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Penny
Banner, Director, Ladies Honoree Chairperson
Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Penny Banner has been
connected to pro wrestling for 53 years, with her 23-year active
career spanning 1954 until 1977. She won the first AWA Women's
Championship after NWA Champion June Beyers didn't show up for a
1961 match in Angola, IN. Her other wrestling related
accomplishments include being the second holder of the Texas
Wome's Title (defeating Nell Stewart in 1963) and being half of
the first Women's Canadian Tag Team Champions three times (with
partners Bonnie Watson, Betty Jo Hawkins and Lorraine Johnson)
between 1955-1961. Penny has been inducted to several halls of
fame including the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005 as the
fourth woman inductee, the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame in
2007 and was the first recipient of the CAC Art Abrams Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1997. She has received the Pioneer Award
from the Gulf Coast Wrestler's Reunion, the Ilio DiPaolo Legends
Award in 1997 and the SC Legends Award. Penny starred in the
movie, "Lipstick & Dynamite" and she was featured in the "Icons
of Wrestling" series by Dale Barnes for Canada's digital
Biography Channel. Penny's autobiography, "Banner
Days," was completed in 2005 and is presently being made
into a movie. Penny keeps busy traveling to wrestling reunions
to meet old friends, opponents and fans; serving on the CAC
Board of Directors, competing in the Senior Olympics and
continues to battle peritoneum cancer. |
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Dick Beyer, Director,
Benevolent Committee (The Destroyer)
An outstanding amateur athlete before turning pro, Dick was a
member of both the varsity football and wrestling teams at
Syracuse University and played in the 1953 Orange Bowl. After
graduating with a Master's Degree in Education, Dick went on to
pursue a long, successful career in wrestling. Debuting in
1954, Dick donned a mask in 1962 as "The Destroyer" and made his
first tour of Japan in 1963. In addition to his "Destroyer"
persona, Dick also wrestled as "Doctor X" for the AWA from 1967
to 1972. Dick is a legend in Japan and still makes annual tours
of the country. Dick retired from the ring at Tokyo's Budokan
Hall on July 29, 1993. He spent 11 years teaching Physical
Education in New York where he also coached football, wrestling
and swimming. Dick is on the CAC Benevolent Committee and is
also active in the CAC's Scholarship Program, working with the
Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Committee to ensure that outstanding
wrestlers from the New York area have the opportunity to pursue
their education. |
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Nick Bockwinkel,
President, Executive Director
A second generation superstar, Nick Bockwinkel is one of the
most respected professional wrestlers of his era. Starting his
wrestling career in 1955 after being trained by his father,
Warren, and Lou Thesz, Nick traveled all over the country
wrestling for various promoters until capturing the Georgia
Heavyweight Championship in 1970. Nick soon ventured to the
American Wrestling Association (AWA) where he formed a legendary
team with Ray Stevens and captured the AWA World Tag Team Titles
on three separate occasions. The first of Nick's seven AWA
World Heavyweight Title reigns began in 1975 and his in-ring
skills, mic work and ability to present himself as a World
Champion kept Nick on top of the Association for most of the
next 12 years. Nick retired as an in-ring performer in 1987;
however, made a return to the ring in 1993 to wrestle Dory Funk,
Jr. at WCW's Slamboree PPV. Nick has been inducted to the Pro
Wrestling Hall of Fame (class of 2003), is a member of the WON
Hall of Fame (inaugural class of 1996) and was inducted to the
WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. He has served on the CAC Board of
Directors for several years and was elected to the Presidency in
2007. |
Bill Bowman, Director
(Bill Sky)
Bill Bowman was born in
Mobile, AL on July 1, 1933. His father ran the local YMCA and,
through this connection, Bill was introduced to wrestling in the
mid-1950’s. After training with Charlie Carr and Buddy Fuller,
Bill had is first professional match, wrestling as a heel, in
1958 against Ken Cooper. Bill enlisted in the Marine Corps in
1959 and was stationed in Southern California at Camp Pendleton
for two years. Upon being discharged, Bill returned to
wrestling in 1961 and spent the next 14 years traveling
throughout the south including stints in Louisiana, Mid Atlantic
for Jim Crockett, Florida for Cowboy Luttrall and Eddie Graham
and he was in Georgia during the infamous split and worked with
Ann Gunkel’s promotion there. Most famous for his tag team with
Joe Turner wrestling under the names Bill and Joe Sky, Bill also
had a tour of one year working for the Mobile office as an
Intern under the guidance of manager Dr. Jerry Graham. Bill’s
last match was in Ponce, PR in 1975 and, after retiring from the
ring, Bill worked in management for auto dealerships in Atlanta
while wife Ann worked in property management. Both tired of
Atlanta and moved on to Pensacola, FL where Bill opened and
still operates a full-service Janitorial/Lawn Maintenance
company. Bill and Ann were active in the Gulf Coast Wrestler’s
Reunion from the time of its inception and one can hear the
passion Bill has for the organization when talking to him.
