{{Short description|American professional wrestler (1935–1990)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox professional wrestler | name = Chief Little Eagle | image = Chief Little Eagle - Atlanta wrestling poster - 1963 (cropped).jpg | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = Little Eagle in 1963 | birth_name = Richard Thomas Bryant<ref name=marshall>{{Cite news |last=Gillaspie |first=Anne |date=July 9, 1990 |title=Troopers arrest murder suspect on traffic stop |page=1 |work=The Marshall News Messenger |location=Marshall, Texas |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/331176614/ |access-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206133428/https://www.newspapers.com/image/331176614/ |archive-date=December 6, 2022}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date|1935|3|21}} | birth_place = Irving, Texas, U.S.<ref name=cagematch>{{Cite web |last=Kreikenbohm |first=Philip |title=Chief Little Eagle |url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=10893 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618094245/https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=10893 |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |access-date=June 18, 2023 |website=Cagematch.net}}</ref> | death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|7|7|1935|3|21}} | death_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.<ref name=marshall/> | death_cause = Murder | alma_mater = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | family = | website = | ring_names = Chief Little Eagle<ref name=colombus>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1960 |title=The Colombus Ledger |page=20 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/856616046/ |access-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618092531/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/856616046/ |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |quote=Chief Little Eagle is from Stillwater, Okla., and weighs 230 pounds.}}</ref><br>Dick Bryant<ref name=cagematch/> | height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}} | weight = {{convert|230|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name=colombus/> | billed = Stillwater, Oklahoma<ref name=colombus/> | trainer = | debut = 1954 | retired = 1974 }}
'''Richard Thomas Bryant''' (March 21, 1935 – July 7, 1990), better known by his ring name '''Chief Little Eagle''', was an American professional wrestler. He prominently competed in the Georgia, Dallas, and Tri-State territories of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He was a multi-time tag team champion, having won various tag team championships throughout the 50s and 60s, alongside long time partner Chief Big Heart.
==Professional wrestling career== Bryant started wrestling early in his career under the name Dick Bryant.<ref name=cagematch/> He competed for various NWA territories and portrayed the gimmick of Chief Little Eagle, a Cherokee tribe member.<ref name=colombus/> In 1959, he worked for Atlanta-based promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling, and would form a tag team with Chief Big Heart.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Chief Little Eagle bio |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/c/chief-little-eagle.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627175013/http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/c/chief-little-eagle.html |archive-date=June 27, 2009 |access-date=June 18, 2023 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling}}</ref> On April 7, 1959, Little Eagle and Big Heart defeated Andre Bollet and Frank Valois to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Duncan |first=Royal |title=Wrestling Title Histories: professional Wrestling champions from around the world from 19th century to present |publisher=Archeous Communications |year=1994 |isbn=0-9698161-5-4 |edition=1st |location=Pennsylvania |pages=275–276 |language=}}</ref> They dropped the titles to Ben and Mike Sharpe just a week later.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NWA Texas Tag Team Title (E. Texas) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/nwa/nwa-tx-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130121349/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/nwa/nwa-tx-t.html |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> During this period, they feuded with the likes of the Golden Grahams (Jerry and Eddie), the Tolos Brothers (Chris Tolos and John Tolos) and Johnny Valentine. Little Eagle won his first singles title, the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship, on September 20, 1961, defeating Dick Dunn.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206145621/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> He held the championship until October 6, when he lost it to Greg Peterson.<ref name=":1" />
In February 1961, he briefly won the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship under unknown circumstances, but quickly lost it back to Skull Murphy. Eagle was said to have beaten Murphy for the title, but it was not accepted anywhere, and thus he was not considered an official champion. On April 11, he and Murphy had a match in Macon, Georgia to decide who was the real champion, which Murphy won, gaining statewide recognition.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Southern Heavyweight Title (Georgia) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/ga-south-h.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130115401/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/ga-south-h.html |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> After this loss, Eagle returned to GCW, serving as a top booker under former wrestler and promoter Ray Gunkel.<ref name=":0" /> On April 27, 1963, he teamed with Dick Steinborn, defeating Lenny Montana and Tarzan Tyler for the NWA (Georgia) World Tag Team Championship.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=International Tag Team Title (Georgia) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-int-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201145309/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-int-t.html |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> Eagle and Steinborn dropped the titles back to Montana and Tyler in June.<ref name=":2" /> That same month, he teamed with Bill Dromo to win back the titles, before losing them to Gunkel and Steinborn.<ref name=":2" />
After this, Eagle reunited with Big Heart, winning the Georgia version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Tyler and Montana at the Municipal Auditorium on November 2, 1963.<ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=November 2, 1963 |title=Thesz Retains Mat Crown |pages=13 |work=Atlanta Constitution}}</ref> The team of Chief and Eagle lost the titles under unknown circumstances, after which the titles were next seen with The Von Brauners.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=NWA World Tag Team Title (Georgia) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-nwa-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201145302/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-nwa-t.html |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> Big Heart left for NWA Tri-State, so Eagle teamed with another American wrestler with a Native American gimmick, Chief Jay Strongbow (then wrestling under his real name), defeating The Corsicans (Corsica Jean & Corsica Joe) for the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship on June 4, 1965.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=NWA Southern Tag Team Title (Georgia) |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206163227/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-t.html |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref> They lost the titles to Al and Mario Galento a week later.<ref name=":6" /> Eagle went back to Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, where on April 6, 1966, he defeated Eduardo Perez for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship until dropping it to Ramon Torres in July.<ref name=":1" />
During this time, Eagle had a series of matches with Dick the Bruiser.<ref name=":0" /> He also faced other popular heels such as Skaandor Akbar, The Assassins and Luke Graham.<ref name=":0" /> He continued to wrestle for the Atlanta territory until 1972, when he was injured at a house show by the Assassins, forcing him into temporary retirement.<ref name=":0" /> On November 5, 1974, Eagle, who had briefly returned to wrestle for the All-South Wrestling Alliance, teamed with Chief Bold Eagle to win the ASWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, before losing it a week later to The Royal Kangaroos.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=ASWA Georgia Tag Team Title |url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/aswa/aswa-ga-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206191842/https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/aswa/aswa-ga-t.html |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website= |publisher=Wrestling Titles}}</ref>
==Death== Following his retirement from wrestling, he worked for an oil company.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=July 11, 1990 |title=Richard Bryant, pro wrestler, shot |page=21 |work=Associated Press |publisher=Reading Eagle |access-date=}}</ref> On July 7, 1990, Bryant took in a homeless man by the name of Dolph Adams. However, Adams took out a gun and shot Bryant, which, according to the police, severed his spinal cord and pierced his heart, killing him in the process.<ref name=":8" /> Adams would eventually be convicted of murder and was arrested.<ref name=marshall/>
==Championships and accomplishment== *'''Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling''' **NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship (2 times)<ref name=":1" /> ** Panama City Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'''World Class Wrestling Association''' **WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chief Big Heart<ref name=":4" /> *'''Georgia Championship Wrestling''' **NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)<ref name=":5" /> **NWA International Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (2 times) – with Dick Steinborn (1) and Bill Dromo (1)<ref name=":2" /> **NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (1 time) – with Chief Big Heart<ref name=":3" /> **NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (1 time) – with Chief Jay Strongbow<ref name=":6" /> *'''All-South Wrestling Association''' **ASWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chief Bold Eagle<ref name=":7" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:1935 births Category:1990 deaths Category:20th-century American professional wrestlers Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers Category:American male professional wrestlers Category:Professional wrestlers from Texas