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

Mike Retires from the Wrestling Museum

Sunday, December 6th, 2009 | Wrestling | 1 Comment

Mike retired on October 31st from the Wrestling Museum. After founding the museum, he spent 11 years as the Executive Director. Here is a press release from the Museum:

The executive director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (DGIWIM) is stepping down after leading the organization for over a decade. Mike Chapman founded the museum in 1998 following a successful career in journalism that spanned three decades to become the museum’s full-time executive director in 2002.

“I have devoted a large part of my life to preserving the history of wrestling at all levels, amateur and professional, and the museum was the culmination of that effort,” said Chapman.

Continue reading…