Mick Foley Bio Series - Early Life

by Jack Windham
April 14, 2008

One of the things that made Mick Foley so successful as a wrestler is the fact that he grew up as a wrestling fan.

The Beginning

On June 7, 1965, Mick Foley was born as Michael Francis Foley.

Most people associate Mick Foley with Long Island, New York, so they'd be surprised to know that he was actually born in Bloomington, Indiana.

His ties to New York aren't fabricated by any means, though. His family relocated to New York soon after he was born.

Wrestling King of Queens

A lot of wrestling fans only know of Mick Foley as a hardcore wrestler. They have no idea that he actually has a background in wrestling.

In high school, he was an amateur wrestler. Mick Foley was good enough to make the team.

One of his teammates on that wrestling squad was Kevin James.

Kevin James became an actor, who played the lead role in the long running King of Queens sitcom. He also starred with Will Smith in the movie Hitch.

The Big Leap

On October 17, 1983, wrestling history was made inside of the ring at Madison Square Garden.

That was the night when Superfly Jimmy Snuka made his historic leap from the top of the steel cage down on to Don Muraco.

Fans of all ages will remember that historic moment.

However, wrestling history was also being made that night in the audience.

Two of the people in the audience that night were Tommy Dreamer and Mick Foley.

Tommy Dreamer would go on to help make wrestling history by being one of the central figures in the rise of Paul Heyman and Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Mick Foley, who actually hitchhiked his way to Madison Square Garden that night, was inspired by the moment to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

He would go on to become a hardcore legend and one of the most surprising world champions of our lifetime.

Double Duty

When the decision was made to become a professional wrestler, Mick Foley was still in college.

At the time, he decided he would do both. He would attend college in New York and drive over to Pennsylvania for his wrestling training.

For a while there, Mick Foley would drive thousands of miles a month. He sometimes slept in his car as well.

It's sacrifices like these that made his susccess taste even sweeter.

...TO BE CONTINUED