Bill’s wife of 38 years, Ann, passed away on December 24, 2006
after a battle with cancer and she is sorely missed by all those
who knew her. Bill continues to serve as Secretary for GCWR and
is one of the organization’s most ardent backers. Bill’s
involvement with CAC began when the reunions were moved to Las
Vegas and he was elected to the Board in 2004. |
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Tom Burke, Director
Though born in 1946, Tom considers the real start of his
life as October 4, 1957 when he encountered professional
wrestling for the first time. That afternoon started a life-long
interest in the sport as a fan, writer, booker, promotional
person, manager, ring announcer, wrestling magazine editor,
collector and historian. Tom served in the US Army and was
stationed in Germany for 30 months during the Vietnam War.
During his time in Europe, he went to wrestling matches and made
contacts with other people associated with wrestling. Through a
job in New York, Tom met Nat Loubet of “Ring Wrestling” Magazine
and became the editor of that publication. Between CAC, The Pro
Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, NY, work, family, running
bus trips for hic church and auctions, Tom’s life is busy and
filled with fond memories and friends. |
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Wes Daniel, Director, Webmaster
Wes has been a wrestling fan for over 30 years and has been
friends with several of our members for many years. Born in
Toledo, OH, Wes was first introduced to wrestling courtesy of
the wild antics of The Sheik and Big Time Wrestling. After
moving to Florida in 1977, Wes's interest in wrestling deepened
and a life-long fan was born. Wes has been a life member of
the CAC since 2004 and, along with Charlie Smith, was elected to
the Board of Directors in 2007. Wes works in Los Angeles
for one of the nation's largest privately-held real estate
management companies. Outside of wrestling, Wes enjoys his dog,
aquariums, reading and collecting memorabilia (mostly Elvis and
wrestling). Wes works with Morgan on the website and
contributes to "The Ear." |
Jason Deadrich, Director,
Webmaster
Born in Salt Lake City, UT, Jason grew up watching Verne
Gagne’s AWA and learned to appreciate all aspects of the sport,
from the athleticism of the performers to the skill of the
production team to the promotional ability of the announcers.
After moving to San Francisco to work for LucasArts, a co-worker
invited him to an
APW
Gym Wars show where he met Roland Alexander. Jason quickly
offered his assistance with their website and found himself
enrolled in their boot camp. Jason continued working with APW
until 2004 when he started his
ChickFight
promotion which has since spread to several locations in
California, England and Japan. Jason is the acting CEO and
Founder of
Black Pants, Inc., the premier professional wrestling
communications and production company in the San Francisco Bay
area. Jason hosts the Cauliflower Alley Club website and
provides his technical expertise whenever there is a need. |
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Chris Drake, Executive Director,
Treasurer, Legal Counsel
Chris Drake served on the Alabama State Board of Education
for four years under Governor George Wallace, representing an
entire congressional district composed of 14 counties. She also
served on the Advisory Board for the University of Alabama in
Birmingham and on the local Cullman County Airport Board.
Chris serves as the Club’s Treasurer and rules the CAC’s
finances with a tight fist. Tom and Chris just recently
celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and have four children
and four grandchildren.
