Future Mean Green?

[Baby Arm!]

Football: Bloodlines

Ryan’s Adkisson making name for himself

07:49 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005

By Chuck Cox / Staff Writer

When Ryan’s Ross Adkisson called head coach Joey Florence a week ago Monday to tell him he would not be at practice that afternoon, the soft-spoken junior defensive end offered no explanation for his absence.

DRC/Al Key

Ryan’s Ross Adkisson and his dad Kevin Adkisson, better known as wrestler Kevin Von Erich, stand together at football practice on Monday at Ryan.

“I said, ‘You know if you don’t practice, you don’t play,’” Florence said. “He said, ‘Coach, my dad’s making me.’ I said, ‘Well, OK, as long as you understand that.’”

But after Florence told some of his assistant coaches that Adkisson, who has a relentless work ethic, was going to be a no-show that day, he found out what he should have already known — that there was a very good reason Adkisson was being torn away from playing football.

“They said, ‘Oh, coach, there’s a big wrestling deal over there [in Dallas]. Vince McMahon is sending a limo for them,’” Florence said. “I called him back and said the only thing that makes me mad is I’m not invited. And I said, ‘You better not show up back here without Hulk Hogan’s autograph for me.’ I said, ‘Tell me that next time and, hey, have a great time.’”

Such is life when your father is a wrestling icon. Adkisson’s dad is Kevin Adkisson, better known to legions of thirtysomethings in Dallas/Fort Worth and across the globe as Kevin Von Erich, one of five brothers (David, Kerry, Mike and Chris were the other four) who, along with their father Fritz, ruled the wrestling world in the early 1980s.

And after his dad has watched him perform on the football field all season as a proud parent, Ross finally got a chance to see his dad in action at World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.’s Monday Nigh RAW at the American Airlines Center that night. He even got to see him apply Fritz’s famous Iron Claw hold.

“It was kind of a last-second thing,” said Ross, who has 20 tackles and a pair of sacks for the Raiders (5-1, 3-0). “Normally, I would have warned the coaches and told them I wasn’t going to be able to make it. My dad told me I wasn’t going to be able to make it to practice today because there was going to be a limo picking us up to take us to the show that night, and my dad was going to be doing something in the show. Vince McMahon asked me if I would go because he wasn’t sure if they were going to use me or not for something.”

He wasn’t in the show, but Ross did get a rare chance to see his dad in his natural element, see the rabid response the fans gave him and hang with such wrestling luminaries as McMahon, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes and Hogan.

“It was kind of funny to me,” Ross said. “It was really cool to see him like that. I was happy to meet those guys.”

These days, Kevin, who played high school football at Lake Dallas and college football at the University of North Texas, enjoys being in the stands, watching his son follow in his footsteps on the football field. And Thursday night, he’ll get to see him play in front of a national television audience against Southlake Carroll (6-0, 3-0) at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.

“Man, it’s just the whole world to me,” Kevin, who’s middle name is Ross, said. “It’s just the most important thing there is. My dad was exactly the same way. My dad loved to watch us play football and our track meets and all that. … There’s nothing like it.”

After playing running back on the junior varsity last season, when he rushed for more than 200 yards in a game against Carroll, Ross has moved up to the varsity and over to the defense.

“I’ve always loved it,” Ross said of football. “I’ve always just been crazy about it. Me and my brother always went outside and played football. The coaches are great and everything. The more you get in [to play], the better. I like defense because there’s not as much pressure. You can just go crazy, which I like to do.”

Like his dad did before injuries ended his playing career, Ross is hoping his future is on the football field.

“The way my dad used to teach us was pay the price the other guy won’t,” Kevin said. “With Ross, he’s the kind of kid where I don’t have to say, ‘Ross, get out there and work out.’ He’s out there. I have to go out there and say, ‘That’s enough now, son.’”

If Ross does continue his career in college, Kevin, who played for Hayden Fry at UNT, said he would love to see him play for the Mean Green.

“That would be great,” Kevin said. “The only thing that would be better would be if he could play for Coach Fry.”

However, if things don’t work out with football, going into wrestling is an option Ross said he is willing to explore.

“It’s definitely a good ‘Plan B’ to have,” Ross said.

