| Buddy Colt | |
|---|---|
 Colt, circa 1973 | |
| Birth name | Ron Read |
| Born | (1936-01-13)January 13, 1936 Bladensburg, Maryland, United States[1] |
| Died | March 3, 2021(2021-03-03) (aged 85) |
| Spouse(s) | Lorraine Read |
| Children | Cindy Read Carmack, Vicki Read, LeighAnn Frankel, Tracey Nance, Ricky Nance |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Buddy Colt[1] Ron Reed[1] Ty Colt[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Killer Karl Krupp[1] |
| Debut | June 4, 1962[1] |
| Retired | 1975[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Marine Corps |
Ron Read (January 13, 1936 – March 3, 2021), known professionally asBuddy Colt,Ty Colt and"Cowboy" Ron Read, was an Americanprofessional wrestler who worked inNWA promotions including theSt. Louis Wrestling Club,Championship Wrestling from Florida andGeorgia Championship Wrestling. Among others, he won theNWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship seven times, theNWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship four and theNWA North American Heavyweight Championship once.[2]
Read grew up inBladensburg, Maryland, before becoming an aviation mechanic and sergeant in theUnited States Marines, discharging in January 1957.
Trained byKiller Karl Krupp, Read made his professional wrestling debut in 1962 inNick Gulas and Bob Welch's NWA Mid-America in the Tennessee region, worked under the name “Cowboy” Ron Reed. Aside from NWA Mid-America, he also workedSt. Louis Wrestling Club, went to the West Coast to work for the World Wrestling Alliance (WWA) where he was renamed Ty Colt. In 1969, he renamed to Buddy Colt working NWA Western States, the Amarillo, Texas promotion run by the Funk family, where he quickly won the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship.[2]
On February 20, 1975, Colt was the pilot of a plane, which crashed in water nearTampa Bay, resulting in the death ofBobby Shane. Colt and passengersGary Hart andAustin Idol were seriously injured.[3] He retired from wrestling due to broken ankles, which later developed gangrene and were fused together, but continued to fly. He remained in Championship Wrestling from Florida as a color commentator along withGordon Solie and had part ownership of the company.[4]
Read died on March 3, 2021, aged 85. He hadParkinson's disease anddementia, and is survived by his wife of 40 years, Lorraine Read.[4]
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