Ted DiBiase by Terry Funk, Ted DiBiase, Jim J.R. Ross

NANFITO:
    Ted liked her and she liked Ted. So I got both of them together. Ted wanted to give her a kiss but he was scared. I said, “Oh, just kiss her! Go outside and give her a kiss. Don’t worry about it!” Well, he did, but the fun was just starting. To my surprise, I noticed Ted was eyeing another girl. I couldn’t believe it. The next thing I saw, they were talking. We somehow got separated and I couldn’t find Ted. I finally decided to look outside. Lo and behold, I see Ted and this girl on the swing, smooching away. I told him later that I thought I created a monster!
    The summer prior to my freshman year in high school, my life changed. St. Ann’s only went up to the eighth grade. I wanted to attend and play football at Creighton Preparatory School, a private, Jesuit college prep school for young men that was founded in 1878.
    It was a very competitive school. You had to take and pass an entrance exam to get accepted. The school had a marvelous academic reputation, and its athletics were equally impressive. Though I was just an average student, I passed the exam and was accepted into the school.
    OSCAR NANFITO:
    Ted was a really good student. He would take honors classes, study real hard, and get As and Bs all the time. I was just the opposite. I was a D/F, barely pass type of guy. Unlike Ted, I was just a goof-off.
    It was then that I asked my dad to help me get in shape. I really wanted to be a standout football player, just like him. I also wanted to make him proud. Itwas time to get serious. Dad said, “If you want to play football because you really want to, that’s fine. But if you’re doing this because you think you have to because I did, don’t do it.”
    â€œDad, I understand what you are saying, but I am doing this because I want to.”
    â€œTeddy, I will help you. I’ll also work you hard.”
    â€œI want it, sir.”
    Then he looked me straight in the eye. “Teddy, I love you no matter what. Be the best you can be at whatever it is you do. But remember, what I am about to put you through to get you in shape, you asked for it!”
    Boy, did he give it to me. For the next four months and throughout my freshman year, Dad trained me. He worked me very hard and taught me the importance of weights, cardiovascular training, and eating right. I worked muscles that I didn’t even know I had. Though I would get sore, I never got depressed or upset. I was focused; I had my eye on that football prize.
    I also recruited my buddy Oscar to work out with me. He was also a football player and wanted to get in better shape for the upcoming season. Dad’s training schedule had us first doing calisthenics. And we did them until we dropped. We then ran, anywhere from five to ten miles a day. But it wasn’t over yet. We would then stumble into our garage for a detailed weight workout—bench-pressing, squats, dead-lifts, and so on. After months of this workout, we were in excellent shape and had become football machines.
    OSCAR NANFITO:
    Ted’s dad helped both of us get in shape for football season. Mr. DiBiase was a disciplinarian. He was strict and didn’t pull any punches. When he wanted something, he told you exactly what he wanted. He was big and burly and he had this deep, scary voice. I was always intimidated by him. Even when he was laughing, you would have to wonder. Don’t get me wrong, he was a nice guy. But if he said something, you knew you’d better do it.

    After my freshman year at Creighton Prep, we moved back to Amarillo. Dad decided that because of my football potential, it would be better for me to attend a high school in Texas. There, the high school football talent was much better. The competition would give me an opportunity to improve and hopefully get a college scholarship. It was also an opportunity for Dad to finish out his wrestling career.
    The Amarillo territory was a great place to make a living