118: Jim Myers, Known Around The World As George "The Animal" Steele, Shares How WWF Professional Wrestling Saved His life. Jim’s Legacy Include Being A Teacher, Coach, Author, Actor and Most Importantly A Loving Father And Husband

Who Are You: The Life Lessons of Sports

Jim Myers is well known by his WWF ring name George "The Animal" Steele who wrestled professionally with legends such as Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Rowdy Piper, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Rick Steamboat and the Iron Sheik. But what most people did not know is Jim had an entirely different and separate life.

During his entire professional wrestling career, Jim was also a teacher, coach, husband and father. Jim’s career lasted from 1967 until 1988, though he made occasional wrestling appearances into the 1990s and 2000s. Jim was also an actor and portrayed Swedish wrestler/actor Tor Johnson in Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. Jim was raised in Madison Heights, Michigan. During high school, he found success in track running, baseball, basketball and football.

In 1956, Myers entered Michigan State University as a football player for the Michigan State Spartans, but his career as a football player was immediately cut short as a result of knee problems. After gaining a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from Central Michigan University, Myers became a teacher, amateur wrestling coach, and football coach at Madison High School in Madison Heights, Michigan. Looking to supplement his income, he got into the world of Detroit-area professional wrestling, but in order to protect his privacy, he wrestled using a mask and the name “The Student”.

Jims has dyslexia and was also diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 1988, an inflammatory bowel disease that currently has no cure but can be brought into remission. In 1998, doctors told Myers that his Crohn's Disease had gone into remission and that he no longer suffered from any of the disease's symptoms. In 2002, to prevent the symptoms from returning, Myers had his colon removed. Jim is a religious man. He attends the First Baptist Church Merritt Island, and currently lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida with his wife Pat, whom he married before he entered Michigan State in 1956. Together, Pat and Jim have two sons, Dennis and Randy, and a daughter, Felicia.

Jim is in the Michigan Coaches and Michigan Football Coaches Halls of Fame as well as being inducted into The WWE Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Listen in as Jim talks about his troubles at a young age and how "George The Animal Steele" saved his life.