The charismatic bleach-blond giant wasn't particularly recognized for his athleticism, yet what he lacked in physical prowess, he more than made up for with his showmanship and magnetic charisma.
On November 14, 1930, in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, he was born with the name Shirley, just like his father. Bullies at school singled him out because of his shared first name with Shirley Temple.
Shirley Crabtree played for the Bradford Northern and Halifax Rugby League squads. He also worked as a coal miner in Yorkshire and briefly with the British Army’s Coldstream Guards before he started lifting weights and training with Welsh wrestler and Rugby player Sandy Orford.
Shirley Crabtree eventually embraced the persona of Big Daddy, finding his true calling when he ventured into the wrestling business in 1952, inspired by his father's own path.
From his grandest of highs to the tragic in-ring accident that led to the death of a wrestler, discover the story of the rise and fall of the face of British Wrestling for a generation of fans, "Big Daddy" Shirley Crabtree.