William John Murray 'Dinty' Parks *

Athlete

Sports:

Wrestling

Born: 1921 - North Bay ON

Biography:

William ‘Dinty’ Parks was a North Bay native who grew up on a farm and thus had little time for schoolboy sports. In his late teens he rode the rails to British Columbia where he joined his older brother Herb who was wrestling and playing football. Parks did some amateur wrestling himself before joining the RCAF's 6th Bomber group where he had over 500 hours in the air as he spent four years fighting for Canada in WW II. He became a professional wrestler in Oregon in 1947 and over the next twenty years he took part in almost 5000 matches across Canada, all over the United States (except New England), and Mexico. He was one of television's early stars as he worked out of Chicago on the Dumont Network in the 1950’s. He was the North American Junior Heavyweight Champion in 1962 and was in the ring against some great ones, including many time World Champion Lou Thesz. He wrestled locally on many occasions for promoter Larry Kasaboski. He eventually retired because of many injuries suffered over the years including dislocated shoulders, damaged knees, neck and hips. Parks was known throughout the wrestling world for his “Sunset Flip’, a reverse waist lock he created in 1948 and named after his family tourist business, Sunset Park, in Ferris.