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Luther Lindsay
Luther Jacob Goodall (December 30, 1924 – February 21, 1972) was an American professional football player and wrestler, known by his ringname Luther Lindsay or Lindsey, who competed throughout the United States with the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling, Joint Promotions and Stampede Wrestling. One of the first African American wrestlers to become a major star, he was extremely popular in the Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic territory. A frequent rival and tag team partner of Shag Thomas, he also teamed with Bearcat Wright, Nick Bockwinkel, Pepper Gomez and was involved in feuds with "Iron" Mike DiBiase, Mad Dog Vachon, Beauregarde, Moondog Mayne, Tony Borne and Pat Patterson and The Hangman. For much of the early 1950s and '60s, Lindsay was billed as the U.S. Colored (or Negro) Heavyweight Champion and took part in the first interracial professional wrestling matches held in the United States. Between 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and the 94th-largest city in the nation. Norfolk holds a strategic position as the historical, urban, financial, and cultural center of the Hampton Roads region, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the thirty-third largest Metropolitan Statistical area in the United States. Officially known as ''Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA'', the Hampton Roads region is sometimes called "Tidewater" and "Coastal Virginia"/"COVA," although these are broader terms that also include Virginia's Eastern Shore and entire coastal plain. Named for the eponymous natural harbor at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads has ten cities, including Norfolk; seven counties in Virginia; and two counties in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Pitchford
Larry Pitchford (born April 29, 1936), better known by his ring name Beauregarde, is an American former professional wrestler and musician. Professional wrestling career Pitchford's wrestling career began in 1963, touring the Philippines as "Eric the Golden Boy". Given the name Beauregarde by fellow wrestler Ripper Collins, he next debuted as a heel in Hawaii before returning to Portland. By 1970, he had become one of the biggest names on the NWA's Pacific Northwest Wrestling circuit, and won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship in 1968 (teamed with Lonnie Mayne), 1969 (with Roger Kirby), 1970 (with The Claw) and 1971 (with Dutch Savage). Beauregarde was renowned for his unique wrestling moves (and finishing move "The Thumb") and crazy characters he created for himself. On match days, he would find a historic figure whose date of birth fell on that day and pretend to be them during the match and in interviews. In 1971, he released an album bearing his stage name, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University. Eighty-five students attended the first classes held in 1935. Mr. Samuel Fischer Scott, an alumnus of Virginia Union and Portsmouth native, served as the first director with the primary focus of maintaining the solvency of the school. Dr. Lyman Beecher Brooks, a Virginia Union alumnus, succeeded Mr. Scott as director in 1938, and served as provost, 1963–1969, and the first president 1969–1975. In 1942, the school became independent of VUU and was named Norfolk Polytechnic College. Within two years, by an act of the Virginia Legislature, it became a part of Virginia State College (now Virginia State University). By 1950, the 15th anniversary of the college founding, the faculty had g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gibsonville, North Carolina
Gibsonville ("City of Roses") is a town in both Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of Gibsonville is situated in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem- High Point Combined Statistical Area and the eastern portion is in the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing all of Alamance County. According to the 2020 Census, the population of Gibsonville was 8,971. History Before 1851, no official town of Gibsonville existed, only a few buildings supporting local farmers and some gold seekers. Joseph Gibson (1785-1857), whose father established farming and gold mining operations there as early as 1775, was a local farmer who provided grading services in 1851 for the newly formed North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) Company. Shortly afterwards Gibsonville began to emerge as a commerce center. The first train arrived on October 9, 1855, and the depot was named Gibson Station in his honor. On February 18, 1871, the state legislature issue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedalia, North Carolina
Sedalia is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 623 at the 2010 census. History The Dr. Joseph A. McLean House and Palmer Memorial Institute Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Geography Sedalia is located in eastern Guilford County. U.S. Route 70 (Burlington Road) passes through the center of the town, leading east to Burlington and west to Greensboro. Interstate 40 passes just south of Sedalia, with access from Exit 135 (Rock Creek Dairy Road). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.30%, is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 618 people, 226 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 240 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 13.92% White, 83.82% African American, 0.16% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Les Thatcher
