The Real Bufford Hayse Pusser (12/12/37-8/21/74)

He was born and raised in McNairy County, Tennessee. His family was poor and they lived on a
farm. As a youth he worked some odd jobs to help his mother make ends meet. Bufford Pusser
also stood 6 feet 6 inches tall, and signed up for the Marines at the age of 18. Because he had
asthma this led to his medical discharge, and later on he turned to pro wrestling to make ends
meet. His wrestling prowess earned him the moniker "Buford The Bull" in the ring. It was during
this time in Chicago that he met and married Pauline Mullins who was from West Virginia.

During 1962 to 1964 he served as the constable for Adamsville, Tennessee. The very same place
where his father worked as the police chief. In August of 1964, he won the election for sheriff,
making him the youngest person (26) to hold the office in state history. He promptly went to war
with the State Line Mob and the Dixie Mafia, waging a one-man battle against anyone who didn’t
adhere to the law. But the war came at a great cost to Pusser, and his wife Pauline was shot to
death during a 1967 ambush. Pusser received a shotgun blast to the face during this attack, but
he would recover after spending 18 days in the hospital.

While many of the events depicted in the Walking Tall movies are distortions or outright
falsehoods, there’s no doubting that Buford Pusser was one tough hombre. He was a man who
was really hard to kill. During his stint as sheriff, he survived eight shootings and seven stabbings,
only to die in 1974 of injuries sustained in a single-car accident (his daughter believed he was
murdered). Six films have been made about him or were inspired by his exploits, plus three
biographical books and mentions in two Jimmy Buffet songs.

There are many tales and distortions of Buford’s life and reign as Sheriff, but one thing is for
certain. Buford Pusser is a legend and his reputation as a "Law Enforcement Officer who took his
job seriously" puts him in the elite company of many other American Law Legends from
yesteryear. Buford’s family included his parents, Carl and Helen, and his brother John Howard
Pusser who are all now deceased, a sister Gailya Pusser Davis and her family who now lives in
Collierville. Buford and Pauline had a daughter, Dwana Pusser Garrison who, with her husband,
James Garrison, are the owners of Pusser’s Restaurant. Jamie and Dwana have three daughters,
Tara, Atoyia, and Madison.