Harley Race

**Harley Leland Race** (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American retired professional wrestler. He was best known for wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

He was one of only six people to be inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

On March 1, 2019, Race's close friend Ric Flair announced that Race was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He died five months later on August 1 from the disease in St. Charles, Missouri, aged 76.

## Championships

- **All Japan Pro Wrestling**
    - NWA United National Championship (one time)
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (two times)
    - PWF World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **All Star Pro-Wrestling (New Zealand)**
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **American Wrestling Association**
    - AWA World Tag Team Championship (three times) (with Larry Hennig) (replaced by Chris Markoff in their final reign)
- **Cauliflower Alley Club**
    - Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2006)
- **Central States Wrestling**
    - NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (nine times)
    - NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (one time) (with Roger Kirby)
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Championship Wrestling from Florida**
    - NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (three times) (with Roger Kirby (two), Bob Roop (one))
    - NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (one time)
    - NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (one time)<sup>1</sup>
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Continental Wrestling Association**
    - NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (two times)
- **Eastern Sports Association**
    - IW North American Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Georgia Championship Wrestling**
    - NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (one time)
    - NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Buddy Colt)
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Maple Leaf Wrestling**
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Missouri Sports Hall of Fame**
    - Class of 2013
- **National Wrestling Alliance**
    - NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
- **Pro Wrestling Illustrated**
    - PWI Match of the Year (1973) (vs. Dory Funk, Jr. on May 24)
    - PWI Match of the Year (1979) (vs. Dusty Rhodes on August 21)
    - PWI Match of the Year (1983) (vs. Ric Flair on June 10)
    - PWI Stanley Weston Award (2006)
    - PWI Wrestler of the Year (1979)
    - PWI Wrestler of the Year (1983)
    - He was ranked **#8** of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- **Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum**
    - Class of 2004
- **St. Louis Wrestling Club**
    - NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (seven times)
    - NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **Stampede Wrestling**
    - Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (one time)
    - Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
    - St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
    - (Class of 2007)
- **Tokyo Sports**
    - Match of the Year Award (1978) (vs. Jumbo Tsuruta on January 20)
- **World Championship Wrestling (Australia)**
    - IWA World Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Larry Hennig)
- **World Championship Wrestling**
    - WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)
- **World Wrestling Association**
    - WWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **World Wrestling Council**
    - WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- **World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment**
    - King of the Ring (1986)
    - Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament (1986) (in St. Louis, MO on August 29)
    - Slammy Award for Best Ring Apparel (1987)
    - Slammy Award for Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Scholarship Award (1987) with Haku, Tama, André the Giant, Hercules, and King Kong Bundy
    - WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)
- **Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards**
    - Wrestler of the Year (1980, 1981)
    - Match of the Year (1983) (vs. Ric Flair at Starrcade)
    - Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

<small><sup>1</sup>Even though the championship was almost always used and defended in the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling promotion, there were some times where it was won and defended through agreements with other wrestling promotions. Race was awarded the title with the explanation that he defeated Johnny Weaver in a tournament final while wrestling on a card for Championship Wrestling from Florida</small>

## Other websites

- Official website
- WWE profile

## Infobox (wrestler)

- **name**: Harley Race
- **image**: Harley race.jpg
- **caption**: Race at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Lockdown (2007), Lockdown in 2007
- **names**: **Harley Race**
Jack Long
The Great Mortimer
- **birth place**: Quitman, Missouri, Quitman, Missouri, U.S.
- **death place**: St. Charles, Missouri, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
- **billed**: Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
- **trainer**: Stanislaus Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko
Buddy Austin
Ray Hrstich, Ray Gordon
Gus Karras
- **debut**: 1960
- **retired**: 1991