Big Daddy, 1930 - 1997
Dates
- Existence: 14 November 1930 - 2 December 1997
Biography
Shirley Crabtree aka Bid Daddy was born in England on 14 November 1930 to professional rugby player and wrestler Shirley Crabtree Senior.
Big Daddy followed his father’s footsteps into professional rugby and wrestling. He played rugby league for Bradford Northern and Halifax, he also worked briefly as a coal miner and with the British Army's Coldstream Guards before becoming a professional wrestler in 1952. Between the 1950s and 1960s he wrestled as the Blond Adonis Shirley Crabtree. He worked for Joint Promotions and the original British Wrestling Federation. In 1966 he stopped wrestling until 1972 when he returned to Joint Promotions to become their top star until the early 1990s.
Crabtree adopted his Big Daddy persona in 1974, which made him famous. In August 1987 while wrestling at Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, his opponent King Kong Kirk died after a match. Although Big Daddy was cleared of any responsibility, he was devastated.
Big Daddy retired from wrestling in 1993. During his career he won the European Heavyweight Championship in Joint Promotions and a disputed branch of the British Heavyweight title in the independent British Wrestling Federation.
Big Daddy died of a stroke on 2 December 1997 in Halifax General Hospital.
Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:
Blackpool Tower Circus Posters, c1930 - 1990
Posters for Blackpool Tower Circus including shows by Knie's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Schumann, Bertram Mills Circus, Robert Brothers Circus and performances by Charlie Cairoli, Doddles, Coco the Clown, The Rosaires, Lilly Yokoi, Alfred Court, Vojtek Trubka, The Great Wallendas and Mary Chipperfield among others.
Chinese Circus Poster, 1988
Peter Jay present Chinese Circus, at Blackpool Tower. Colour illustrations of a clown, a man with a puppet Chinese dragon, a tiger and a woman riding an elephant, photograph of wrester Big Daddy, background red and orange, type multicoloured.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Cyril Critchlow Collection
International Super Circus '83 Poster, 1983
Peter Jay presents International Super Circus at Blackpool Tower and Dale Martin wrestling. Black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, colour illustration of a clown, a tiger and a fountain, black and white photograph of wrestler Big Daddy, background blue and purple, type white, yellow and red.
International Super Circus '83 Poster, 1983
Peter Jay presents International Super Circus at Blackpool Tower and Dale Martin Wrestling. Black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, colour illustration of a clown, a tiger and a fountain, black and white photograph of wrestler Big Daddy, background blue and purple, type white, yellow and red.
Peter Jay Presents Tower Circus Poster, c1930 - 1990
10th Jun to 31st October. White outline of blackpool tower, colour illustrations of a clown, elephants, a crocodile, a man swinging from a vine, six women in a waterfall and a chimpanzee in swimming trucks and a pool ring, photographs of The Chucklehounds and wrestler Big Daddy. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.
Posters, c1887 - 2010
Circus, variety, pantomime and magic posters including Argyle theatre, Liverpool Empire, Blackpool Tower Circus, Robert Brothers, Austen Brothers, Sorcar, Vesta Tilley, Ken Dodd, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde and others.
Posters, c1800 - 2011
A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.
Super Circus '84 Poster, 1984
Peter Jay presents All New Super Circus '84, at Blackpool Tower. The Rodogels, The Coco-Tots. Colour illustrations of a clown and an elephant, black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, photographs of the Water Spectaculer, seven clowns and wrestler Big Daddy, main background red, type multicoloured. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.
Super Circus '84 Poster, 1984
Peter Jay presents All New Super Circus '84, at Blackpool Tower. The Rodogels, The Coco-Tots. Colour illustrations of a clown and an elephant, black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, photographs of the Water Spectaculer, seven clowns and wrestler Big Daddy, main background red, type multicoloured.
Super Circus '85 Poster, 1985
Peter Jay presents All New Super Circus '85, at Blackpool Tower. Colour illustrations of three clowns, sea lions, acrobats and a fountain, black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, photograph of wrestler Big Daddy, main background pink, type multicoloured.