Grandmaster Darryl Vidal to Receive Masters Hall of Fame Legacy Award

Costa Mesa, CA (For Release) - Grandmaster Darryl Vidal, a 10th Degree Black Belt (Ju Dan) in Chinese Kenpo Karate, will be honored with a Legacy Award at the 20th Anniversary Masters Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on Saturday, June 27, at the Hilton Costa Mesa Hotel. The event will feature Dr. Robert Goldman as Grandmaster of Ceremonies and Sifu Cynthia Rothrock as Keynote Speaker. 

Grandmaster Vidal, who has more than 40 years of experience training in Kenpo Karate, gained notoriety in the film industry when he appeared in the original Karate Kid as himself and as the stunt double for Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. Born in San Diego, Calif., he and his family moved to Chino, where he found himself gravitating to the martial arts, inspired in part by the movies of Bruce Lee. Little did he know at the time that he would become a part of martial arts movie history.

During a competition in Los Angeles, he was asked by the director of Karate Kid if he would like to be in the movie as one of the few trained martial artists in the film. In the movie he appeared as himself in the competition scenes, but he was also asked to create what has become known as the “crane technique” as Morita’s stunt double.

“They put makeup and a bodysuit on me,” Grand Master Vidal recalled in an interview after receiving the Masters’ Silver Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, “and I appeared as the old man on the stumps on the beach. It ended up being one of the most iconic karate movies of all time, I think.”

“It is an honor and a pleasure to present Grandmaster Darryl Vidal with the Masters Hall of Fame Legacy Award in recognition of his unwavering leadership in the martial arts,” says Masters Hall of Fame Chairman Dr. Daniel Hect. “Darryl has given a lifetime of leadership and service to the martial arts community and the Masters Hall of Fame, and I am proud to have him as a colleague and a friend.”  

The Masters Hall of Fame was founded in 1999 and is recognized as the premier Martial Arts event on the West Coast. The association recognizes exceptional Martial Arts Leaders and Legends through induction into the Masters Hall of Fame. Honorees are chosen for their dedication to the martial arts and their work in the community, as well as their successes. For more information on the Masters Hall of Fame, visit the website at mastershalloffame.org. For media information, contact Kamatoy Media Group at 619-940-5648 or press@jugglemail.com.