A cause of death has not been released yet.
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But when his football prospects cooled, he made the jump to wrestling and eventually teamed up with Blackjack Lanza to form The Blackjacks – one of the most celebrated wrestling tag-teams of the 1970s.
Mulligan, real name Robert Windham, was one half of the legendary tag team The Blackjacks with his partner Jack Lanza – the master of the Iron Claw.
WWE is saddened by the news that Robert Windham, aka WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan, has passed away at age 73.
As Mulligan, he was feared in the ring by pretty much everyone except rival Andre the Giant, thanks to his 6-foot-9, 345-pound frame.
After a brief stint in the NFL, Windham joined what was then known as the World Wide Wrestling Gederation in 1967 and debuted as the villainous heel Blackjack Mulligan dressed in black cowboy gear. Blackjack Mulligan was 73 years old, and was hospitalized back in February after suffering from a heart attack several months ago.
The team would go on to capture Tag Team Championships across America, including the WWE Tag Team Championships as they established themselves as one of the greatest teams in the history of wrestling.
According to The New York Daily News, Windham retired in 1987. His sons Kendall and Barry were both professional wrestlers, as was his son-in-law Mike Rotunda. The grandfather to current WWE superstars, Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas was one of the most influential wrestlers of the 1970’s and was inducted into theWWE Hall of Famein 2006.
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“WWE extends its sincerest condolences to Windham’s family, friends and colleagues”.
