Former Sooner football player Joe Kerbel fought in World War 2 as a Marine Corps first lieutenant in the bloody Battle of Okinawa.

The burly tackle from Seminole, Oklahoma, played for two years for OU before duty called. When he returned after the war, Kerbel was 25 and married with children. His better playing days were behind him. But the former officer learned from the great Bud Wilkinson whose offensive formation, the split-t, Kerbel ran at West Texas. And like his urbane coach had done with his players at OU, Kerbel emphasized academics.

Joe Kerbel coached two state championship teams in track at Cleveland, Oklahoma, High School and later won two state championships in football at Breckenridge High School in Texas. At West Texas State (now known as West Texas A&M University), Kerbel integrated the football program in formerly all-white Canyon, Texas, in 1961. The first of his black players to capture headlines was Pete Pedro, who scored six touchdowns against UT El Paso in one of his best games as a WT Buffalo and was featured by his performance in Sports Illustrated.

Four of Kerbel’s football players won Super Bowl rings: Jerry Logan, Duane Thomas, “Mercury” Morris, and Jesse Powell. Five former Buffs who played for Kerbel: Dory Funk, Jr., Terry Funk, Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, and Dusty Rhodes, became professional wrestlers and are members of the WWE Hall of Fame. Ted DiBiase, who played for Kerbel’s successor, Gene Mayfield, became the Million Dollar Man and wrestled for Bill Watts Mid-South promotion located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

DiBiase played football with Tully Blanchard and Merced Solis, aka Tito Santana, at WT under Kerbel’s successor. DiBiase, Blanchard, and Solis (Santana) were all main line performers in Watts’ territory.

“Touchdowns and Turnbuckles: Championship Athletes from West Texas State” is an anthology of mini biographies all 8 WWE Hall of Fame wrestlers who played football at the Canyon, Texas, university.