Before The A-Team, Mr. T Won This Early Television Competition Show

Mr. T has been pitying fools as a star of the big and small screens since 1982. The actor and former wrestler became a household name following his casting as Bosco "B.A." Baracus on the hit '80s TV show "The A-Team" a year after landing his big break when he was cast in "Rocky III" alongside Sylvester Stallone. On "The A-Team," B.A. was the mechanic and muscle for the series' titular soldiers of fortune. B.A.'s tough guy persona was somewhat undercut by a relatable flaw — his fear of flying — leading to the rest of the A-Team regularly having to find ways of tricking B.A. into getting on flights.

But before he became either the A-Team's B.A. Baracus or the boxer Clubber Lang in "Rocky III," Mr. T had a surprising TV debut. In his youth, T had been a bouncer, and he put his skill set to use in the televised contest "America's Toughest Bouncer" (though, with no footage apparently surviving, the title has been alternately reported as "World's Toughest Bouncer," "America's Best Bouncer," and "The Toughest Bouncer in America"). 

T competed in this contest — and won — twice in the early 1980s. His first win aired as part of NBC's "The Sunday Games," and the second was a segment on the same show when it had been renamed "Games People Play." The contest saw Mr. T taking part in challenges such as throwing a stuntman, breaking through a 4-inch wooden door, and a final boxing match to determine the winner.

Mr. T's first TV appearance did far more for the future actor's career than netting him a strange sporting title. It was his America's Toughest Bouncer boxing match that landed him the role of Clubber Lang in "Rocky III," effectively launching his acting career. Sylvester Stallone — who has recently gone on to lead Paramount+ series "Tulsa King" — saw T competing in the second of his two contests, on "Games People Play," inspiring his eventual casting as the main antagonist of "Rocky III."

Following his role in "Rocky III," Mr. T would make a handful of TV appearances before landing his career-defining role on "The A-Team."

It wasn't just Mr. T's boxing prowess that caught Stallone's attention, though. Prior to the boxing match, T said of his opponent in an interview, "I just feel sorry for the guy who I have to box. I just feel real sorry for him" (per HuffPost). The quote apparently stuck with Stallone, eventually inspiring Clubber Lang's line "No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool." This marked the origin of Mr. T's career-long catchphrase, "I pity the fool." While he never uttered the phrase as B.A. Baracus on "The A-Team," T would adopt it as a slogan that he frequently used in TV and public appearances as himself. In 2006, Mr. T presented a short-lived reality show called "I Pity the Fool," in which he offered advice to people in need of motivational support.