Jack Brisco Passes Away at Age 68

Friday, March 5th, 2010 | Columns, WIN Magazine, Wrestling | No Comments

Two WIN Magazine issues ago, I wrote about the passing of Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, who attended the WIN show two years ago in St. Louis. This issue, I am sad to report on the death of Jack Brisco, who was a guest at our WIN show in 2004.

Brisco died February 1 at age 68, from complications of heart surgery two weeks previous. He had been in ill health for the past several months. He was a star of the great Oklahoma State teams of the mid-1960s, winning the NCAA title at 191 pounds in 1965 after finishing second the year before. Jack only lost one match his entire college career and was a three-time state champion at Blackwell High School in Oklahoma.

Jack turned professional in 1965 and eventually became world heavyweight champion. He was a huge star for two decades. He was long retired and living in Tampa, Florida, when he died. Jack loved amateur wrestling and was extremely proud of his career in Oklahoma. He was the subject of a terrific biography written by Bill Murdock, called BRISCO, published in 2003.

Jack Brisco was an engaging, friendly man and a true champion of sport. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Tags: Jack Brisco, WIN Magazine

The Day Tarzan Came Home to Iowa

Thursday, January 14th, 2010 | Columns, Iowa History Journal, Wrestling | No Comments

This is the Publisher’s Perspective column from Volume 2, Issue 1 of Iowa History Journal:

During my long career in journalism I’ve had the opportunity to meet many interesting personalities … from President Ronald Reagan to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, from actors like Robert Redford and Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk” of TV fame) to super athletes like Dick Butkus and Bob Mathias.

But one of the most memorable moments came when Tarzan visited Iowa City.

I was editor of the Voice of the Hawkeyes newspaper in 1985 when Dan Gable, Iowa’s wrestling coach at the time, called me and asked if I had any ideas on who he could get to be an “honorary coach” at the upcoming wrestling match between the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones. The meet was already a very big deal back then, but he was trying to put a little extra excitement into the event and thought it would be fun to have someone special with his team on the bench.

I said, “How about a former movie Tarzan?”

“That sounds interesting,” he replied, “but what’s the connection with Iowa?”

Continue reading…

Tags: Dan Gable, Jock Mahoney, Tarzan

The Day Gable Wrestled ‘Goober’

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 | Columns, WIN Magazine, Wrestling | No Comments

There have been many great wrestling showdowns through the decades, such as Caruso-Fehrs, Behm- Sanders, Lewis-Smith, Fraser-Houck, Perry-Hendricks. They were all classic matches, to be sure.

But one match that never makes the list is Gable-Goober.

And for good reason. It was a pure mismatch from the outset, and there was nothing important about the match at all.

But it surely was the funniest wrestling match of all time!

Continue reading to see who won…

Tags: Dan Gable, George Lindsey, Goober Pyle, Oak Ridge Boys

Analysing the Brent Metcalf – Darrion Caldwell Match

Friday, April 10th, 2009 | Columns, WIN Magazine | No Comments

This article appeared in the issue of WIN Magazine after the NCAAs:

The Brent Metcalf-Darrion Caldwell showdown on Saturday night, March 21, has generated as much excitement as I have seen in many years. The huge crowd was roaring all the way through the match, and buzzing for an hour afterwards. Since then, the chat rooms are full of chatter, much of it good and some of it way over the line, about the two wrestlers and what transpired.

There has been a ton of analysis. What is indisputable is that North Carolina State’s Caldwell wrestled a brilliant match, both in terms of strategy and execution. It was a marvelous performance by a superb athlete.

What has mystified many is that Metcalf, nearing legendary status for his incredible endurance and conditioning, seemed to tire noticeably as the match wore on. How is that possible, many are asking? How can someone who trains like Brent Metcalf be fatigued?

What I think many people are overlooking is the impact of two key factors:
Expectation anxiety and emotional fatigue!

Both are little known aspects of sports competition. They exist, nonetheless, and stepped to the center mat during the 149-pound bout.

Continue reading…