Isaiah Jerrod Hooker

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Born in Secaucus, NJ in 1920, Hooker learned how to fight early and well. Most of his early fights were spurred by other youths mocking him for his last name. Few ever tormented him twice. His early fights gave him a taste for inflicting pain and injury on his opponents.

In 1936 at the age of 16, Hooker ran away from home to join one of the first International Brigades fighting in the Spanish Civil War. He was motivated less by idealism or progressive politics than by the simple desire to kill. He quickly became one of the most ruthless combatants on the ground.

Hooker returned to the US following the Nationalist victory, where he worked as a stevedore in Atlantic City for the next two years. He split his time between unloading cargo and brawling with anyone foolish or drunk enough to take him on. Hooker was very careful in all of his civilian combats. In all of his brawls and donnybrooks he never killed any of his opponents, but the impulse to kill never quite left him.

In 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, Hooker volunteered for service in the US Army and began agitating for the US to get involved in the war. Political circumstances were against him though, and it wasn't until 1942 that he was once again able to fully unleash his lethal talents. Hooker tore through Europe for three years, leading a crack squad of commandos from the beaches of Normandy right up to Berlin. Several of these commandos continued to follow him through subsequent years, eventually leading to his involvement in the 1950 fight.

After the victory in Europe, Hooker volunteered for redeployment in the Pacific, a request which was ultimately denied. Hooker took this as a personal affront. When Japan surrendered following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he told some of his followers that this was the end an era. "There's no such thing as a warrior now. When one bomb can take out a city, what's the point of being a soldier?"

Hooker mustered out of the Army in 1946 and returned to New Jersey. For three years, he kept a low profile. He returned to his work on the docks, but there are no police or newspaper reports of him fighting.

In 1949, Hooker was approached by one of his former commandos, Hilton Butt. The two of them had similar childhoods, learning to fight because of the teasing they endured due to their last names, and had formed a close bond during the war. Butt had qualified for the Great Outdoor Fight, and sought out Hooker, the best fighter he knew, to help him train. During this training, an over-enthusiastic throw by Hooker broke Butt's left leg and right arm. On the strength of this, and his previous military record, the two of them were able to petition the Powers That Be and Hooker was permitted to compete in the 1950 Fight.

Hooker's strategy was simple, effective, and notable for two things: his lethal ruthlessness towards those fighters not in his army, and his iron-handed control over those who chose to follow him. After killing six challengers in the first ten minutes, he quickly formed a core group of competent fighters and began eliminating the competition. The only promise he offered his men was that, come day three, he would not kill them. He avoided direct combat himself, unless one of his cadre was defeated, at which point he would personally engage their attacker, usually to lethal effect. By early on the third day, the dozen or so survivors of army were the only ones left on the field. He ordered an organized single-elimination tournament amongst his followers, which he quickly won.

After his victory, Hooker opened a gymnasium. He maintained active interest in the fight, but only as a spectator and trainer. He is credited with providing the training and strategy that Hilton Butt used to win the 1953 fight. His other major contribution took pace after the bribery scandal of the 1958 fight, when he donated the first two 1944 Willys MB Jeeps.