“Dr. Death” Steve Williams was a pure athlete. After a high school career that saw him participate on the track, football, and wrestling teams for all four years, Williams continued to shine at the University of Oklahoma. There, he was named an All-American football player and competed in the finals of the NCAA tournament as an amateur wrestler, where he lost to future Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner. When Williams decided to apply his talents to professional wrestling, he was a natural.
The bulk of Dr. Death’s early career was spent wrestling in the NWA, WCW, and All Japan Pro Wrestling. Williams added several Tag Team Title reigns to his resume during the period, winning belts around the world with the likes of Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda, and Terry Gordy. His most notable achievement, however, came between the years of 1987 and 1997. During those years, Williams wrestled primarily in Japan, although he made sporadic appearances around the American independent scene. Amazingly, Williams spent the entire decade undefeated on American soil. His fantastic feat was concluded in February of 1997 with a loss to ECW Champion Raven.
Late in his career, Williams took part in the WWE’s Brawl For All competition. He continued to compete for the company after the tournament ended, briefly being managed by Jim Ross. He made several appearances for WCW during the company’s last days, after which he returned to the independent scene. In late December of 2009, Dr. Death succumbed to throat cancer at the age of 49.
