humongous couldn't be more proud of his son.

Jeff Van Camp's namesake is projected to get chosen in the mid- to late rounds of this weekend's NFL draft as a quarterback from Florida Atlantic University. Van Camp Sr. has hoped for this moment since coaching his son in youth football at age 6.

"It's a very exciting time, but I'm also nervous," Van Camp Sr. said in a recent telephone interview. "I'm hoping a team will look at him and take advantage of what he has to offer. Jeff has a good heart and good spirit."

Van Camp Sr. had NFL dreams of his own once while playing defensive tackle at the University of Louisville in the early 1980s until suffering a serious knee injury. But while his pro prospects were dashed, being a member of the Cardinals' football team led to his break in pro wrestling.

He and other players would serve as security guards when the Memphis, Tenn.-based Continental Wrestling Association would run weekly Tuesday-night shows at the Louisville Gardens. Some of the grappling veterans were impressed by the size of the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Van Camp and suggested he give wrestling a try.

"I talked to Jerry Lawler and he suggested I go to the Mid-South Coliseum (in Memphis) one Saturday afternoon to train and become a wrestler," Van Camp said. "I was supposed to go with one of my teammates named Pete Bowen, but at the last minute he got cold feet, so my brother and I drove to Memphis alone.

"I got into the ring with Mr. Lawler, and three hours later he told me, 'You are now a pro wrestler. Here are your booking dates.' "

Not only was he green inside the ring, Van Camp also had no previous pro-wrestling knowledge to draw upon while learning the craft. But working regularly in a regional territory that promoted shows throughout the week helped accelerate the process.

Van Camp originally performed under his real name to tout his football background, but his biggest success came after he left the CWA. That's when he was repackaged as Lord Humongous, a spin-off of a menacing character (The Humungus) from the hit 1981 movie "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior." Van Camp donned a white hockey mask and black shroud that covered his entire face except for his eyes.

While primitive by today's standards, the Lord Humongous gimmick was such a hit that others would later play the role after Van Camp left wrestling. Among them was Sid Eudy, who would later become a national headliner in the 1990s under the names Sid Vicious and Sid Justice.

Van Camp worked for a slew of regional promotions through the mid-1980s. The biggest match came in 1985 when Lord Humongous and Jake "The Snake" Roberts headlined a show at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans that also featured a closed-circuit airing of the Starrcade mega-card presented annually by Charlotte, N.C.-based Jim Crockett Promotions. Humongous lost via disqualification and was then covered in the ring by the 12-foot snake that served as Roberts' trademark mascot.

Although he wasn't born for another two years, Jeff Van Camp said he has watched footage of that Lord Humongous match and others. Van Camp Sr. also took his two sons to reunion shows in Alabama about a decade ago so they could see their father in action.

"I have some great memories growing up just being able to watch him wrestle some of the greats," Van Camp said. "I still remember when he wrestled Jake the Snake. He's got that scary mask on, but he's actually a great guy and a great dad. I love him to death."

The desire to start a family with his future wife was the reason why Van Camp Sr. left pro wrestling just when he would have been entering the prime of his career.

"I don't have any regrets," said Van Camp, who now heads the Crime Stoppers division of the Escambia (Fla.) County sheriff's office. "If I wouldn't have gotten out, I wouldn't have had my two sons. In the wrestling life, I was on the road seven days a week and never off except for maybe 10 days for Christmas. That's tough on your family life."

The one-time wrestler's taking such a strong interest in his son's life is one of the reasons why the two have such a special bond.

"I thank him a lot for getting me started into football early," said the NFL hopeful, who is represented by the same firm (California-based Rep1 Sports) that counts quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Mark Brunell and Trent Edwards among its clients. "I don't know what I'd do without him."