Bill Wallace (martial artist)

William Louis Wallace (born December 1, 1945), nicknamed "Superfoot", is an American martial artist, former professional kickboxer, and actor. Considered one of the first American superstars of kickboxing,^[3][4] he was the Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Full-Contact Champion, and the Middleweight Kickboxing Champion for six years, retiring with an undefeated 23-0-0 record.^[5][6] He was elected to Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame in 1973 as "Tournament Karate Fighter of the Year" and again in 1978 as "Man of the Year". He is currently the International Ambassador for PKA Worldwide.^[7]

Bill Wallace
Wallace in 2011
Born	William Louis Wallace (1945-12-01) December 1, 1945 (age 79) Portland, Indiana, U.S.
Other names	Superfoot, Fast Billy, Bad Billy
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)[2]
Style	Shōrin-ryū karate
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Daytona Beach, Florida
Teacher(s)	Michael Gneck
Trainer	Jim "Ronin" Harrison
Rank	10th dan black belt Sōke (Shōrin-ryū)
Years active	1974–1990
Kickboxing record
Total	23
Wins	23
By knockout	13
Losses	0
By knockout	0
Draws	0
Other information
Website	https://superfootsystem.com

Wallace holds a 10th dan black belt and the title of sōke (grandmaster) in Shōrin-ryū karate. He has also studied wrestling and judo.^[8] He is the founder of The Superfoot System, which incorporates a stretching methodology with Wallace's kicking style and fighting approach.^[9][10] As an actor, his films include A Force of One (1979) with Chuck Norris, Killpoint (1984) with Cameron Mitchell, Ninja Turf (1985) with Phillip Rhee, and The Protector (1985) with Jackie Chan. Wallace also served as a commentator at some of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournaments.^[11]

Background

Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana. He is of Scottish ancestry, and trained in wrestling during his high school years.^[12] He began his study of Judo in 1966 and was forced to discontinue his Judo related activities because of an injury he suffered to his right knee during practice.^[12] He then began to study Shōrin-ryū Karate under Michael Gneck^[13] in February 1967 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. After entering the point fighting tournament scene and achieving success there, he switched to full-contact competition.

With the coaching help of veteran fighter Jim 'Ronin' Harrison, Wallace won 23 consecutive professional fights between 1974 and 1980,^[14] becoming the Professional Karate Association middleweight world full-contact karate champion and retiring undefeated.^[13][15] He was known for his fast left leg kicks,^[16] especially his roundhouse kick and his hook kick, which was clocked at about 60 mph.^[15] He focused on his left leg because of the Judo-related injury to his right knee, using the right leg primarily as a base. He also was kicked in the groin during a point fighting tournament and suffered the loss of one testicle.^[17]

A year later, Wallace turned professional and captured the PKA middleweight karate championship with a second-round knockout. He relinquished the crown in 1980, undefeated. The PKA promoted the sport of full-contact karate. Full-contact karate differed from kickboxing in that leg kicks were allowed in kickboxing and forbidden in full-contact karate. It was PKA President, Don Quine, who coined the phrase "Superfoot" to describe Wallace after witnessing his fight first with Mark Georgantas and then with Jem Echollas.^[18]

In 1990 Bill Wallace (166 lbs) fought one last exhibition kickboxing/karate match with friend Joe Lewis (198 lbs) on pay per view. Both Wallace and Lewis were refused a boxing license because of their age. The exhibition ended with one judge in favor of Wallace and the other two judges scored the bout a tie; ending the exhibition in a draw.^[19]

Education

Wallace studied at Ball State University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1971 in physical education.^[16] In 1976, he earned a master's degree in kinesiology from Memphis State University.^[16]

Accomplishments

Wallace has taught karate, judo, wrestling, and weightlifting at Memphis State University. The author of a college textbook about karate and kinesiology, he continues to teach seminars across the United States and abroad.^[16] He has acted, most notably in A Force of One starring Chuck Norris.^[20] Wallace was the play-by-play commentator for the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event UFC 1 in 1993 alongside fellow kickboxer Kathy Long and NFL Hall of Fame player Jim Brown in which he burped as he said, "Hello, I'm Bill Wallace, and welcome to McNichols Arena" in what has become a much beloved blooper from that event.^[14] Wallace administers an organization of karate schools under his "Superfoot" system. He was elected to Black Belt Magazine's Hall of Fame in 1973 as "Tournament Karate Fighter of the Year" and again in 1978 as "Man of the Year."^[21] His film credits include A Force of One with Chuck Norris; Killpoint, with Cameron Mitchell; Continental Divide and Neighbors, with John Belushi; The Protector, with Jackie Chan; Los Bravos with Hector Echavarria; A Prayer for the Dying, with Mickey Rourke; Ninja Turf; and Sword of Heaven.^[22]

