Two Wrestling Legends

Thursday, January 8th, 2026 | Other, Wrestling | No Comments

When Dan Severn, legendary MMA legend and former amateur star, visited us in Newton recently, I invited him to sit in the rocker chair once owned by the great Frank Gotch, and “The Beast” was happy to oblige. I purchased this chair and a writing table in an auction on June 29, 1996, at the house Frank owned in his hometown of Humboldt, Iowa, when he was the heavyweight wrestling champion of the world. Frank died in 1917 at the age of 39 of Bright’s Disease, but his house remained in ownership of extended family members until 1996.

In addition, I have written numerous books and articles about Gotch and produced a video about him 20 years ago. I also own his derby hat, 5 autographs by him and led the charge to have a handsome statue of him erected in Bicknell Park in Humboldt, and I was the main speaker at the unveiling on July 4, 2012. Bicknell Park is where Frank did his training for the his epic rematch with The Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt, in Chicago, in 1911.

Dan was a national high school and college star before entering the world of MMA. He was the first athlete to show the world that wrestling is a martial art and able to compete with all other combative disciplines. We have been friends for 25 years, and I even worked his corner once in one of his top battles.

Tags: Dan Severn, Frank Gotch, Humboldt

Mike With Some of the Sport’s Best

Monday, January 8th, 2024 | Wrestling | No Comments

Mike has been honored to be friends with some of the biggest names in the history of combat sports. IN THE PHOTO ABOVE, he is with Dan Hodge (left), the only athlete to win national titles in both boxing and wrestling, and Randy Couture (right), the legendary MMA star who became a movie actor. IN THE PHOTO BELOW, he is with Dan “the Beast” Severn (center) and Curran Jacobs (left) in Dan’s training camp in Coldwater, Michigan. Dan is a hall of fame MMA star with numerous black belts, and Curran is a film actor and producer who has won major catch tournaments.

Tags: Curran Jacobs, Dan Hodge, Dan Severn, Randy Couture

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