Chuck Norris Was A Brilliant Sporting Figure Who Won Big In New York And In Racing

Chuck Norris passed away on Thursday, March 19th, after it was reported that he was rushed to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency. He was 86-years-old.

America lost an icon. A brilliant actor and meme, along with a sporting legend.

Chuck Norris was a legendary martial artist and a 6-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion (1968-74). 1968 proved to be a masterclass year that saw his first championship, which came under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, which is where Norris met Bruce Lee.

Before all of his championships, Norris started training when he was stationed in Korea while serving in the U.S. Air Force, before his discharge in 1962. Overall, Norris would accumulate a karate record of 65-5-2, and would become a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo.

Norris did much more though than Karate – in fact he did a sport so drastically different, but still won it all.

Chuck Norris competed in offshore powerboat racing during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991 Chuck Norris, then 51-years-old, won the World Offshore Powerboat Racing Championship. Norris piloted a 38-foot Scarab boat across the Great Lakes. An unlikely champion who faced fake danger in his TV shows and movies, faced real danger, speed and competition against some of the wealthiest and skilled drivers in the sport.

I have probably watched every episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, when I was growing up with my mom. I distinctly remember the episode where Norris races a stock car at Texas Motor Speedway (S7, Ep.15 and 16, “Team Cherokee). Norris’ racing background went far deeper than just acting.

Chuck Norris’ son, Eric Norris, was a NASCAR driver that won the 2002 Winston West Series (now called ARCA Series West) championship. Eric ran 2 O’Reilly Series races and 19 Truck Series races, last appearing in NASCAR’s top three series when he raced trucks at the 2007 Sam’s Town 400 at Texas. Eric Norris last appeared in ARCA in 2012, driving to a 15-place finish at Sonoma.

Chuck Norris leaves behind a truly unique sporting background full of success. 

Subscribe to our YouTube (IT’S FREE) here.