|
About Lanny
Lanny Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada on December 28th, 1954. He hales from a family of professional wrestlers and has always been fond of poetry. He was the Poet Laureate of the WWF (World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment from 1985-1989. In his wrestling career, he would compose and recite an original poem before each bout.
At first, he was known as "Leaping Lanny" (a good guy) and published a book of wrestling poetry entitled Leaping Lanny: Wrestling with Rhyme. "Leaping Lanny" later transformed into a pseudo-intellectual villain called "The Genius" and made appearances dressed in a cap and gown. From 1989 to 1993, "The Genius" character continually antagonized his audiences. He wrestled Hulk Hogan on the TV show Saturday Night's Main Event and gave a performance that is still considered by many to be the most hilarious wrestling spectacle ever.
His father, Angelo Poffo, was featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not! for holding the world record for sit-ups: 6033 in four hours and ten minutes. Angelo went on to have a long career in pro-wrestling. He is 79 and has been smoke-free his entire life.
Lanny's brother is pro-wrestling's infamous Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Randy played "Bonesaw McGraw" in the 2002 hit motion picture Spider-Man.
Lanny frequently engages in public speaking in schools and includes a performance of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in which he plays three parts: the narrator, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who. He follows that with a lecture on clean living.
Lanny has also written poems for the Jerry Lewis Telethon, the Special Olympics (see below), the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. He Loves poetry so much that he includes a short poem as part of his voicemail greeting.
Special Olympics
It's called the Special Olympics,
There's something about that name,
It's taking people off the bench
And putting them back in the game.
No one should ever be denied
The chance to grab the centerstage
Or share an honest open smile
With other boys and girls their age.
For personal satisfaction
Or just having a little fun,
The spirit of competition
Is the birthright of everyone.
It's a very special moment
When they pass that torch and run.
In the words of Charles Dickens:
"God bless us everyone!"
Lanny's greatest thrill was meeting the late children's poet and author Shel Silverstein. Shel's encouragement helped to make Lanny's dream of a book of antismoking limericks a reality.
By day, Lanny Poffo is a Certified Credit Counselor. He consolidates people's unsecured debt and gets them on the right path - a job he enjoys immensely - but his main ambition in life is to help prevent kids from ever starting to smoke and also to help smokers quit.
We are honored to complete this short bio of Lanny Poffo with the following poem written for the Positive Action Assembly for Elementary Schools:
Always strive to be your best
With everything you do,
Don't worry if there's someone else
Who's luckier than you.
You don't have to finish first,
Just finish fair and square.
With a little perseverance,
The tortoise beats the hare.
Your only competition
Is laziness and fear.
Trade them for a double dose
Of courage, strength and cheer.
Don't you ever feel ashamed
If someone laughs at you.
You're in some fancy company -
They laughed at Lincoln too.
No smoking, drugs or alcohol!
You're worth too much for that
As a decent human being,
Not a laboratory rat.
My thanks to all the boys and girls
For making me your guest.
I'm not a real genius,
But I strive to be my best
|
|
|
|
|
|
