BETTY NICCOLI
Betty
Niccoli was born in Kansas City, Missouri and was introduced to professional
wrestling at the age of 12. She recalls attending wrestling matches in St.
Joseph with her friend's family and was told by Gust Karras that she would make
a great wrestler when she came of age.Five years later, when Betty was 17, Karras still remembered her and still remembered his promise. He arranged for Betty to start training to wrestle with some of the girls in the area. One fateful night, Betty was instructed to attend the matches in Sedalia, MO; however, when she got there, she was informed that she would be participating in an all-girl battle royal that night. In the words of Betty, "They glommed me!"
Betty
wrestled professionally for 13 years. In this time, she wrestled
throughout Canada, Japan and the United States. She held several titles
and wrestled against the biggest names in the business. The one thing she
never accomplished, though, was wrestling in the State of New York.
At some point, the New York State Athletic Commission adopted the infamous Rule 205.15 which stated, "No woman may compete in any wrestling or boxing contest or exhibition and no woman may be licensed as a boxer, wrestler, manager or second." As further evidence of the Commission's predisposition against women wrestling, Edwin B. Dooley, the Chairman of the Commission stated, "There exists a reasonable basis for physical, moral and social reasons to ban women from engaging in wrestling in this State…. It has been the feeling of previous commissions and of this one, that wrestling by women is an undignified and somewhat brutal pastime. It should not be allowed.”
Betty
fought to wrestle in New York. She fought hard. Newspaper articles
from the time from Buffalo to Cedar Rapids and from Atlanta to Kansas City
covered her struggles to be permitted to wrestle in New York. Betty
recalls appearing before a three-judge panel to plead her case. She
remembers, with more than a little disdain, being asked such questions as, "Do
you think you're a man?"
When women's wrestling finally opened up in New York, Betty did not have a wrestling license, thus was not permitted to participate. She speaks dejectedly about this, but still feels a sense of pride at knowing that her diligence and hard work toward this goal helped open the door for other women.
In
Amarillo, TX, Betty saw, for the first time, a young Japanese wrestler named
Akio Sato making his way through the United States and remembers being impressed
with his in-ring abilities. A year later, she found herself in Missouri,
across the ring from him in a mixed tag-team match for Bob Geigel. Not
long after that, Betty and Akio Sato were married which signaled the end of
Betty's professional wrestling career.
Post-wrestling, Betty has stayed at home to raise two daughters, one a manager in the hospitality industry and one a surgeon. After raising her two daughters, she returned briefly to the work force, but now is retired.
It is an honor for the CAC to present the 2008 Ladies Award to Betty Niccoli.
