"High Hat" Daddy Razz

From The Great Outdoor Fight

"High Hat" Daddy Razz (b. 1910 Chicago Illinois d. 1988) was well known for his sense of style, and was the first fighter to ever enter the fight wearing a top hat. (Many fighters have since, in emulation of him.) He was also famous for managing to keep that hat in perfect condition through most of his fighting career, due to respect from his opponents, until his famous Top Hat Frenzy in 1933. The Top Hat Frenzy occured when Roy Talbott snuck up behind Razz while he was fighting and knocked his hat from his head, stomping on it. Talbott taunted, "What's the prissy boy going to do about it now?" High Hat flew into a rage; he threw his opponent ten feet, punched Roy in the Jibblies, and proceeded to go to town on him, tearing one arm off entirely and shattering half the bones in his body. He moved on in a circle of death around his top hat, killing seven men and wounding twelve, until finally the other men avoided him. Razz then picked up his top hat, dusted it off, and set it back on his head. Young Jude Surrency stood waiting at the edge of High Hat's circle of death, and when High Hat made eye contact, Surrency gave him a look and a nod. High Hat proceeded to follow him, becoming the seventh member of the Twenty-Three Skidoos.

When only the Skidoos were left, High Hat was the seventh to be called out by Surrency in the same way he was accepted into the group; with a look and a nod. High Hat paused for just a second to ask Surrency, "Just don't mess up my hat, old timer." To which Surrency replied "Sure," and proceeded to systematically injure every part of High Hat's body, finishing him with a roundhouse kick that knocked High Hat's head out from under his top hat. Surrency snatched the hat from the air when he completed the spin, and set it over High Hat's face.

High Hat returned to the fight two years later, after recovering from the 1933 fight. Forming his own nine man army, the Top Hat Gang, he wreaked havoc on the larger armies, until his gang was one of the only two left. Feeling that they would easily beat the other, smaller gang, the Top Hats decided to take care of their biggest challenge first, and turned on their leader. In the resulting brawl, High Hat took down five of his gang before he was brought down by a punch to the jaw. The remaining four members were taken down by Silas Losey and his four man army, Silas emerging as the victor.

Daddy Razz was killed when he was shot from behind by a mugger in 1988. The then elderly High Hat turned around and snapped the neck of the mugger, and then died on his way to the hospital. In his will, he bequeathed his hat to the Great Outdoor Fight Museum

[edit] Record

• 1927: Eliminated on Day 1, 1,454th man standing
• 1928: Eliminated on Day 1, 1,001st man standing
• 1929: Eliminated on Day 2, 176th man standing
• 1930: Eliminated on Day 3, 97th man standing
• 1931: Eliminated on Day 2, 310th man standing
• 1932: Eliminated on Day 3, 80th man standing
• 1933: Eliminated on Day 3, 16th man standing
• 1935: Eliminated on Day 3, 9th man standing

[edit] Quotes

"I don't care what you do to me, but don't nobody mess up my hat."--Ritual comment to the opening scrum before wading into it, 1927, repeated until 1935

"I wanted the fight between me and my gang to be like the showdown with the Chief in '33. But I guess these times breed 'em meaner."--1938, commenting on the 1935 fight.