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

Waterloo Hall of Famers

Thursday, July 7th, 2022 | Wrestling | No Comments

 Recently, these four men, all natives of Waterloo, Iowa, got together for a photo session. They are (from right to left):

• Jim Duschen, an All-American at Iowa State, two-time Greco-Roman national champion, 1973 World team member, and a legendary high school coach in Henderson, Nevada;
• Dan Gable, the single most publicized figure in the history of American amateur wrestling, two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State, 1971 World champion, 1972 Olympic champion, coach of 15 NCAA championship teams at the University of Iowa, and 2021 Medal of Freedom honoree;
• Bob Buzzard, two-time All-American at Iowa State, national freestyle champion, 1972 Olympic team, 1969 World team, and a legendary high school coach in Oregon;
• Mike Chapman, author of 32 books, 17 about wrestling, national Wrestling Writer of the Year five times, and created WIN magazine, WIN Memorabilia Show, the Dan Gable Museum, and the Dan Hodge Trophy, called “the Heisman Trophy of wrestling”.

All four are members of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in Waterloo, the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco, and the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in their hometown, as well as many other halls of fame.

Dan is from West High while the other three went to East High. They are all members of their high school halls of fame, as well.

Tags: Bob Buzzard, Dan Gable, Jim Duschen

Mike to be featured guest on “Bumps & Thumps: The Talk of Wrestling” Podcast, April 11

Sunday, March 27th, 2022 | Podcast, Wrestling | No Comments

On April 11 Mike will be the primary guest on the podcast “Bumps & Thumps: The Talk of Wrestling,” hosted by Brian Ferguson. The show is primarily about the early days of professional wrestling, dealing with stars like Frank Gotch, Lou Thesz and Dan Hodge. The podcast will be uploaded to YouTube and anchor.fmor.fm on Monday, April 11th at 8 a.m. CST. Learn more about Bumps & Thumps at anchor.fm.

Mike to Speak at January 7th HAWK Party

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021 | Speaking, Wrestling | No Comments

Following the Iowa-Minnesota wrestling meet at Carver–Hawkeye Arena, Mike will be the guest speaker at the H.A.W.K. party at the Coralville Radisson, located at 1220 1st Ave Coralville.  There is a cover charge of $20, which includes food and drinks. H.A.W.K. was formed in 1978 and is the oldest collegiate wrestling fan support organization.  According to its officers, the club’s goal has always been to enhance the Hawkeye wrestling fan’s experience and support Hawkeye wrestlers.  In that pursuit, H.A.W.K. provides an avenue for fans, athletes, parents, and coaches to socialize and celebrate all that is Hawkeye wrestling.  The club has over 300 members across the country. Mike will have some of his 17 wrestling books for sale and give 50 percent of the proceeds to the club.

Tags: HAWK Klub