James Buckley Jr. - Who Is Dwayne The Rock Johnson?

Dwayne Johnson was born in Hayward, California, on May 2, 1972. When Dwayne was a baby, he and his family moved often. By the time Dwayne was in kindergarten, he had lived in five different states! The family moved often because Dwaynes father, Rocky, was a professional wrestler, and took his family with him as he traveled from event to event.

Rocky had met his wife, Ata, when he wrestled with her father, Peter Maivia, who was also a professional wrestler. Atas full name was Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia. Her family came from the Pacific islands of Samoa and Hawaii. Peter had won championships in Hawaii and in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the biggest organization in the sport. The WWF put on events all over the United States, attracting huge audiences. WWF wrestlers were big personalities, great showmen and women, and powerful athletes. They were also entertainers.

When Dwayne was about nine, the family lived in Hawaii, where Rocky wrestled and Ata was able to spend time with her father and her large Samoan family. Dwayne learned a lot about his heritage on the island. He saw his grandfathers large Samoan tattoos. He also watched the respect that Peter Maivia had in the wrestling community. Peter died of cancer in 1982, and Dwayne was among thousands who attended his grandfathers funeral.

Dwayne and his father, Rocky Johnson

Rockys career kept the family moving from place to place. Before he reached high school, the Johnson family had lived in fourteen states. It was difficult for Dwayne to change schools so often, as he was always having to find new friends. Fitting into a new place over and over was difficult. Dwayne was friendly and outgoing, but he was also very big, which made him stand out even more. He was well over six feet tall in junior high, and was very strong like Rocky. In many of his new schools, other big students wanted to challenge him. I was always the new kid, so that made me a target, he says.

During a period when the family was back in Hawaii, Dwayne got in real trouble. He and some other teenagers were caught stealing. He was arrested several times. It was when I was in the ninth grade. I was doing stupid stuff and the cops came into the class [to arrest me]. I was humiliated more than anything.

Dwayne and his parents left Hawaii again not long after, and settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for Dwaynes second year in high school. Not long after he arrived, Dwayne was caught by a teacher named Jody Cwik using the bathroom in the teachers lounge. Dwayne later said, That was the day that changed everything. Mr. Cwik was the schools football coach. After Dwayne apologized the next day, Mr. Cwik asked him to join the football team.

CHAPTER 2

Hurricane Dwayne

With Mr. Cwik and others as his coaches, Dwayne soon became a high school football star. He was six feet four inches tall and weighed 230 pounds. He had very broad shoulders, and he was extremely fast for a person of his size. As a junior, he played tight end and defensive end. Thanks to his outgoing personality, Dwayne was also named a team captain.

Dwayne and Coach Cwik

In his senior year, he was named an all-American while making fourteen sacks and more than one hundred tackles. Dwayne thought that the University of Miami would be a good place for him to play. The Miami Hurricanes were one of the top teams in the country. They also played with a lot of personality and attitude, which Dwayne liked. So he contacted Miamis coaches by calling them himself, which was a very unusual move. Most schools scouted players, but Dwayne chose the university he was interested in and contacted them. The coaches were impressed by Dwaynes confidence and by his skill. In February 1989, he signed up to play football for the Hurricanes.