Don Curtis
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Donald B. Curtis (born Donald Beitelman) (May 22, 1927 – March 6, 2008) was an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
, best known for being a member of a
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
with
Mark Lewin Mark Lewin (born March 16, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler. He worked for various promotions throughout his 35-year career, including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and the World Wide Wrestling Fede ...
in the 1950s and 1960s. During his partnership with Lewin, they won the
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
. Curtis was a wrestling promoter in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, until 1981.


Professional wrestling career

Beitelman decided to become a professional wrestler in 1951, after working out with
Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling coach. Considered to be one of the last true shooters (legitimate wrestlers) in professional w ...
. During his early career, he worked in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, appearing as "Don Curtis." In 1958 promoter
Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...
teamed Curtis with Mark Lewin. Curtis and Lewin held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) twice in 1958, trading it with Graham and his "brother" Jerry. Curtis teamed up with Graham in May 1960 to win the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version). He held the title with Joe Scarpa in October 1962; Cowboy Bob Ellis in March 1964; and Jose Lothario in March 1967. In 1962, Curtis moved to Florida and teamed with Joe Scarpa to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) from Kurt and Karl Von Brauner. In January 1963, he won the title with Lewin from The Fabulous Kangaroos ( Al Costello and
Roy Heffernan Laurence Roy Heffernan (12 July 1925 – 24 September 1992) was an Australian professional wrestler. Roy Heffernan toured all over the world, but is most famous for being one half of the original version of the tag team the Fabulous Kangaroos ( ...
). After vacating the title, Curtis and Lewin regained it in December from the Assassins. Lewin left the team the following month, and the title was once again vacated. In May 1964, Curtis teamed with
Abe Jacobs Abner Robert Jacobs (18 June 1928 – 21 August 2023) was a New Zealand professional wrestler. He was one of the first men to follow fellow New Zealander Pat O'Connor to the United States where, like O'Connor, Jacobs became a major star in th ...
to hold the title for the last time. In
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, Curtis promoted shows and managed the coliseum. In November 1969, he won the
NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) The Florida version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship defended sporadically in the National Wrestling Alliance's Florida territory, Championship Wrestling from Florida. As its name suggests, ...
. By the mid 1970s, he wrestled only part time until his last match in 1980.


Personal life and death

Curtis attended the
University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
, where he played football and was an amateur wrestler. He was the wrestling team captain during 1949 and 1950. After retiring from professional wrestling, Curtis worked in real estate as well as managing the Jacksonville Coliseum. In 1980, he was inducted into the University of Buffalo Athletic Hall of Fame for wrestling and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
. On February 26, 2008, Curtis suffered a "massive
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
", and his wife, Dotty, released a statement that it was "due to a
blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
breaking loose and hitting the left side of his brain." He was admitted into the
Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...
Hospice facility that day, and died on March 6, 2008, at the age of 80. In 2009, Curtis was posthumously inducted into the
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas; following the postponement of its 19th induction ceremony, planned for May 2020, and an annou ...
along with Mark Lewin (under the "Tag Team" category).


Championships and accomplishments

*
Capitol Wrestling Corporation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...
** NWA United States Television Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Northeast version) ( 2 times, inaugural) - with
Mark Lewin Mark Lewin (born March 16, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler. He worked for various promotions throughout his 35-year career, including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and the World Wide Wrestling Fede ...
*
Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...
**Other honoree (
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
) *
Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida professional wrestling promotion, wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it close ...
**
NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) The Florida version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship defended sporadically in the National Wrestling Alliance's Florida territory, Championship Wrestling from Florida. As its name suggests, ...
- (1 time) ** NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (3 times) with
Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...
(1),
“Cowboy” Bob Ellis Robert Ellis (born March 15, 1929), is an American retired professional wrestler. He wrestled under the ring name, Cowboy Bob Ellis for over 20 years in various wrestling promotions in the States, Canada and Australia. He was a two-time WWA Worl ...
(1) and Jose Lothario (1) **
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) The Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling championship for tag teams in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) that was used between 1961 and 1969. When the National Wrestling Alliance (NW ...
(4 times) - with
Mark Lewin Mark Lewin (born March 16, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler. He worked for various promotions throughout his 35-year career, including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and the World Wide Wrestling Fede ...
(2), Joe Scarpa (1) and
Abe Jacobs Abner Robert Jacobs (18 June 1928 – 21 August 2023) was a New Zealand professional wrestler. He was one of the first men to follow fellow New Zealander Pat O'Connor to the United States where, like O'Connor, Jacobs became a major star in th ...
(1) *
Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades b ...
** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) - (1 time) - with Joe Scarpa * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2012 *
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas; following the postponement of its 19th induction ceremony, planned for May 2020, and an annou ...
**Class of 2009 (
Tag Team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
) - with Mark Lewin


See also

* List of professional wrestling promoters


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Don 1927 births 2008 deaths American male professional wrestlers Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling promoters Professional wrestlers from Buffalo, New York Buffalo Bulls football players 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers NWA Brass Knuckles Champions (Florida version) NWA World Tag Team Champions (Florida version) WWWF United States Tag Team Champions