Kevin said that would only be a consideration if there is absolutely no hope of Ross continuing to play football.

“That’s way off in fantasyland,” he said. “Right now we want to keep our eyes focused like a laser beam on football. Football season for him this year began the day after the last game. He stays in shape and doesn’t let up. And until something snatches that away from him, like in my case the knee surgeries, then he’s focused and knows where he’s going.”

Ross said growing up with a famous father was never unusual since that was all he ever knew. Texas Monthly published a story on Kevin and the tragic circumstances that led to him being the only living brother of six in his family.

“It wasn’t really weird for me,” Ross said. “I was used to it because I had grown up with it my whole life. I guess the first time I thought it was a little weird was earlier this year with the Texas Monthly thing and my dad being on that show.”

Kevin said he has shared many of his experiences with Ross and his younger brother Marshall, also a football player at Crownover Middle School.

“He’s gone with me to so many wrestling matches he understands it’s just as job,” Kevin said of Ross. “The biggest thing is just because somebody’s pointing a TV camera [at you] does not mean you’re bigger than life. Just the fact that person is seeing you on screen and hasn’t seen you in person, it almost makes you a ghost and that’s why they act like that.”

Through all of the hard times Kevin has endured, he is able to keep it in perspective and enjoy spending time watching his sons play football.

“If you want to look at it realistically, I guarantee you there are people out there that have worse stories than mine,” Kevin said. “If you went to Israel or Bosnia or Chechnya, you’d see families all wiped out, terrible things. It’s just that I’m in the public eye, so that’s really it.”

He also said he would not change a thing about his life.

“When I count the whole thing, it was an awesome experience,” Kevin said. “My brothers, I wish I could have had them a little longer. When they were here, they would cram four years into one. One dying at 25 was like living to be 100.”

Kevin’s certainly thankful that he is still around to watch his sons playing football, just like he once did.

“The only thing I can teach my son short of cleaning fish is wrestling — that’s all I know, or athletics,” Kevin said. “I never wanted to be a wrestler. I wanted to play football.”

CHUCK COX can be reached at 940-566-6872. His e-mail address is ccox@dentonrc.com .

Adkisson File

Ross Adkisson

School

Ryan High School

Classification

Junior

Sport

Football

Position/Number

Defensive end/10

Accomplishments

After playing running back for Ryan’s JV last year as a sophomore — which included a 200-plus yard performance against Southlake Carroll, Ross is now on the varsity and has moved to the other side of the ball. Ross is one of the top reserves on the Raiders, registering 20 tackles, while also being credited with two sacks in six games this season.

Kevin Adkisson

High School

Lake Dallas High School

Class of 1975

College

North Texas State University

1975-78

Sports

Football/Track

Position/Number

Fullback/28

Professional Career

Kevin went into the family business when he joined his dad (Fritz) and four brothers (David, Kerry, Mike and Chris) as the famous Von Erich wrestling family. Kevin, who like his father was famous for using the “Iron Claw,” wrestled until retiring 10 years ago and is in the real estate business.

[gangrene]

At 5'9" and 180 pounds, he's a little undersized to play DE in college...even for North Texas.

[ipEAGLE]

Small even for a 2a High school team much less a D1 program.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Glad Zack Thomas didn't think like that!

[gangrene]

Glad Zack Thomas didn't think like that!

←

Zach Thomas is a middle linebacker, not a defensive end.

[SilverEagle]

At 5'9" and 180 pounds, he's a little undersized to play DE in college...even for North Texas.

←

He's in the Adkisson family and he's 5'9" and 180lbs? Is he adopted?

[gangrene]

He's in the Adkisson family and he's 5'9" and 180lbs?    Is he adopted?

←

The youngest of Fritz's five sons was Chris and he was 5'5", 160 at age 21. I'm no Von Erich historian but I found a very informative website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Adkisson

Kevin is listed at 6'2", so maybe Ross is still growing, but he's currently listed on Ryan's roster at 5'9": http://old.dentonisd.org/rhs/ath/football/rosters.html

Their family has endured much more than their fair share of hard times so I wish nothing but the best for Kevin and Ross.

[VideoEagle]

Kevin was at the roast for Bill Mercer.