Paul Orndorff, who was taken in the 12th round of the 1973 NFL Draft out of Tampa by the New Orleans Saints, died in Fayetteville, Georgia. Orndorff died at the age of 71.
While Orndorff never played a down for the Saints during the regular season after failing his physical, he went on to make a name for himself as a physical force in professional wrestling, beginning with Mid-South Wrestling in 1976, where he won a national title, before
Orndorff was called “Mr. Wonderful” by his manager “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who referred to him as both the good guy and the bad person in wrestling.
Orndorff went on to become a champion in the World Wrestling Federation.
Orndorff stayed in the sport after retirement by coaching younger wrestlers. In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.
Orndorff was a native of Brandon, Florida, and was said to have suffered from dementia in recent years.
Reference:https://crescentcitysports.com/paul-orndorff-wrestlings-mr-wonderful-and-former-saints-draft-pick-dead-at-71/
