USA Takedown Radio Appearance

Thursday, October 20th, 2022 | Documentary, Podcast, Radio, Wrestling | No Comments

On Saturday, October 29, Mike will be a guest host on the USA Takedown radio show in the studio in Des Moines. Host Scott Casber is the founder of this 30-year-old program, and the entire show will be devoted to the new documentary “For the Love of Catch”. Curran Jacobs, producer and narrator of the documentary, will be interviewed along with several other stars that appeared in the documentary. The show is carried live from 8 to 10 AM central time each Saturday morning on 106.3 FM and 1460 KXNO. Fans can also listen online or on their mobile devices using the iHeart Radio app, free of charge, by searching USA Takedown.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Scott Casber

For the Love of Catch Documentary

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 | Documentary, Wrestling | No Comments

On October 1, Mike and Bev were special guests at the premiere of “For the Love of Catch” documentary, which is about the history of wrestling in all its forms. The premiere was held in Owasso, Michigan, the hometown of Curran Jacobs, who produced and narrated the film. Curran was captain of the Michigan State University team in 2012 and has a degree in theater arts. He has appeared in several movies and is the winner of several major tournaments in catch wresting, which allows submission holds and choke holds. Mike wrote the original script and is featured throughout the film, which begins with a trip to Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary Frank Gotch, and then to Iowa City for interviews with Dan Gable, and Tom and Terry Brands. And then to the little frontier village of New Salem, Illinois, to visit former Illinois coach and 1980 Olympian Mark Johnson on the very spot where Abe Lincoln wrestled Jack Armstrong in 1832.

Also appearing in the film are MMA stars Randy Couture, Dan “the Beast” Severn and Josh Barnett, Scott Casber, Takedown USA founder, and many others. The film can be seen on Amazon Prime and DVDs can also be purchased there.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Randy Couture

Kinnick Documentary to Play in Newton with Q&A Session

Thursday, September 15th, 2022 | Other, Speaking | No Comments

Dawn and Paul Bleeker, owners of the Capitol II Theater in Newton, have announced that Mike will be a special guest for two showings of the Kinnick documentary on Wednesday, September 21, and will hold a question-and-answer session after each of the two showings. The first showing is at 6:30 pm and is open to the public, with the Q&A to follow. The second showing is just for members of the Newton High School football program, and starts at 7 p.m. with the Q&A session to follow.  Scott Siepker, known as the “Iowa Nice Guy”, is the producer of the documentary and will also be at the Q&A sessions.

In addition, Mike will have some rare Nile Kinnick items on display in the lobby prior to the showings, beginning at 5:30 pm.

Tags: Nile Kinnick, nile kinnick documentary

Mike Featured Guest at Oklahoma Alliance of Fans (OAF) Conference – September 17/18

Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 | Speaking | No Comments

Mike will be the featured guest at The Oklahoma Alliance of Fans (OAF) annual OAFCon event Saturday, September 17^th, and Sunday, September 18th at the Embassy Suites in Norman, Oklahoma.

The convention is renowned nationwide as an outstanding “old school” vintage collectibles show, where attendees can explore an incredible selection of comic books, and also vintage toys, movie posters, and other collectibles one is unlikely to see anywhere else, with over 60 different exhibitors covering almost 100 booths! OAF is also known for bringing together old and new friends with an emphasis on building a community of fandoms.   

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view and purchase works by regional comic artists, experience an Original Art presentation, hear readings of upcoming books on comic fandoms, witness the presentation of a forthcoming OAF Legends statue that celebrates longtime members, and partake in a live collectibles auction! 

This year’s featured guest is Mike Chapman, the author of 32 books and who has interviewed such people as Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, Lou (the Incredible Hulk) Ferrigno, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes and four movie Tarzans. Mike is also a recognized authority on wrestling and wrote the biography of Oklahoma Sooner legend Dan Hodge. Mike will discuss his times spent with the four movie Tarzans and hold a Q&A session as well.

Other guests include Anthony Tollin, professional comic colorist whose work includes hit DC stories like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Batman’s A Death in the Family, and J. David Spurlock, renowned comic book historian and Director of the Wally Wood Estate. 

Tickets are only $5 at the door, and kids 12 and under are free, Show hours are Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. For more information, visit www.oafcon.net or Facebook (www.facebook.com/oafcon).

Tags: OAFcon, Oklahoma Alliance of Fans