Ed “Strangler” Lewis
In the glorious era of the Roaring ’20s, Ed “Strangler” Lewis stood side by side with such immortals as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Red Grange when it came to athletic accomplishments.
Born Robert H. Friedrich on June 2, 1890 , in Sheboygan Falls , Wisconsin , he spent his childhood and teen years in…
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Frank Gotch
In the book 100 Greatest Sports Heroes, author Mac Davis writes that Frank Gotch “was the idol of millions in the United States , Canada and Mexico ” and “made wrestling a big-time sport in his day.” Legendary boxing and wrestling historian Nat Fleischer said Gotch was directly responsible for wrestling becoming popular…
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George Tragos
The International Wrestling Institute and Museum is honored to have its professional wing named for two legendary professional champions – George Tragos and Lou Thesz.
George Tragos won many amateur titles in Greece and competed on two Olympic teams for his native land. He moved to the United States in the late 1920s where he…
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Lou Thesz
Born April 24, 1916, in a tiny village in Michigan, Lou Thesz spent his childhood and teen years in St. Louis. He fell in love with wrestling at an early age and wrestled in area amateur matches as a schoolboy.
His father had wrestled in his native Hugary before relocating in America, and began taking…
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Verne Gagne
Born May 10, 1923 , on a farm near Minneapolis, Verne Gagne was a great all-around athlete. At the University of Minnesota , he won four Big Ten Conference wrestling titles, was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, was an alternate on 1948 Olympic team and was an all-star football player.
Gagne spurned professional football to…