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Tom Drake, Vice President,
Executive Director, Legal Counsel
Tom’s background is fascinating, having played in two
college all-star games and wrestled at an elite level through
college. Tom qualified for the 1952 southern Olympic finals in
wrestling and went to the US Olympic Finals in Ames, IA. Tom
holds both a Master's degree and a JD (Law) degree from the
University of Alabama and, while in school there, he also
coached football under Bear Bryant and started the first-ever
wrestling team while at Alabama. Tom served 32 years in the
Alabama House of Representatives and was elected Speaker of the
House for two terms. Also, during this time, Tom and his wife,
Chris, opened up a law office in their hometown of Cullman, AL.
They have now practiced law for 45 years under the firm name of,
“Drake And Drake, Attorneys At Law.” Tom is active in the
activities of CAC and the International Wrestling Hall of Fame
(now named after Dan Gable) in Waterloo, Iowa. In June 2001, Tom
was awarded the second-ever Frank Gotch Award at its annual
banquet. Tom and Chris serve as legal counsel for the Club while
Tom serves as Vice-President. In addition to this, Tom serves on
the Board of Directors of Attorneys Insurance Mutual of Alabame,
Inc. and he served for 30 years as Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors for Peoples Bank of North Alabama. |
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Juan Hernandez, Director
Juan Hernandez is an international karate champion, a
five-time national karate champion and holds a 6th degree black
belt. After a very successful career as a martial arts
competitor, Mr. Hernandez turned his attention to professional
wrestling. As a wrestler, he defeated Ivan Koloff for the CIW
United States Heavyweight Championship and also held their
version of hte world title. After breaking his neck in a
February 1993 fall, Juan took the time to examine life's
priorities and rededicated his life to God and is now an
ordained minister. In 2001 Mr. Hernandez and his wife, Stella,
started
Alicia's House, a non-profit food pantry, in honor of their
late granddaughter, Alicia. To date, Alicia's House has fed
over 50,000 people and distributed over 1 million pounds of
food. In September 2004 The United States Junior Chamber
(Jaycees) honored his community service by naming him on of the
Ten Outstanding Young Americans. Today, you can find Juan
Hernandez sharing his testimony at churches, youth groups,
schools and various other community and corporate events
throughout the country. |
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Scott Hosey, Director
Bio coming soon
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Bob Kelly, Director,
Gulf Coast Wrestler's Reunion President
After his 1958 start in
wrestling, putting up rings for Wee Willie Davis in Louisville,
KY, Cowboy went to Mobile, AL wrestling for Lee Fields's Gulf
Coast Wrestling in 1965, where he stayed as the booker until Lee
sold the territory in 1977. In his years in the business, Bob
has worked as a ring boy, ring announcer, referee, wrestler,
promoter, and booker. Currently, Bob serves as the President of
the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion in Mobile, AL, a position he
has held since former President Fields passed away on June 4,
2000. Bob was introduced to Dean Silverstone and the CAC by his
dear friend and CAC Lifetime Member, the late Eddie Sullivan.
In addition to being on the CAC Board, Cowboy was honored by the
CAC in 2007 and serves as the official link between CAC and
GCWR. |
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Karl Lauer, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Executive
Vice President, Benevolent Committee
After first being exposed to wrestling 60 years ago, Karl
was hooked. Karl spent 32 years as a fan of the mat game until
being introduced to Gory Guerrero and starting his direct
involvement in 1980. Karl promoted wrestling in the Los Angeles
area for 14 years and Las Vegas for almost five years into the
1990's. Karl started WLW (World Legion Wrestling) in 1994 and
later sold it to Harley Race in 1998. Karl's involvement with
the Cauliflower Alley Club also started in 1979, he was asked to
serve as Business Manager in 1981 and assumed the role of
Chairman of the Board, the position which he still holds, when
Lou Thesz was elected President. Karl is the main contact for
the Club and will spend many (if not most) evenings on the phone
with various members or Directors of the Club making sure that
operations continue. Karl is semi-retired; however, still
serves as an inspector for the Missouri State Athletic
Commission and helps to oversee wrestling in that State. Karl
can be seen at each Reunion, frequently working the reception
table. |
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Bob Leonard, Director,
Director of Canadian Affairs
From Regina, Saskatchewan,
Bob has worn many hats during his 50-year involvement in
professional wrestling. Having worked as a promoter,
publicist, journalist, photographer, ring announcer, referee and TV
commentator, Bob has an inside knowledge of all facets of the
business. Bob was honored by the Club at the 2007 Reunion
Banquet and was one of the few non-combatants to have been so
recognized. He was elected to the CAC Board of Directors later
in the same year and serves as our Director of Canadian Affairs.
