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A Bright Idea from "The Genius"

Posted: Jan 4th 2007 By: CMBurnham

There once was a wrestler named Lanny

Of chain-smoking friends he had many.

If smoking is "cool" as they claim

Then why is it always the same?

The first time you try

You wish you could die

The last time achieving your aim

When Columbus arrived on our shore

He discovered tobacco galore

The peace-pipe was passed

Although peace didn't last

The pipe killed more people than war

Just ask yourself "Why am I here?"

To smoke until I disappear?

The reason for living

Is loving and giving

Tell pressure to jump off a pier!

So he put out the word:

"Break away from the herd!"

And he spread it to each nook and cranny.

Former pro wrestler and Downers Grove native Lanny Poffo is body-slamming a new adversary.

To persuade kids to steer clear of cigarettes and drugs, Poffo, also known as The Genius, has taken on a new identity: Lanny the Non-smoking Dad.

"About 4,000 children in America start smoking every day," Poffo recently told a group of first- and second-graders in Oak Lawn. "It's my job to make sure you're not one of them."

At 52, he no longer sports a mullet, and his physique is less brawny.

But Poffo, brother of fellow wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage and son of wrestler Angelo Poffo, still can command an audience. The children let out a loud "Ew!" when Poffo showed a picture of an elderly smoker with a sunken face.

During his wrestling heyday in the 1980s, he was known as good guy Leaping Lanny Poffo, the Wrestling Poet.

His shtick was to compose and recite a poem before each bout. In 1988, he compiled his poetry into a 172-page self-published book, "Wrestling with Rhyme."

Poffo probably is better known for his reincarnation as "The Genius," who wore a cap and gown into the ring when he beat World Wrestling Federation world heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan in 1990.

His interest in writing started in 1964 at Pierce Downer Elementary School in the fifth grade. It was the second day of school, he said, and his teacher, Patricia Mochel, pulled him aside after class.

"She said the paper about what I did this summer was really good. I said, 'Woah ... me?!'" Poffo said.

To this day, Mochel and Poffo are friends. He even wrote a limerick for her mother's 90th birthday.

"I remember him from the very first day," Mochel said. "The shy smile, dimples and pretty blue eyes."

Mochel said she was nervous to meet Poffo's father, who was a famous wrestler.

"His parents were wonderful people. His father was just a big teddy bear," she said.

On Dec. 11, Poffo spoke at the three Atwood Heights School District 125 schools: Hamlin in Alsip, Meadow Lane in Merrionette Park and Lawn Manor in Oak Lawn.

Poffo primarily recited limericks from a 2004 collection called, "Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs)."

The five-line poems provide "ammo to ward off peer pressure by tying heroes, idols and legends to the non-smoking message," according to White-Boucke Publishing.

Here's an example of one of his limericks:

"Three smokers with nothing to do / decided to go to the zoo / As they lit up to smoke / I heard one monkey joke / Hey look, human see, human do!"

Poffo currently is living in Florida as a Carmax car consultant. He hasn't taken his campaign to schools in Downers Grove yet, but he said he always loves a chance to visit his old home and would come anytime.