Before Joseph Allen Schreibvogel became Joe Exotic and opened his zoo in Oklahoma, he operated a traveling animal education show that visited elementary and middle schools across the country. During that period, the mulleted Exotic visited Conshohocken and Elementary schools.

MoreThanTheCurve.com spoke with Bob Cahill and Mickey Karpowicz who were students in Mrs. Pletchers’ class at Whitemarsh Elementary School (which just happens to have the lion as its mascot) when Exotic visited.

Karpowicz and Cahill remember being so captivated by Exotic’s visit to their class that the budding musicians ran home and learned Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” Karpowicz shared, “The way I move on stage when performing is directly related to how Exotic moved with the big cats that day at Whitemarsh Elementary.”

Over at Conshohocken Elementary (which was then Hervey S. Walker Elementary) Exotic did his show in the gym during Mr. McMahon’s class. Some of the students in the class that day were Dwight Young, Dawn Januzzelli, Shaun Smith, Brian Davis, Samantha Johnson, Christopher Jackson, Steve Sugalski, and Henry Racich.

Racich, who went on to become a boxer, stated that Exotic’s fearlessness working with tigers and lions was something he channeled when getting in the ring. “Everything I did in the ring was a direct result of what I witnessed Joe Exotic doing that day in the gym,’ said Racich. “During each bout, I had flashes of Joe Exotic and the way he moved with the tigers and how they bowed to his masculinity.”

If you attended either of Exotic’s local visits let us know at AF@BurbMedia.com.