Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion who integrated his combat prowess into starring roles in vigilante and gritty action films, died Thursday at 86, his family confirmed.
Prior to becoming an actor, Norris won several martial arts championships before founding his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. He became widely known in the 1980s for his heroic roles in crowd-pleasing films like “The Delta Force” and “Missing Action,” as well as the long-running television series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” placing alongside action stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But Norris was more than roundhouse kicks and a tough-guy image. He was also a competitive offshore powerhouse racer and spent time speeding through Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
Norris piloted the boat “Popeyes/Diet Coke,” owned by the flamboyant New Orleans entrepreneur Al Copeland, founder of the Popeyes fast food chain. He also maintained ties to the city beyond racing and even served as a grand marshal in the Krewe of Endymion.
Al Copeland on his Popeyes boat. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)
Norris became the star performer on the boat in 1989 as Copeland expanded his fried chicken empire in a $425 million acquisition of Church’s Fried Chicken. The New Orleans businessman agreed to step back from racing as part of the buyout.
In 1990, Norris drove the boat to victory in an offshore race in Long Beach against actors Kurt Russel and Don Johnson. A year later, he competed in the Popeyes Offshore RaceFest on Lake Pontchartrain alongside veteran racer Reggie Fountain and Johnson. Fountain won the 154.5-mile race, while Johnson finished third.
Norris, however, was forced out early after a mechanical failure in Copeland’s 50-foot boat, which broke down less than 30 minutes after the start.
“One motor broke right out the gate, and then they lost another,” said Copeland, who watched the race from his helicopter. “We weren’t prepared like we wanted to be this year.”
Chuck Norris served as co-grand marshal in the 1995 Krewe of Endymion parade.
Norris later competed against Johnson in the Bud Dry Marathon Offshore Challenge in the Florida Keys, averaging more than 81 miles per hour aboard Copeland’s boat. Both racers dominated the waters, but Norris was ultimately named national champion in the Superboat class.
Years later, in 1995, Norris served as co-grand marshal of the Krewe of Endymion alongside Richard Karn of “Home Improvement.” Leading a procession of more than 120 floats, 42 marching bands and 5,000 participants, the parade was themed “Endymion’s Creatures Features.”
In a 1988 interview, Norris spoke about his passion for speed in a way that captured his broader love for adventure: “Anything that deals with speed, I love.”
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