Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 â€" January 2, 2019), better
known by his ring name "Mean" Gene Okerlund, was an American
professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He
was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and
World Championship Wrestling. Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall
of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was signed to a lifetime contract
with WWE and worked for promotional programs, mostly WWE Network
programming and, occasionally, the TV series.After studying broadcast
journalism at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), Okerlund landed a
job as a disc jockey at KOIL, a popular radio station in Omaha,
Nebraska. Okerlund later moved to Minneapolis where he worked for WDGY
as a radio host under the alias of Gene Leader. He later left that
position to become Program Director at KDWB. Okerlund also worked in
Minneapolis for a local television station in the front
office.Okerlund fronted the band Gene Caroll and the Shades releasing
"Is It Ever Gonna Happen" on the album "In This Corner" Norton Records
in 1962.Okerlund left the radio industry for a position at the
American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1970, where he occasionally
filled in for ailing ring announcer and interviewer Marty O'Neill,
eventually becoming O'Neill's permanent replacement by the end of the
decade.
known by his ring name "Mean" Gene Okerlund, was an American
professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He
was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and
World Championship Wrestling. Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall
of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was signed to a lifetime contract
with WWE and worked for promotional programs, mostly WWE Network
programming and, occasionally, the TV series.After studying broadcast
journalism at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), Okerlund landed a
job as a disc jockey at KOIL, a popular radio station in Omaha,
Nebraska. Okerlund later moved to Minneapolis where he worked for WDGY
as a radio host under the alias of Gene Leader. He later left that
position to become Program Director at KDWB. Okerlund also worked in
Minneapolis for a local television station in the front
office.Okerlund fronted the band Gene Caroll and the Shades releasing
"Is It Ever Gonna Happen" on the album "In This Corner" Norton Records
in 1962.Okerlund left the radio industry for a position at the
American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1970, where he occasionally
filled in for ailing ring announcer and interviewer Marty O'Neill,
eventually becoming O'Neill's permanent replacement by the end of the
decade.
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