A native of Tulsa , Oklahoma , Dick Hutton was a great amateur wrestler who became one of the best professional heavyweights of all time.

Hutton was a four-time All-American in college at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University ), winning three NCAA heavyweight titles. He also represented the United States in the 1948 Olympics in London , though hampered by an injury.

A powerful athlete with great quickness, Dick was one of the greatest mat wrestlers ever, almost impossible to control on the mat. Ed "Strangler" Lewis served as his mentor in his early career. He took the NWA world heavyweight championship from Lou Thesz in Toronto in 1957 and ruled the heavyweight ranks for almost two years.

He wrestled professionally from 1953 to 1964, usually weighing around 245 pounds. Lou Thesz called Hutton "one of the best mat wrestlers ever and one of the truly great champions in wrestling history."