Lewis Ray "Skipper" Mullins (born April 25, 1946) is an American martial arts fighter who has been described as ''"the greatest kicker in the history of the U.S. karate scene"''.

Biography

Mullins was born and raised in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas. He began training in Taekwondo in October 1963, under Texas-based martial arts instructor Allen Steen at the Red Bird National Guard Armory. In April 1966, Mullins was promoted to 1st degree black belt by Steen.USA Dojo: Skipper Mullins Interview
URL accessed on October 10, 2010. In November 1965, Mullins enlisted in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

. After finishing his basic training he was sent to

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeaste ...

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...

, where his MOS was that of a pay and separation clerk. Mullins would teach martial arts to fellow marines and

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

candidates from the

FBI Academy The FBI Academy is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's law enforcement training and research center near the town of Quantico in Stafford County, Virginia. Operated by the bureau's Training Division, it was first opened for use on May 7, 197 ...

also located in Quantico. During this time Mullins would begin training under his instructor Allen Steen's instructor

Jhoon Rhee Rhee Jhoon-goo (January 7, 1932 – April 30, 2018), commonly known as Jhoon Rhee or Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, was a South Korean master of Taekwondo who is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art ...

who had schools in nearby Washington D.C. In 1968, he became the vice president of Steen's Texas Karate Institute. He was a founding member and director of the Southwest Karate Black Belt Association, later renamed the American Karate Black Belt Association. He has won seven world titles with a record of 1100 won fights and around 15 loses, and was inducted on April 6, 2007 into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. Mullins was defeated several times by his close friend

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championsh ...

throughout 1965, 1966, and 1967. In 1967,

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine wa ...

recognized Mullins as one of the top 10 fighters in the U.S.DeLeonardis, A. (1967, April)
Top 10 Karate Players in the U.S.
Black Belt Magazine, Pages 28–33

Personal

Mullins is a retired firefighter captain with the

Dallas Fire Department The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue, hazardous materials response, and other public safety services to the city of Dallas, Texas. Dallas Fire-Rescue is the second-largest fire depar ...

, having worked for the department for 36 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Skipper 1940s births Living people Sportspeople from Dallas American male karateka American male taekwondo practitioners Military personnel from Texas American firefighters