Sunday, January 10, 2010

Dapper Dan honors Bruno

Bruno Sammartino attended his first Dapper Dan banquet in 1963, but even though his nickname is "Living Legend," he was recently thinking of giving up his seat on the dais.

"It's like you become an old-timer. There are so many new young faces now," he said in that self-deprecating way of his. "Let's face it, I'm a has-been."

Far from it. A place of honor has been reserved for Sammartino, who will be presented a lifetime achievement award by Dapper Dan Charities at this year's event. For a man whose signature wrestling hold was the bear hug, it's as if the city he represented as a goodwill ambassador for so many years is opening its arms for a long overdue embrace.

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