Bill Wallace Spars Greg Beaver in 1977

Miscellaneous

Bill Wallace was a personal trainer and close friend of both Elvis Presley and John Belushi. On March 5, 1982, Bill Wallace found John Belushi dead of a cocaine and heroin overdose, in his room in Bungalow 3, at the Chateau Marmont, on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood, California.^[23]

Wallace has written and co-written a number of books, including:

• The Best of Bill Wallace^[24]
• Competitive Karate: Featuring the Superfoot System^[25]
• The Ultimate Kick ^[26]
• Dynamic Kicking & Stretching ^[27]
• Karate: Basic Concepts & Skills ^[28]

DVD format:

• BOOST Karate for Children^[29]
• Karate: Basic Concepts & Skills ^[30]

Bill Wallace also starred in the 1985 James Glickenhaus action film "The Protector" alongside Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello. Wallace played a tough ex karate champ bodyguard (for a criminal boss), who has an extended fight scene with cop Jackie Chan in a Hong Kong warehouse.

Kickboxing record

Full-contact karate record

23 wins (12 KOs), 0 losses, 0 draw[31]
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time	Record	Notes
June 8, 1980	Win	Robert Biggs		Anderson, Indiana, USA	Decision	12	2:00	20–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
May 24, 1980	Win	Tony Georgiades		Denver, Colorado, USA	KO	2		19–0
March 1, 1980	Win	Raymond McCallum		Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA	Decision	5	2:00	18–0
February 2, 1980	Win	Steve Mackey		West Palm Beach, Florida, USA	Decision	5	2:00	17–0
July 18, 1978	Win	Daryl Tyler		Monte Carlo, Monaco	TKO	6		16–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
June 5, 1978	Win	Ralph Hollett		Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada	Decision	7	2:00	15–0
April 8, 1978	Win	Glen Mehlmen		Miami, Florida, USA	Decision	7	2:00	14–0
March 11, 1978	Win	Emilio Narvaez		Providence, Rhode Island, USA	Decision	9	2:00	13–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
November 28, 1977	Win	Burnis White		Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Decision	9	2:00	12–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
October 8, 1977	Win	Pat Worley		Indianapolis, Indiana, USA	KO	2		11–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
September 10, 1977	Win	Herbie Thompson		Miami, Florida, USA	TKO	2		10–0
May 21, 1977	Win	Ron Thivierge		Providence, Rhode Island, USA	TKO	6		9–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
April 23, 1977	Win	Blinky Rodriguez		Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Decision	9	2:00	8–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
October 1, 1976	Win	Gary Edens		Los Angeles, California, USA	Decision	9	2:00	7–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
May 29, 1976	Win	Daniel Richer		Toronto, Ontario, Canada	TKO	3		6–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
April 26, 1976	Win	Dieter Herdel		Paris, France	KO (hook kick)	1	0:44	5–0
March 13, 1976	Win	Jem Echollas		Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	KO	2		4–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
May 3, 1975	Win	Joe Corley		Atlanta, Georgia, USA	TKO	9	1:31	3–0	Defends PKA Middleweight World title.
September 14, 1974	Win	Daniel Richer		Los Angeles, California, USA	Decision	3	2:00	2–0	Wins PKA Middleweight World title.
September 14, 1974	Win	Bernd Grothe		Los Angeles, California, USA	TKO	3		1–0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	A Force of One	Sparks
1981	Sword of Heaven	Butch
1984	Killpoint	Sparring Partner
1985	L.A. Streetfighters	Kruger
	Manchurian Avenger	Kamikaze
	The Protector	Benny Garucci
1987	Fight to Win	Tankson
1988	Silent Assassins	Colonel
1989	American Hunter	Adam
2016	Enter the Cage
2019	The Last Operative	Bill