Thomas Edwin Drake (December 5, 1930 – February 2, 2017) was an American attorney, professional wrestler, politician, and member of the athletic staff of legendary football coach

Paul "Bear" Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of t ...

. He was a Democratic member of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

, serving as Speaker from 1983 to 1987. He was a resident of

Vinemont, Alabama Vinemont is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Cullman County, Alabama, Cullman County, Alabama, United States, located roughly north of the city of Cullman, Alabama, Cullman. The population as of July 2017 was 948. The communit ...

; his wife of over 55 years, Christine Mckoy Drake – also an attorney, stateswoman and former member of the Alabama Board of Education – predeceased him on September 26, 2011, following a long battle with brain cancer.

Career

Drake was born in

Falkville, Alabama Falkville is a town in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area and Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 1,197. Falkville incorporated ...

. Raised in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

after his father died when Drake was only six years old, he attended public schools in

Cullman County Cullman County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,866. Its county seat and largest city is Cullman. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. Cu ...

. Obtaining an athletic scholarship to the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

after high school, he both wrestled and played football for the Chattanooga "Mocs". He was subsequently drafted by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, but his career with them ended when he was drafted by the United States Army. After an honorable discharge, he went on to become the first head wrestling coach at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

and was a member of the athletic staff, which included Head Coach "Bear" Bryant and future coach Gene Stallings. Paul Bear Bryant and coaching staff at the University of Alabama

Paul Bear Bryant and coaching staff at the University of Alabama

Pivotal in his success was the acclaim and notoriety he achieved as a wrestler. Along the way, Drake wrestled or partnered with many of the sport's greatest legends, including

Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeou ...

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 ...

, Bearcat Brown,

Tojo Yamamoto Harold Watanabe (January 6, 1927 – February 19, 1992) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. Early life Watanabe was born in Hawaii in 1927 to a Japanese father and an American mother. He served ...

and Len Rossi. Sometimes wrestling as the "Cullman Comet", Drake wrestled professionally until 1978, eventually being inducted into the International Wrestlers Hall of Fame in 2001. His signature wrestling move was the "

dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet connec ...

". In 1960, Drake entered law school at the University of Alabama. He continued to wrestle in order to support Chris and daughter Mary. While still a student, he successfully campaigned for a seat in the Alabama Legislature, defeating 11 opponents without a run-off. In that position, he represented Cullman County for 32 years. While a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, he was elected to consecutive terms as the Speaker of the House under then-Governor

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

. Coming from a long line of lawyers on his mother's side of the family, Drake practiced

personal injury Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. In common law jurisdictions the term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit in which the person bringing the suit (t ...

law and general civil law for over 48 years, handling many high-profile cases in the North Alabama area. His grandfather, Jasper Newton "Butler" Powell, an attorney as well, was sought out for assistance in jury selection by both the prosecution and defense in the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial. Two of Drake's children are lawyers and continue to practice law in North and Central Alabama. Invited to be a contestant on the popular 1970s game show ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'', the celebrity panel was challenged to guess Drake's "other" occupation, after being informed he was both an attorney, farmer and legislator. Eventually, they correctly guessed it was professional wrestling. In 2008, he was the recipient of the Senator

Hugh Farley Hugh T. Farley (born November 26, 1932) is an American attorney, professor and Republican politician from Schenectady County, New York. He served as a member of the New York Senate from 1977 until his 2016 retirement. Early life and family Fa ...

Award at the

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

. Drake resided in

. Drake died on February 2, 2017. He was 86.

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abram ...

** Iron Mike Mazurki Award (1997) *

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is a List of professional wrestling halls of fame, professional wrestling hall of fame museum located within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum's National Wrestling Hall o ...

** Class of 2001 *

**Senator Hugh Farley Award (2008) **Significant Sig Award (2016)

References

*"Tom Drake – The Cullman Comet", by Charles F. Carr; ''The Alabama Lawyer'', May 2006 edition

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Tom 1930 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Speakers of the Alabama House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Alabama lawyers American athlete-politicians School board members in Alabama American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide wrestling coaches Chattanooga Mocs football players Chattanooga Mocs wrestlers People from Cullman County, Alabama People from Morgan County, Alabama Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum United States Army soldiers University of Alabama School of Law alumni