| About Grandmaster Eric O'Neal, Sr. |
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 Grandmaster Eric O'Neal, Sr. has been an integral presence in martial arts for over 30 years and has been working with the youth of New Orleans for over 20 of those 30 years as a Grandmaster of Karate. Raised in the Desire housing project and introduced to martial arts at a young age, Grandmaster O' Neal grew up admiring Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris for their outstanding contributions to the world and aspired to be amongst their ranks. At the age of eleven, he won his first karate tournament in Lake Charles, Louisiana and went on to win the All South National Karate Championship for three years straight. And this was only the beginning. Soon after, Master O' Neal embarked upon his travels throughout the country, competing and winning hundreds of coveted titles.At the age of seventeen, he graduated from George Washington Carver, Sr. High School and took a hiatus from competing in karate tournaments to focus on his education. He graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.A. in Business Administration and continued his education in marketing at Dillard University. With a solid education under his belt, Master O' Neal worked in corporate America for over ten years. He served as audit supervisor for several local hotels including coordinating the startup of the exclusive Le Meridien Hotel. He was hired by IT&T Corporation and soon advanced to become the number five marketing person in the world-wide organization. Locally, he has worked with the Minolta Corporation. In addition, Grandmaster O'Neal, Sr is licensed in both real estate and insurance. In October 1986, Master O' Neal left the corporate world to return to his true calling, martial arts, and decided to share his passion for karate with the children of New Orleans. He started the Blue Lion Karate Academy in a garage with a handful of students and within months was able to move to a storefront studio in Gentilly Woods Shopping Center in New Orleans. Over the past 20 years, Blue Lion has grown into the largest and most successful martial arts organization in the southeast region. Through the Academy, Master O' Neal has trained over 30,000 youngsters in the martial arts. Most of his students have graduated from high school and have gone to college and are now successful in a wide range of professions. He has trained many of the city's police and business leaders including former Police Chief Eddie Compass.
During the same year he opened Blue Lion Karate Academy, Master O' Neal returned to the competition circuit and captured over 100 consecutive championship titles, including the 1990 United States Karate Alliance (USKA) World Karate Championship Title, the same tournament that Church Norris won that launched his career with the great Bruce Lee. Master O' Neal went on to win an unprecedented seven world titles in his weight division. In 1988, Master O' Neal was inducted into the International Karate Hall of Fame, an honor he shares along with Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee. In 1998, he was appointed to Team USA for the Goodwill Games and competed in Cancun, Mexico representing his country. He returned with two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal, and was named Competitor of the Year by the President of the organization, Dr. Mayle. 
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