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Gloria Lovell, Director
Bio coming soon! |
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Al Mandell, Director
Bio coming soon! |
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Kurt Nielsen, Director,
Newsletter Staff
Born in San Francisco, Kurt started watching wrestling in
1978 with the Roy Shire promotion. Kurt's father (nearly 60
when he was born) was a wrestling fan dating back to the 1940s,
and would give him historical insight that only added to the
experience. Kurt started doing camera work and assorted odd
jobs (ring crew, office work, gimmick tables, etc.) for Roland
Alexander's APW promotion in the late 1990s, and eventually was
trained in the ring, though his bad back prevented him from ever
furthering this end of things. Kurt created many wrestler web
sites over the years for stars such as Percy Pringle III,
Plowboy Frazier, Playboy Buddy Rose and others. He also is
developing the animated series Ned Noodlebody, which looks at
the wrestling territories in the mid-1970s. |
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Bishop Jason Sanderson,
Executive Director,
Benevolent Committee
Bp. Jason Sanderson is also known as "The Wolfman." He
began wrestling in 1995 for Ringside Wrestling, based in Nashua,
NH and eventually opened his own promotion, All-Star Wrestling
Association, styled "AWA" after the former Paul Bowser promotion
in Boston. While working mostly in the New England region, he
did some work for Mexican wrestler Alma India in Tijuana and has
made some appearances with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted
Dibiase. Due to the demands of the priesthood, he retired from
active wrestling and promoting in 2006. He has been a life
member of the CAC since 2000 and was elected to the Board that
same year. In addition to supervising several African missions,
Bp. Sanderson is also active with "Jobs for America's Graduates"
and their New Hampshire, serving on their Board of Directors.
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George Schire, Executive Director,
Benevolent Committee
Professional wrestling has been a part of George Schire's
life since attending his first match in St. Paul over 50 years
ago. George is an avid historian and maintains an entire room
in his home with photos, programs, magazines and other
memorabilia. Aside from being a fan, George has also served as
a writer/columnist for national wrestling magazines and has
written a book on the history of Minnesota wrestling that is
being published in 2008. George has had the privilege of
working as a ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and also
as a heel manager known as "The Authority." It is his work as a
historian, though, that he is most proud of. He has complied
career record books for several of the businesses superstars and
is honored to call several of them friends. George can be heard
on a weekly podcast called "Old
School/New School" discussing past and present happenings in
pro wrestling. Outside of wrestling, George has been in the
banking industry for the past 29 years, has two daughters, two
granddaughters and lives with his wife of 33 years, Lorraine, in
Oakdale, MN. |
Dean Silverstone, Executive Director, Newsletter
Editor
Dean is the former Pacific Northwest wrestling promoter and
current Executive Director of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He
began working in the Northwest area in 1958 and left the
business in 1976 after promoting in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
British Columbia and Alaska. He became a CAC Director in 1995
and was named to the Executive Committee in 1999. He and his
wife, Ruth, are co-editors of "The Ear," the official newsletter
of the Cauliflower Alley Club. |
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Charlie Smith, Director
Charlie Smith was born in Atlanta, GA in 1930 and was first
exposed to professional wrestling by his father who used to take
him to the matches. Before too long, Charlie got a non-paying
job as an usher so that he could see the matches for free and
then was offered a job selling Coca-Cola. He continued this,
trying to break into the business until being invited to the
Lakewood Boys Club in Atlanta one night where he ended up
breaking into the business. Charlie bounced around referreeing
from one group to another, until, in 1957, when he got the call
from ABC Booking in Atlanta. Charlie began carrying the ring
and refereeing for $25 per night ($15 to referee and $10 for
setting up the ring). Charlie continued to referee in Georgia,
Florida, Alabama and Tennessee for over 30 years. Charlie has
been married to Louise for 52 years and travels throughout the
South to sell t-shirts and souvenirs at college football games.
