Robert Windham

Robert Jack Windham (November 26, 1942 - April 7, 2016), better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan was an American professional wrestler and football player. He was the father of wrestlers Barry and Kendall Windham, father-in-law of Mike Rotunda and the grandfather of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.
==Career==
As a young man, Windham played football at Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso. He then went on to play for the New York Jets during the 1966 pre-season and received tryouts with the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos. After football, at the urging of Wahoo McDaniel, Windham trained with Joe Blanchard in Corpus Christi, Texas and later with Verne Gagne and became a professional wrestler in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He then moved to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and became the heel Blackjack Mulligan. At first Mulligan, donning black trunks, black hat, black glove, and using The Claw submission hold, seemed to be an imitation of AWA wrestler Blackjack Lanza, managed by The Grand Wizard. Mulligan went on to greater success in the Northeast. He received a push and went on to wrestle Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino.
Mulligan returned to the Midwest and tagged with Lanza to form The Blackjacks. The duo went on to capture numerous tag team championships in various NWA affiliated promotions as well as the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in August 1975.
Blackjack returned to singles wrestling in the Jim Crockett Promotions where he would go onto hold the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship and the Mid-Atlantic's version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Ric Flair.
Mulligan often battled Andre the Giant, feuding in many different regions in the early 1980s. When they brought their feud to the WWWF in 1982, Windham was noted as saying Andre had no limit to his strength. Mulligan would go onto wrestle in Florida as a face. He often teamed with West Texas stars Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, and his son Barry Windham.
In 1986, Mulligan wrestled under a mask as "Big Machine," part of a team with "The Giant Machine" (Andre the Giant) and "Super Machine" (Bill Eadie) collectively known as The Machines. The Machines were wildly popular, winning several high-profile matches against the Heenan Family, recruiting members such as Hulk Machine and Piper Machine. Later on, Jack travelled to Dallas and competed in World Class Championship Wrestling, as a heel, wrestling against Bruiser Brody, Chris Adams and Kevin and Lance Von Erich.
Mulligan and his son Kendall were in trouble with the law for counterfeiting charges in 1989 and were sentenced to jail-time.
Mulligan and his Blackjacks partner, Jack Lanza were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006 by their manager, Bobby Heenan.
==Wrestling facts==
*Finishing and signature moves
:*The Claw
*Tag teams and stables
:*The Blackjacks - with Blackjack Lanza
:*Heenan Family
:*The Machines
*Managers
:*Captain Lou Albano (WWWF)
*Wrestlers trained
:*Barry Windham
:*Mike Barton
:*Molly McShane
:*Raymond Snow
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Championship Wrestling From Florida
:*NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship (2 times)
:*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dusty Rhodes
:*NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dusty Rhodes
*International Wrestling Enterprise
:*IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Larry Hennig
*Jim Crockett Promotions
:*NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
:*NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ric Flair
*NWA Western States Sports
:*NWA International Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (2 time)
:*NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dick Murdoch
*World Class Wrestling Association
:*NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
:*NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Blackjack Lanza
:*NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
:*NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Blackjack Lanza
*World Wide Wrestling Federation
:*WWWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Blackjack Lanza
*World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
:*World Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
:*WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Blackjack Lanza
==External links==
* WWE.com Profile
* Profile
* Profile
de:Blackjack Mulligan
Category:American wrestlers
Category:WWE Hall of Fame inductees
Category:American Wrestling Association alumni
Category:Championship Wrestling From Florida alumni
Category:Jim Crockett Promotions alumni
Category:Maple Leaf Wrestling alumni
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:St. Louis Wrestling Club alumni
Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:World Class Wrestling Association alumni
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment alumni
Category:World Wrestling Association alumni
Category:National Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:Professional Wrestling Federation alumni
Category:Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Central States Wrestling alumni
Category:Georgia Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:1969 debuts
Category:1989 retirements
Category:WWE World Tag Team Champions
Category:Windham family
Category:International Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA Big Time Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA Western States Sports alumni
Category:2016 deaths
Category:Wrestlers who have died
Category:1942 births
Category:Male wrestlers