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2B/The Grapevine Sun/Thursday, August 13,1987imagine that all of you who read the sports pages have, at one time or another, dreamed of a successful career in a sport — whether it was basketball, baseball, football or whatever.Edgar Allen Poe wrote, all that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.” So we played little league ball and felt “a dream come true” while still dreaming that we would play for the Yankees some dayMark Fauset lived in those same dreams and, more than many of us. succeeded in sports at the college level. Today, 7-foot Mark has a new dream: Professional wrestling.Mark was born in Roseville, Calif., which is about 20 miles from Sacremento His father Don is 6-6 and his mother Dorothy is 5-11, so there was a very good chance that Mark would be tall When he entered high school he was 6-9 and when he left he was§41.Mark’s father missed a chance at a professional basketball career because of an unfortunate injury But for Mark basketball proved to be a winner because his father coached semi-pro baseball and basketball and Mark started working around those teams when he was in the fourth grade and learned the basicsBecause he was close to 7-feet tali. Mark was the object of attention in school and in visiting gyms He suffered through BigFoot” and other slurs, hut helped his team into contention for district titles during his varsity years.When he graduated from high school, he was selected to play with the Sacremento All-Stars and played against some of thenation’s finest high school players.Mark tried out for football one spring and worked out with the wrestling team in junior high and high school hut his basketballcoach was selfish with his big kid and per suaded Mark to concent rate on basketballWhen Mark entered California State ColWrestlingBILLMERCERlege-Bakersfield. he was on a basketball scholarship, hut worked out with a former heavyweight wrestling champion from thePan Am Games who put him on a weight -training program that helped his roundbali activity.That guy could turn me inside out and I knew that someday I would like to study the sport, but (I) never had time in college,”Mark said.When Mark’s college eoarh was fired, thenow 7-footer decided to try the sportelsewhere. Ironically, he selected the collegethat had recruited him in high school: the University of Hawaii-Hilo He turned them down the first time because of the distancefrom home.For Mark, it was a lucky move to the islands He played under a coach of Japanese ancestry, who was about 5-feet tall, “who was the most positive, optimistic person Ihave ever met.”The coach had a pro season workout that included what he called his Indian Mile. The team lined up single file and as they ran the last man ran up to the head of the line and each player followed suit Mark figured he could never run more than a 6 JO rrnle. but with his coach’s persistent optimism, .Markran a 6’12 timeThat little guy gave me more personal confidence than anyone I ever worked or played for,” Mark told me as he draped his7-foot frame over a chair in the North Texas State University Union Building.The luckiest part of his move to Hilo was meeting his wife Wendy. They make quite a dramatic couple she is 4-11 and the top of her head comes to Mark's waist They now have a 3-year-old son named Justin One other fortunate moment in Hilo was the opportunity for Mark to play against Patrick Ewing, who was touring the islands with an All-Star team Boy was he great. Heshowed me now basketball should no played Mark said with obvious respectMark is currently finishing ms education at NTSU and working on the custodial crew in the Union His brother helped him make the traasition from Hawaii to Denton and now Mark is trying ?o fulfill a new dream He met Wild West Wrestling promoter and 1TWF Training f enter director Ken Mantell who was quickly impressed with Mark's size. Mantell told Mark about the strenuous, back-breaking, sometime heart-breaking, work neressary to become a professionalwrestler Rut with a strong athleticbackground, a handsome appearance AND that 7-foot body, anything is possible If Markwill work hard.Wendy just couldn’t see me cavortingabout a ring with somebody like thlt;- MissingLink at first, but after talking with my brother and my dad, who both thought it was a great idea. Wendy is excited about my trying,” Mark said, obviously flushed with enthusiasm for the long, hard task ahead So this is the first little chapter about 7 toot Mark Fauset as he begins to train on weights, runs that Indian Mile again and prepares to find out if his quest for a professional career is as Shakespeare wrote nothing but vain fantasy, which ts as thin of substance as the air and more inconstantthan the wind ” Dr it miahl he a chance forsome fame and fortuneI HIM. MRRf RR t* the wtrstltny « lt;iluritnl*? t he . teuton R#*i .ird f hronlcle. i
Newspaper Details
Grapevine Sun
Grapevine, Texas, US
Thu, Aug 13, 1987
Page 14
Full Page
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TN, USA 13 Jun 2019
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