James C. Melby (1949-February 11, 2007) was an American

professional wrestling 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, real- ...

historian and magazine

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, publishing almost 100 wrestling projects since 1991.

Career

Melby's first publication was ''Matmania'' which he started aged 15 in his home state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, and later joined Kietzer Publishing as an editor of numerous wrestling magazines including ''The Wrestling News'', ''Wrestling Revue'', ''Wrestling Monthly'' and '' The Ring's Wrestling Magazine''. He was also co-editor with

Norman Kietzer Norman Kietzer (born 1944) is an American retired sports journalist Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants ...

of ''Major League Wrestling Programs'', which was produced for nearly every major promotion including the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...

, and numerous

independent promotion In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

s. He would also edit the ''Pro Wrestling Report'' publication of AWA founder

Verne Gagne the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling, Minnesota Golden Gophers Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne ( ; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Amer ...

. Melby also published wrestling profiles under a ''Wrestling Facts'' banner, which were career retrospective booklets featuring many early stars such as Gagne,

Bronko Nagurski Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-American professional football player who was a fullback and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Renowned for his strength and size, Nagurski ...

Red Bastien Rolland "Red" Bastien (January 27, 1931 – August 11, 2012) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his time in Capitol Wrestling Corporation, Capital Wrestling Corporation where he was a three-time WWWF ...

, Dr. Bill Miller,

Whipper Billy Watson William John Potts, (June 25, 1915 – February 4, 1990) was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name "Whipper" Billy Watson. He was a two-time world champion, having held both the National Wrestling Association title and th ...

, Rikidozan and numerous others. Aside from periodicals, Melby also wrote two books. First was ''Mat Wars!'' in 1985, written with Gagne, profiling the AWA's roster and stars of the period. His second was ''Gopherland Grappling: The Early Years'', a pictorial book showcasing Minnesota wrestling history, came twenty-one years later in 2006, and featured photographs he had taken over the years. The book was planned as the first of two due to the amount of material Melby has amassed. Melby's later work included contributing to the newsletters of the

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 ...

, of which he was Photographical Librarian, and continued to write for ''Wrestling Revue''. Outside of wrestling, he also published articles about music and architecture. In 2006 the Iowa-based

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (TNTHOF) is a List of professional wrestling halls of fame, professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, National Wres ...

honored Melby with an award in his name. Melby was at the ceremony and was unaware of an award honoring wrestling historians, or that he would not only receive the inaugural awarding but that it would be called the James C. Melby Award.

Personal life

His personal life included a battle with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

since 1971, which resulted in a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantat ...

and the

amputation Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...

of both legs. Melby was married twice, both ending in divorce. Melby was found dead beside his bed on February 11, 2007, and is survived by his mother June, daughter Michelle and son-in-law Chad. He had corresponded with friends online the night before his death.

Awards and accomplishments

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (TNTHOF) is a professional wrestling hall of fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in ...

** James C. Melby Award (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melby, James C. 2007 deaths 1949 births Professional wrestling journalists and columnists Professional wrestling historians