Leslie Malady (born October 28, 1940), better known by the name Les Thatcher, is an American former professional wrestler. He helps run Elite Pro Wrestling Training, a professional wrestling school in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, with Ricky Steamboat and, up until his death on August 1, 2019, Harley Race. He is also on the board of directors of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He won several regional tag team championships with various partners, including Nelson Royal and Roger Kirby. He turned his hand to singles competition as a junior heavyweight. Early life Thatcher was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He first watched wrestling when he was eight years old while at a friend's house, stating, "The action on that little ten-inch black & white screen just reached out and grabbed me". In his youth, he played basketball, baseball, and football. He started wrestling at his local YMCA as a twelve-year-old. He attended Central High School in Cincinnati. Professional wrestling career Thatch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rip Hawk
Harvey Maurice Evers (June 6, 1930 – December 22, 2012) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the " Blond Bombers," and the duo held several championships. In the 1970s, he worked as a booker in JCP. Early life Evers was born on June 6, 1930 in Indiana. He was raised in Ohio. Professional wrestling career Early career Hawk made his wrestling debut in 1949. He began as an amateur in Ohio and was discovered by professional boxer Jack Dempsey, who convinced him to wrestle professionally. His ring name came from a variety of sources: his sister called him "Rip" as a nickname, while a promoter gave him the last name "Hawk" due to his nose and his movements in the wrestling ring. His nickname, "The Profile", was taken from actor John Barrymore. He began wr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hart Dungeon
The Hart Dungeon or Hart Family Dungeon, otherwise known simply as The Dungeon, was the gym and wrestling school located in the basement of the Hart mansion. The school was created by Stu Hart, patriarch of the Hart wrestling family and is known for having produced some of the greatest and most successful professional wrestlers of all time. Location description The room was located in the Hart family mansion basement and had a very low ceiling. For most of the duration of the room being used as training hall there was a wrestling mat located on the floor without any ropes which would be used for training students. History Hart acquired the former army hospital mansion in 1951 and transformed its basement into his personal training centre shortly thereafter. This was done because Hart needed a training facility after the founding of his first wrestling promotion in 1948. Although, the nickname itself developed over time when Stampede Wrestling became world famous. Aside from profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Leo Jonathan
Don Heaton (April 29, 1931 – October 13, 2018), also known as Don Leo Jonathan, was an American-Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Jonathan, nicknamed "The Mormon Giant" was a second generation star (his father was former wrestler Brother Jonathan) who made his professional wrestling debut after World War II. Over the course of his career, he competed around the world, making stops in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Japan; he wrestled more often, however, in the United States and Canada. His first championship wins occurred in Montreal with Canadian Athletic Promotions, where he twice captured their World Heavyweight title in 1955. Elsewhere in Canada, Jonathan found more success competing in Toronto's National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate Maple Leaf Wrestling (where he first teamed with Gene Kiniski to win the Canadian Open Tag Team title, in 1959) and in Winnipeg, where he wrestled for NWA member Alex Turk Promotions (twice winning th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 days) – longer than anyone else in history. Considered to be one of the last true shooters in professional wrestling and described as the "quintessential athlete... a polished warrior who could break a man in two if pushed the wrong way", Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and the single greatest wrestling world champion in history, and probably the last globally accepted world champion. In Japan, Thesz was known as the 'God of Wrestling' and was called ''Tetsujin'', which means 'Ironman', in respect for his speed, conditioning and expertise in catch wrestling. Alongside Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, Thesz later helped train young Japanese wrestlers and mixed martial artists in catch wrestling. A s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in his first reign. Although formally established in 1948, its lineage has been traditionally traced back to the first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, which traces its lineage to the title first awarded to George Hackenschmidt in 1905. This effectively makes it the oldest surviving wrestling championship in the world. The title began as a governing body's world championship and has been competed for in multiple major promotions around the world, including Capitol Wrestling Corporation (which seceded from the NWA and became World Wide Wrestling Federation, now WWE), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling), Ring of Honor (ROH), Combat Zone Wrestling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene LeBell
Ivan “Judo” Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 – August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and professional wrestler. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting circles, serving as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. He worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and authored 12 books. In 2000, the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) promoted LeBell to 9th dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu. On August 7, 2004, the World Martial Arts Masters Association promoted him to 10th degree. In February 2005, the USJJF made him 9th dan in judo. LeBell has been reported as the inspiration for the character of Cliff Booth ( Brad Pitt) in Quentin Tarantino's '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood''. However, Tarantino disputes this claim. Early life Ivan Gene LeBell was born in Los Angeles, California. He started training in catch wrestling and boxing from his early childhood, influenced by his mother, "Red He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