Charlie first became active in CAC in 1990 and was elected to
the CAC Board of Directors in 2007. You'll see Charlie each
year at the CAC Reunion, near the registration desk selling
t-shirts. |
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Teddy Speas, Director, Internet Operations (Morgan
Dollar)
Born (and still residing) in North Carolina, Teddy became a
wrestling fan at a very young age. As a fan in the early 70's,
he enjoyed Carolinas' Jim Crockett Promotions of the NWA. Some
20 years later, he became associated with Jimmy & Angel Valiant
and, with the knowledge Valiant provided, Teddy became Referee
Morgan Dollar. Teddy promoted indy shows under the Southern
Wrestling Alliance banner with Partner Garry Stevens. Teddy owns
and operates the successful, award-winning
Rural Hall Taxidermy studio in his home town of Rural Hall,
NC. Outside of work and the CAC, Teddy and his wife, Annette,
enjoy escaping to their cabin in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Parkway in North Carolina where they both enjoy hunting and
fishing throughout the year. Teddy is a life member of the CAC
and maintains the website along with assistance from Webmaster,
Jason Deadrich and Director, Wes Daniel
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Scott Teal, Director
Scott Teal has been interested in professional wrestling
since his teenage years in Bradenton, FL. Scott began taking
photos at the matches around the Florida territory, to sell to
both magazines and the wrestlers, and published two newsletters.
In 1975, Scott moved to Nashville, TN for college and began
working for Nick Gulas as the official photographer for his
promotion. Over the next six years, Scott shot photos and
published the arena program for Nick then continued program
operations when Buddy Fuller took over the operation. Scott put
the wrestling business behind him in 1980 and has worked for
United Parcel Service since 1978. In 1993, he began publishing
the "Whatever Happened to...?" newsletter and has since
published over 100 newsletters and magazines about the history
of pro wrestling. In 2003, he formed Crowbar Press and published
his first biography, "Inside Out," with Ole Anderson. Since
then, he has published bios with J.J. Dillon, Jody "Assassin"
Hamilton, Ivan Koloff, and a book about Bruiser Brody. Scott
currently lives in Hendersonville, TN, with his wife of 29
years, Angela. |
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Les Thatcher, Director
Leslie Alan Malady (Les
Thatcher) was born to an Irish father and a French/English
mother on October 28, 1940 in Cincinnati, OH. He was first
introduced to wrestling courtesy of a 10” black & white
television set at age eight. Les played baseball, football, and
basketball through elementary and high school and added
wrestling to the mix at age 12 via the local YMCA. He began
training for the pro ranks in 1960 at Tony Santos’s wrestling
school in Boston, MA. Les’s wrestling career has encompassed
most aspects of the business including being a successful
singles and tag wrestler, a television commentator and producer,
a writer/editor and a trainer of champions. For ten years, Les
operated Main Event Pro Wrestling Camp in Cincinnati and he is
still considered one of the top trainers in North America.
Before selling The Main Event Camp in 2003, he trained, touched,
and sharpened the careers of such pro grapplers as Matt Stryker,
Charlie Haas, Shannon Moore, Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli, Jimmy
Yang. Kaz Hyashi, Jamie Noble, Elix Skipper and Rosie & Jamal of
Three Minute Warning. Les continues to co-host the
award-winning weekly internet talk show, "Wrestling
Weekly" as well as conduct training seminars throughout the
country.
