Maurice A. Catarcio (March 21, 1929 – May 12, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for competing in the then

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American sports promotion company. It was run by Vincent J. McMahon from 1953 to 1982. Operating as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing ...

from 1957 to 1960, under the ring-name The Matador. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991, he became an advocate for public health and fitness. He was also in ''

The Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' for his public displays of strength.

Biography

Early life

Catarcio was born on March 21, 1929, in

Ocean City, New Jersey Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County and is part of the Philadelphia- Wilmington- Camden, ...

to parents Dominick and Julia Marie. He had one sister. Beginning at age 11, he lifted weights and participated in bodybuilding. In 1947, he graduated from now closed Cape May (NJ) High School and then served with the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

for 55 months. On June 30, 1950, three days after the beginning of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, he was honorably discharged, but he was later recalled for another 22 months and received another honorable discharge. Catarcio worked as a professional wrestler in the Capitol Wrestling Corporation which later became the World Wrestling Federation from 1957 to 1960. He was known as "The Matador" and wore a bullfighting cape to the ring.

Feats of strength

Catarcio began putting on public displays of strength after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991. Because of these displays, he was given the nickname "Magnificent Maurice". He also became an advocate for fitness and health. At age 69, he pulled an 80 ft boat filled with 125 passengers while swimming the backstroke for 300 feet in a lake, which earned him a place in ''

'' in the category "feats of strength". Then, at age 72, he dragged a 27,000 lb bus down a New York City street on the '' Late Show with David Letterman''. Other stunts included tearing 17 decks of cards in 59 seconds and lifting a refrigerator with three women on top of it.

Personal life

Besides being a professional wrestler, Catarcio had a number of occupations. He was certified in fitness training in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

and certified in

cardiopulmonary resuscitation Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spon ...

. He was also a police officer, lifeguard, and a painting contractor, the latter for thirty years. He served as Commissioner of the Cape May County Bridge Commission from 1980 to 1987 and Chairman of the Bridge Commission from 1987 to 2001. Catarcio was also a member of St. Raymond's Church and the Governor's Council on Fitness. He was a president for the Kiwanis Club of Cape May, the Sons of Italy in Lower Township, and the Lower Township Republican Club. In addition, Catarcio was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Mayor's Advisory Committee, both in Cape May. For ten years, he was the Republican Leader in Lower Township and was a member of the Electoral College in 1976. Moreover, he was a Republican State Committeeman and involved with the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

. On May 12, 2005, at age 76, he died of cancer at his home in Del Haven, NJ, a neighborhood in

Middle Township, New Jersey Middle Township is a township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and of South Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 20,380, an increase ...

. At the time of his death, he was married to his wife Roxanne with whom he had one son, Maurice Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catarcio, Maurice 1929 births 2005 deaths American male professional wrestlers Deaths from prostate cancer People from Lower Township, New Jersey People from Middle Township, New Jersey People from Ocean City, New Jersey Deaths from cancer in New Jersey