|
The Legend Behind The Legend...
Vincent D’Amor, a.k.a. Titan 3, was born on April 9th, 1975 at Doctor’s Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida. He is the middle of three brothers. His older brother Victor was born three years before him, and his younger brother Vito was born almost two years later than Vincent. Shortly after Vito’s birth, the three brothers lost their parents in a horrible car accident. Victor, Vincent, and Vito would spend the next several years of their childhood in foster care. The brothers were eventually adopted, and began to grow close to their new family. It was just after Vincent’s 10th birthday that their adopted father died of a sudden heart attack. Their adopted mother would pass away only months later, again leaving the three young boys without anyone to care for them. This forced the three brothers back into foster care once again. By this time, the D’Amor boys had started to mature, and puberty was beginning to set in. All three of them turned out to be very athletic and well-built young men, with Vincent in particular, being the most noticeably built of the three. Vincent had a love for football, and began to play in the Pops Warner league in the city. He developed a close relationship with his coach, who mentored Vincent on the fundamentals of football. By the time he turned 18, Vincent was living on his own, in a not so luxurious one-bedroom apartment that he shared with friends. He kept in contact with his brothers, but they had all gone their respective ways in life. Victor by now had become well known for his wild drinking and endless gambling, and Vito becoming almost recluse-like and disappearing for a while. Vincent played football throughout Junior High, as well as High School, continuing to develop his game, and becoming very popular with his teammates. He excelled at almost every position, and was basically an all-around, multi-purpose player. Recruiters then approached Vincent from the University of Florida, and the University of Georgia, trying to get him to commit to playing college ball for their respective programs. Vincent declined, and enrolled at the University of Miami where he then started working at the Dockyards to help pay for school. He then attended try-outs for the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. He impressed the coaches so much that they ended up firing their recruiter for over-looking such a talent. Vincent received a scholarship to play football, and became a red-shirt Freshman for the University of Miami. The coaches wanted to develop him into a Tight-End, but Vincent did not have the hands to be a receiver. Instead, they put him on the defensive line for awhile where Vincent repeatedly was able to get to the Quarterback during practice drills, constantly frustrating the Offensive Lineman. He finally ended up as a starting safety for the team. He was now around 6’5”, 265 lbs, and was very fast and agile for a man of his size. He would rotate in and out of games, since The Hurricanes were very well stocked at every position. In 1991, Vincent and the ‘Canes brought home the National Championship of College Football. It was the following year during a game against the Temple Owls that changed the course of Vincent D’Amor’s life forever. During a play, Temple receiver Duane Cummings had caught a leaping pass near the Hurricanes’ sideline. D’Amor and backup cornerback Ron Sweet converged on Cummings to make the tackle. Not only did they tackle Cummings, but D’Amor and Sweet collided akwardly, injuring both men. Vincent got the worst of the collision however. He ended up with a shattered shoulder blade, and a broken clavicle. Some muscles had been torn in his shoulder, which required Vince to miss the rest of the season. He needed major surgery to repair the muscle and nerve damage in his shoulder. His football career was officially over. Vincent finished his studies, and walked away from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Still, his desire to play football lingered. When told he might not ever play again, Vincent started a rigorous, often brutal regime of physical therapy. Several more surgeries followed, and then one day while visiting some friends in Texas, Titan 3 stopped by a San Antonio gym. It was there that Vincent D’Amor met a man by the name of Shawn Michaels. The two became friends, and started training together. Shawn sparked Vince’s interest in professional wrestling by inviting him out to a show. Vincent was hooked. He was able to get his shoulder back in condition, and then went over to Japan where he signed a two-year deal with an independent promotion. After working on his technique and gaining popularity with the fans as well as in the locker-room, Vince was finally ready to come back to the States.
Click Here for Part Two
|