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Tony Vellano, Director,
Pro Wrestling Hall
of Fame President
Born in Schenectady, NY, Tony Vellano has been affiliated
with ring sports for many years. Tony and his wife, Holly, have
two daughters and three grandchildren. Tony is the Vice
President of the Vellano Brothers family construction business
and, in the 1980’s, served as vice president for two St. Louis
Cardinals minor league baseball franchises. Tony served as an
inspector for the New York State Athletic Commission from 1995
to 2004 and is presently the Deputy Commissioner for the
Commission. He was a Boxing Inspector for the Oneida Indian
Athletic Commission from 2000 until 2006 and he has been on the
International Boxing Hall of Fame board of directors since
1996. Tony was a founding member and serves as the President of
the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. |
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Red Bastien, Immediate
Past President, President 2000 - 2007
"He's a great guy!" is the most common response you will
hear when people are asked to comment on Red Bastien. Many
people will talk about how good Red was in the ring, others will
mention what a tough guy he was and still others will talk about
his time promoting; however, the one thing that everybody agrees
on is that Red is just an all-around great person. Red has a
long history in wrestling, starting out as a carnival wrestler
taking on all comers before moving into the professional ranks.
He built a reputation as one of the smoothest workers in the
business and one of hte original high fliers. Red has held
belts all over the country including the NWA US Tag Titles
(Capitol version) with his "brother" Lou (the late Lou Klein)
and held the AWA World Tag Team Title with Hercules Cortez when
they were involved in the fateful car wreck that claimed
Cortez's life and caused Red to adopt a stiffer, more mat-based
style. As a promoter, Red introduced Konnan and Rey Misterio
Jr. to US rings, and, as a trainer, broke Sting and Ultimate
Warrior into the business. Red will be inducted to the George
Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Dan
Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in 2007. Red
served as the CAC President from the time Lou Thesz stepped down
until 2007. |
Wladek (Walter) Kowalski,
Director Emeritus (Killer Kowalski)
Born in 1926, Killer Kowalski was one of the most feared and
intimidating heels of the 1950's and 1960's. One of Killer's
earliest claims to fame was the instance where Yukon Eric's
ear was "torn off" in a 1954 Montreal match. While it was not
intentional and was certainly not Kowalski's fault, it did give
him life-long credibility as a serious, main-event heel. Killer
went on to have many memorable battles against Bruno Sammartino
through the 60's and 70's and was a huge star everywhere he
went. After retiring, Killer opened a professional wrestling
training school that produced such stars as Perry Saturn, John
Kronus, Triple H, John Studd and Joanie Laurer. Killer has been
a vegetarian for many years and has always stayed in incredible
shape. Killer is a member of several Halls of Fame including
the WON Hall of Fame (inaugural class of 1996), the Pro
Wrestling Hall of Fame (inducted in 2003), the WWE Hall of Fame
(1996) and will be inducted to the National Polish-American Hall
of Fame in 2007. |
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Ella Waldek, Director
Emeritus
Born Elsie
Schevchenko in Custer, WA, Ella started her professional career
as a performer in roller derby and moved on to professional
wrestling in 1952 after a friend took her to see the matches.
Ella began her career in Chicago and adopted the name Ella
Waldek because, as she said in “Lipstick & Dynamite,” “Who could
stand in the ring and autograph an eleven letter last name?”
