Carl Zoll

Carl Francis Zoll (January 29, 1899 – October 19, 1973) was an American wrestler and professional football guard. One of three brothers active in sports in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he attended Green Bay West High School and then became a prominent wrestler in the region. He was undefeated from the start of his career in 1917 until 1919, while also claiming the Wisconsin heavyweight title from 1917 until 1921. He fought many prominent wrestlers in his career, including several world champions, and unsuccessfully contended for the World Light Heavyweight Championship in 1920.

Zoll also played football; he was a member of the Green Bay Packers in their inaugural 1919 season. He stayed with the team until 1922 as they entered what became the National Football League (NFL). Similar to his two brothers Martin and Dick, Zoll only played in one NFL game for the Packers. After his career, he coached at a local YMCA and ran his family's stone cutting business. Zoll died in 1973 at the age of 74.

Early life

Carl Francis Zoll was born on January 29, 1899, in Howard, Wisconsin. He was one of seven children and had two brothers who were active in local sports – Dick and Martin. His father was a stonecutter and Zoll lifted tombstones as a youth, which helped him garner a reputation for his strength. Zoll attended Green Bay West High School and, according to one source, later served in World War I. Outside of sports, he worked at shipyards.

Professional career

Wrestling

Zoll often competed in wrestling when carnivals were in the Green Bay area. Sportswriter Red Smith noted:

Undefeated streak

Zoll began wrestling competitively in Green Bay in 1917 and at the time weighed . The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' described him as showing excellent speed despite his large size. Trained by Tom Condon, he was classified as a heavyweight and was quickly considered among the top wrestlers at his weight in the area. In April 1917, he challenged Barney McMillan, the billed Wisconsin state champion, and defeated him in minutes. After the bout, Condon claimed the Wisconsin heavyweight title for Zoll. Zoll was undefeated early in his career and was considered the "pride of Green Bay" by the ''Press Gazette''. His brother, Martin, sometimes competed in events featuring Zoll as well. Carl tied in a match in April 1918, and then towards the end of the month, he defeated Roy Anderson after coming from behind in what George Whitney Calhoun described as having "more thrillers than any other sport seen in this neck of the woods for a long time".

Zoll weighed by October 1918. He started training every day in November for his match against Strangler Hill, the "carnival champion" of Davenport, Iowa. He defeated Hill, remaining undefeated, in what the ''Press-Gazette'' described as one of the best matches ever to have taken place in Green Bay. In December, Zoll again fought Anderson, who had previously been the only person ever to knock him down, and defeated him; Anderson later declared Zoll to be the best wrestler he ever competed against.

Later career

In January 1919, Zoll defeated Cyclone Burns in an hour-long fight. Later that month, he battled to a draw against Elmer Saunders, as the match was ended after the mat they fought on tore, making it impossible to continue. He fought against Saunders in February and was defeated for the first time in his career. In April, he lost a second time when he was defeated by future world champion Ed Lewis in a bout that lasted half an hour. The ''Press-Gazette'' reported that when Zoll had fought Lewis, the latter predicted Zoll had a bright future as a wrestler. However, the ''Press-Gazette'' noted that even though Zoll still had a passion for and desire to wrestle, he was expecting to marry shortly and had other responsibilities related to his stone cutting business.

Later, Zoll was trained by former world middleweight champion Jim Barnes and defeated the champion of Appleton, George Gloudemans, in July, which was the second time he had defeated Gloudemans in his career. He defeated Strangler Hill in September 1919. By November, he claimed to have a record of 46–1 and was dubbed the "Wisconsin Wonder" by his manager, Condon. Zoll declared himself to be a future world champion. In December, he fought a rematch against Elmer Saunders, which was declared a draw after neither competitor had fallen after nearly hours of competing.

Zoll was noted in the '' Beaver Dam Argus'' to be "unquestionably one of the best light heavyweights in the country" in February 1920. He competed against Toney Barnardi, considered the "Italian champion of the world", and battled to a draw in March 1920. In April, he was defeated in an upset by Young Romanoff. After the fight, Zoll named Ed White his new manager and announced a relocation to Chicago, Illinois. According to the ''Des Moines Tribune'', he was known by the nickname "Flying Dutchman" for "his speed and the way he sails in after his opponents when in action". He challenged Helmer Myre for the World Light Heavyweight Championship in August 1920 but was defeated.

''The Post-Crescent'' noted that by January 1921, Zoll had fought many of the best wrestlers in the U.S. and won most of his fights. Later that month, he lost in 47 minutes to Strangler Hill. Against Hill, Zoll fell once and then had to forfeit due to an injury he suffered. With his loss to Hill, Zoll also lost his claimed title as Wisconsin champion. Three months later, he competed at an annual event held by the United Spanish War Veterans and defeated Beno, a Hindu wrestler. However, after his loss to Hill, Zoll lost more matches and ''The Post-Crescent'' said his name became closely linked with losing. He began competing under the ring name Carl Anderson and fought against Wladek Zbyszko, whose brother was a world champion, in December 1921, but was defeated.

Zoll continued wrestling in 1922 and 1923, including against heavyweight champion Jim Londos in March 1923, a match that he lost. After being out of training for an extended period, he returned in February 1925 and fought Nazzareno Pogi, the Italian heavyweight champion, but was defeated. Later that year, he began serving as a wrestling coach at the Green Bay YMCA. He continued to compete occasionally up to 1926.

Football

In 1918, Zoll started playing with a semi-professional football team in Green Bay, which had gone undefeated by the start of November. He played at the position of guard. Zoll and teammate Nate Abrams left the team in November to join the United States Army. Upon his return from the Army, Zoll joined the newly-formed Green Bay Packers in 1919, training with the team in the evenings after his afternoon wrestling practices. He was the heaviest player for the Packers in their inaugural season, weighing while standing at . The 1919 Packers won their first 10 games before a loss to the Beloit Fairies in the season finale by a score of 6–0. He remained with the Packers in 1920, and after a game in which he received a black eye told the ''Press-Gazette'' that "wrestling is tame compared with football". The 1920 Packers compiled a record of . He returned to the team in 1921, as they became members of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), although he did not appear in any APFA games that season. Zoll remained with the Packers in 1922, as the APFA was renamed to the National Football League (NFL). That season, he played in one game as a backup, in what ended up being his sole appearance in the NFL.

Zoll and his brother Martin were teammates twice: with the Packers and later in 1924 with a team in De Pere, Wisconsin. Each of the three Zoll brothers played only one game for the Packers in the NFL.

Later life and death

The ''Press-Gazette'' noted in 1969 that when in tight parking spaces, Zoll would lift out his Ford Model T with relative ease: "Old timers still chuckle over his trick ... in fact, they used to hem him in deliberately to watch him do it." After his career, Zoll continued coaching wrestling at the local YMCA and also served as a referee. He also maintained the operation of his family's stone cutting business. In 1949, he was elected the first vice president of the Packers Alumni Association, which was created by former players to advocate for past and current players. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, serving on the board of trustees, and a member of the Southside Civic Association. He was married to Pearl Zoll, who predeceased him by two years. Zoll died on October 19, 1973, in Green Bay, at the age of 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoll, Carl
1899 births
1973 deaths
Green Bay Packers players
People from Howard, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Brown County, Wisconsin
Players of American football from Green Bay, Wisconsin
20th-century American sportsmen
Zoll family