Stu Hart Stewart Edward " Stu " Hart , CM ( May 3 , 1915 – October 16 , 2003 ) was a Canadian amateur wrestler , professional wrestler , promoter and trainer . Stu also founded Stampede Wrestling , a promotion based in Calgary , Alberta , and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart . Along with Bret and Owen , Hart ' s trainees included future world champions Chris Jericho , Edge , Christian , Mark Henry , and Chris Benoit . Early life . Hart played football for the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1938 and 1939 seasons . Stu Hart began amateur wrestling when he joined the YMCA in Edmonton in 1929 . By 1937 he won a gold medal in the welterweight class from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada . His amateur career peaked in May 1940 when Hart won the dominion Amateur Wrestling Championship in the light heavyweight category . It must have been a bittersweet win for Hart as by that time the Phoney War had ended in Europe , and World War II had erupted . This led to the cancellation of the Olympics ending one of Hart ' s greatest dreams . Hart did enlist in the Canadian Navy and served as the Director of Athletics . Hart was trained in catch wrestling as a young boy by a bunch of older boys . They used to ' stretch ' him every day , but Stu kept coming back . Stu once said " his head would be blue by the time they go of him " . Stu taught this ' shoot style ' to all who trained under him in the 80 ' s & 90 ' s with the thought that teaching his students real submission moves would make their pro wrestling style sharper . Career . It was during his service that Stu was introduced to professional wrestling . After recovering from a car accident , Stu competed in various exhibition matches to entertain the troops . In 1946 , while receiving training from Toots Mondt , Hart debuted in New York and embarked on a long , eventful career , at one point wrestling a tiger and a grizzly bear . In 1948 , Hart established Stampede Wrestling , which was responsible for developing many second generation wrestling superstars . Three years later , he purchased a mansion in Patterson Heights , Calgary . The Hart House is now considered a historical site for the many famous figures that had passed through its doors . Its basement , known as the Dungeon , provided training grounds with an extensive legacy all its own . A coach and mentor to countless young athletes , and a generous supporter of community life in Calgary , Hart , a loyal benefactor to more than thirty charitable and civic organizations including the Shriners ' Hospital for Crippled Children and the Alberta Firefighters Toy Fund was appointed on November 15 , 2000 to the Order of Canada . He was investitured on May 31 , 2001 . As Vince McMahon mentioned on the January 4 version of Monday Night Raw , Stu Hart will be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2010 . Family . Stu considered family to be his biggest achievement in life . For 53 years he was married to U . S . born Helen Hart ( ' nee Smith ) ( d . 2001 ) and together they raised twelve children in the Hart mansion . Many of his children went on to become wrestlers or were otherwise involved in wrestling . The couple have thirty - three grandchildren and one great - grandchild . Death . Hart was admitted to Rockyview General Hospital on October 3 , 2003 for an elbow infection and then developed pneumonia . He also suffered from ailments associated with diabetes and arthritis . He had a stroke and died 13 days later at the age of 88 . In 2005 the City of Saskatoon announced that a street in the city ' s new Blairmore Suburban Centre development will be named Hart Road in Stu Hart ' s honor . In 2008 Stu was inducted into the George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame . He was represented at the ceremony by his son Bret , who was inducted himself in 2006 .