Over the course of her career, Waldek held several titles
including the NWA Florida Women’s Championship, the NWA World
Women’s Tag Team Titles with Mae Young and had two reigns as NWA
Southern Women’s Champion. After almost twenty years of
wrestling, Waldek ended her career in 1971 and become a private
investigator before opening her own security firm. Waldek was
featured strongly in the movie Lipstick & Dynamite and was
reunited with several of her colleagues during the filming of
the movie. |
"Iron" Mike Mazurki,
President 1965 - 1991
Mike Mazurki was born in 1907 in the area now known as the
Ukraine. Mike was a successful professional wrestler, but was
probably best known as an actor, having appeared in over one
hundred movies between 1930 and 1990. His acting credits
include both the 1945 and 1990 versions of "Dick Tracy," "Some
Like it Hot" and several appearances on TV shows such as
"Fantasy Island," "Charlie's Angels" and "Gunsmoke." Iron Mike
held a Bachelor's Degree from Manhattan College and played minor
league football in the years before wrestling. It was over 40
years ago that Iron Mike started the Cauliflower Alley Club as a
weekly luncheon where wrestlers, boxers and actors could gather
and enjoy fellowship. Today, the CAC's highest honor is named
after him and is given, yearly, to an individual who has found
success not only in wrestling, but also in another field. The
"Iron Mike" award is one of the most respected awards in the
world of professional wrestling. |
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Archie Moore, President
1991 - 1992
Born Archibald Wright in Benoit, MS, Archie Moore fought for
27 years and had a career record of 194-26-8 with an amazing 141
(or 145, depending on your source) knockouts. Moore turned pro
in 1936 and in 1952, at the age of 39, won the Light Heavyweight
Championship which he held for nearly a decade. Nearly
unbeatable as a Light Heavyweight, Moore also boxed several men
in the heavyweight division, including being the only man to
fight both Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali. Moore passed away
due to heart failure in 1998 in San Diego, CA. One of boxing's
all-time biggest stars, Moore was inducted to the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2002
and the California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006. |
Lou Thesz, President 1992
- 2000
Lou Thesz (Aloysius Martin Thesz)
was born 4/24/1916 in Banat, MI, and raised in St. Louis. His
father, Martin, taught him the fundamentals of Greco-Roman
wrestling and took him to watch professional matches, and, at
age 15, Lou began to wrestle semi-pro, turning full professional
at 17. He was trained and mentored in the arts of submission
wrestling and professional wrestling performance by outstanding
wrestlers like Ad Santel, George Tragos, the legendary Ed
'Strangler' Lewis, and Ray Steele, and in 1937, at age 21,
became the youngest world heavyweight wrestling champion in
history, capturing the National Wrestling Association world
heavyweight title for the first time. He would hold it twice
more, and after serving as a dog trainer and hand to hand combat
instructor in World War II, would become a silent partner in the
St. Louis promotion and hold the National Wrestling Alliance
title three more times, the first reign lasting over 8 years,
the final reign ending in 1966. Lou traveled the world and was
instrumental in the establishment of professional wrestling in
Japan, where he was known as the 'Eternal Iron Man'. Lou
continued to perform at top form well into his 60s, and had his
final match at age 74 in Japan, losing to his protege, Masahiro
Chono. After retiring he continued to represent professional and
amateur wrestling as a spokesman, and in his final years made
a connection with a new generation of wrestlers and fans via the
Internet and his association with the Cauliflower Alley Club.
Lou stayed in peak condition his whole life until his heart
failed him and he passed away in 2002. He is and always will be
remembered as one of the top legitimate wrestlers and performers
in the history of the professional wrestling business, and
perhaps its greatest ambassador. |
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PAST DIRECTORS
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Art Abrams |
Irv Abramson |
Mitch Ackerman |
Bill Anderson |
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Al Baffert |
Sidney Balkin |
Gary Ballin |
Maria Bernardi |
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Fred Blassie |
Lord James Blears |
Valerie Boesch |
Ray Borucki |
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Brittany Brown |
Al Campbell |
Eddie Carter |
Mike Chapman |
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Vic Christy |
Jeffrey Compton |
Norm Cote |
Don Curtis |
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Ilio DiPaolo |
Royal Duncan |
Dan Gable |
Verne Gagne |
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Eleanor Gagnier |
Joe Garagiola |
Leo Garibaldi |
Sheldon Goldberg |
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Bert Goodrich |
Bill Harris |
Peter Heller |
Moton Holt |
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Fank Hurley |
J Michael Kenyon |
Michael Lano |
John Philip Law |
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Gene LeBell |
George Luckman |
Billy Mahoney |
Robert J. Marella |
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Pete Marquez |
Bob Massick |
Paul Mauer |
James C. Melby |
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Jim Moffat |
William Murdock |
George Napolitano |
Michael Neporadny |
|
Lou Nova |
Joseph Palumbo |
William Pappas |
Pat Patterson |
|
Willie Pep |
Adolpho Perez |
John Peterson |
Jackson Pokress |
|
Timothy O'Sullivan |
Steve Rickard |
Russell Rodriguez |
Charlie Ross |
|
Ida Selenkow |
Gordon Solie |
Charles Tuzzolino |
Harry Warren |
|
|
Stanley Weston |
Marshall L. Wright |
|
|
