Remember Wrestler Andre the Giant Living in Ellerbe and Frequenting Rockingham Races?

There was a sad story in the Raleigh, NC paper this week, picked up by Associated Press. The story said that the late professional wrestler, Andre the Giant's former residence in Ellerbe, North Carolina, near the now named Rockingham Speedway, would be auctioned off this morning - Saturday, November 2, 2013.

Here is the link to the story with full info, including color pictures of Andre and friends such as Hulk Hogan at home in Ellerbe having fun. I encourage you to click on it and see a lot of info. R.I.P. Andre:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/31/3330392/giant-wrestlers-home-on-auction.html

I mention this sad event because after he moved to Ellerbe, Andre would always come to the races at North Carolina Motor Speedway, where he was a towering presence roaming the green grassy space between pit road and the start/finish line during pre-race activities shaking hands and patting folks on the back. A friendly sort who indulged in a case of beer and three bottles of wine daily, Andre's hand shake swallowed the hands of all comers.

For the 1979 American 500, the track named Andre its Grand Marshal. Here's coverage of that announcement in The Robesonian :

My uncle Earl took me to Jacksonville's Memorial Coliseum in February 1980. It was the Saturday night before the Daytona 500. He, my aunt, another uncle and a 'lady friend' of his were taking me to the 500 for my first trip there.

Earl got the two of us seats close to the action. Wasn't the first row - but it was 4 or 5 rows up the seats installed around the 'squared circle'. Dusty Rhodes was part of the card that night. He didn't disappoint. He strutted around, spewed all sorts of talk in his lisped, Texas wrasslin voice, and bled from the forehead into that perm'd bleach blond hair. I thought it was hilarious.

But the main event of the night was Harley Race vs. Andre The Giant. I can't remember who entered the ring first. But I DO remember Andre's entrance. He walked between sets of stands to music. Even with us sitting a few rows up, his head and shoulders were above our row. I couldn't believe it when he actually stepped OVER the top rope to enter the ring. This behemoth who was larger THAN life when I'd seen him on TV was larger IN life than I could have imagined. I don't remember who won the match - if that even matters in wrasslin. I'm sure Andre did since he pretty much was never scripted to lose.

To give some context to just how big he is, compare him to NASCAR's gentle giant, Buddy Baker. Coincidentally, Buddy won the 500 the next day in Harry Ranier's #28 Gray Ghost.

A couple of additional photos from Andre at Rockingham's 1979 American 500.

With Unocal Racestoppers

With Joe Millikan's / L.G. DeWitt crew

Interesting you should mention Dusty Rhodes. I spent about 1 1/2 years working out of an office in a residence just off Sardis Road in Charlotte 1987-part of 1988. Dusty was living just around the corner at the time "wrestling" for Crockett Promotions.

I didn't know Andre but have a similar memory.

As a teen, I vividly remember the day that I, in my Vega, honked the horn at some junk of a car that was taking too long to make a left turn. Out of the car came the 500+ pounds of Haystacks Calhoun, who happened to live down the street. He walked over, picked the front of my car about two feet off the ground, and held it there for about ten seconds while cursing like a sailor. That got my attention and I was a much more polite driver for years afterward. My front bumper was permanently bent into a frown just in case I ever forgot the lesson.

US Hwy 64 was the main east/west road in NC in the 1960's so many folks traveled it from Raleigh to Lexington and then to Charlotte. My home town of Siler City is about half way between Raleigh and Lexington so we would get stories of famous people stopping at local Drive In's Diners and Dives for lunch. Haystack Calhoun liked a place called Lambert's Drive In. It had a few tables but the main place to eat was a large bar opposite the grill that had those drum shaped stools that swivel round and round. Haystack needed at least 2 of those stools, one under each cheek.