My View from 1958

Part 1

Circa 1971 to 1973

Notable Quotes (not from this era, but I thought I would start adding a few based on my love of American History).

“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.” 

Samuel Adams.

I am currently reading “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams”, by Stacy Schiff.  I highly recommend this book. You too will be surprised that Samuael Adams may be the real father of the American Revolution. It is interesting how history repeats itself by the way.

Some of my Favorite Songs of this Era

“Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night

“One Bad Apple” by the Osmonds…and “Go Away Little Girl”. Hell yes, and you loved them too!

“Ain t no Sunshine” by Bill Withers

It Don’t Come Easy”, by Ringo Star

“Uncle Albert” by Paul McCartney. I realize this was on his “Ram”, album but I will say that I can listen to Paul McCartney and Wings “Band on the Run”, all day long. Love that album.

“Mr. Bojangles” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

“I Just Want to Celebrate” by Rare Earth

“When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” by Jerry Reed. Everyone was singing this song.

“One Tin Soldier”, by Jinx Dawson. Theme song from the movie “Billy Jack”.

Some of my Favorite Movies.

Dirty Harry. I love Clint Eastwood. Tough guy!

Fiddler on the Roof. Our church youth group took a field trip to Omaha, to the Indian Hills Theater to see this movie. Traveling to Omaha and seeing this movie at Indian Hills was like “shitting in high cotton” back in those days.

Shaft. We thought Shaft was super cool.

Billy Jack. Sleeper movie of the decade. Actually grossed $98,000,000. That is about $784,000,000 in today’s money!!!!..adjusted for inflation of course.

Diamonds are Forever. Who didn’t play James Bond back then?

Cold Turkey. Parts of this movie were filmed in Greenfield, Iowa. This was a Norman Lear movie starring Dick Van Dyke.

Big Jake. The Duke.  No argument….from anyone!

Some of My Favorite TV Shows

All in the Family. Groundbreaking for that era.

The Flip Wilson Show.  “What you see is what you get!”; “The Devil Made me do it.”

Marcus Welby, M.D.

Mannix (CBS)

Adam 12

Hawaii Five-O. “Book ‘em Danno!’

The F.B.I.

Cannon

The Wonderful World of Disney

Mod Squad. These three were super cool.

The Partridge Family

My wrestling “career” began around seventh or eighth grade, circa 1971. To be honest, it was far from illustrious. My interest in wrestling actually started well before then—I was hooked on watching “Rassling,” or professional wrestling, on TV every Sunday night. All Star Wrestling aired on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, hosted by Mike May, the station’s weatherman and, in my opinion, a local legend. The hour-long show ran from about 1958 to 1981, airing live in its early years. The main attractions were Mad Dog Vachon and Verne Gagne (of Gera-Speed fame), two fierce rivals who seemed to beat each other senseless week after week.

Here’s a classic clip of Verne Gagne promoting Gera-Speed—the vitamin that supposedly “made men out of boys”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGgGLFXkQQ.

And remember Joe Zweiback, the fast-talking “inventor” of Gera-Speed? Check out this gem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsaCTUAyqIE.

I have to admit, I love YouTube for bringing these memories back! His commercials seemed to go on forever. Since Gera-Speed sponsored All Star Wrestling, I tolerated his endless babbling.

Other big wrestling names from that era included Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant, Ivan Koloff, Ric Flair, Wahoo McDaniel, Reggie Parks, and Baron von Raschke. The Baron was famous for his signature move—The Claw—a brutal grip on the forehead that supposedly brought opponents to their knees in agony or caused them to pass out. Check out the photo below.

Of course, I tried “The Claw” a few times on my buddies, but it never worked for me. So, I improvised and invented my own move: The Bavarian Headlock. I still remember putting childhood friends Steve Emge and Jeff Norton in that hold. Nothing fancy—I’d just grind my forearm into the sides of their heads until they surrendered. Simple, but effective!

Baron von Raschke and The Claw

Shenandoah’s big yearly celebration was called Farm and Industrial Days, and it was a huge deal. There was a massive parade, live entertainment, picnics, and family events that seemed to take over the whole town. One year, Hubert Humphrey even came to speak. At the time, he was running for president—his most famous campaign coming in 1968, when he ran as the sitting Vice President amid the turmoil of the Vietnam War. He gave his speech right across the street from my dad’s DX service station. But honestly, that wasn’t the highlight of the day.

The real excitement came when Reggie Parks and Mad Dog Vachon wrestled live—right there in front of my dad’s business. The ring was only a few yards from the gas pumps. We had the best seats in the house. It was incredible. I still remember Reggie, known as Iron Stomach, taking kick after kick to the gut without flinching. It didn’t faze him at all. I remember thinking, I want some of that Gera-Speed!

Picture of Reggie Parks

Picture of Mad Dog Vachon

I guess you might say all this sparked my interest in competitive wrestling.  I learned about 6^th or 7^th grade that I had no future in basketball.  I sat on the bench every game, well until we were at least 25 points ahead or behind and there was less than 2 minutes on the clock.  I needed another avenue I could excel at…..wrestling.  I could pound my buddies into submission. I had to be good at this.

The local Elks Club sponsored a junior wrestling tournament, and I decided to enter. This event was a culmination of a junior high wrestling clinic I attended. There were only two other kids in my weight class—Joe Weaver and Tim Demanett (RIP). I figured I couldn’t do worse than third place and at least walk away with a ribbon.

I also believed I could beat Joe. Tim, on the other hand, was another story. I knew he would stick me—wrestling slang for a pin—in a matter of seconds. Tim was three or four years more physically mature than anyone else in our class. At twelve or thirteen, he was already shaving, had hair on his chest, and was quick and incredibly strong. I’m pretty sure I didn’t see a whisker on my own face until I was at least sixteen. Tim was super-fast and in his early high school career was once of the fastest runners in SW Iowa. He was also a monster football player as well, that is until the rest of us started to generate a little testosterone.

I faced Tim first. He looked every bit the wrestler—headgear, shorts, tank top, and knee pads. I, on the other hand, showed up in a white T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He looked the part… I definitely didn’t. There is something to be said about dressing for success.

The match was over almost before it began. Tim took me down in a flash and drove his whisker-covered chin into my back—man, that hurt! Seconds later, he rolled me onto my back, and I heard the referee’s hand slap the mat. My fate was sealed. Pinned in mere moments.

Next up, I wrestled Joe for second place. He had been pinned by Tim in a matter of seconds, just like I was, and I truly believed I could beat him. This was our head-to-head for second prize. In my mind, I was stronger and quicker.

I remember spotting my dad in the audience. I had to win. It was a Saturday afternoon, and  dad rarely left work early for anything, so his being there meant something. I needed to impress him.

Dad never wrestled, but he boxed in high school and in the Army. He was a tough guy. We even had a punching bag and a speed bag in the basement, and the rhythm of his fists pounding those bags still echoes in my mind. I wanted him to see how tough I was too. Basketball? He forgave me for being terrible at that. Wrestling—that was my sport.

I was very nervous—something that would follow me throughout my wrestling career—but I had to win. We met in the center of the mat, shook hands, and the match began. The details have faded with time, but I remember the struggle: back and forth, neither of us giving an inch. I was ahead until the final seconds, when Joe got a reversal and scored two points. The horn sounded. Just like that, it was over—and I had lost. I was embarrassed. I let my dad down.

I was much harder on myself than dad ever was. Looking back, I think he was just glad to be there and watch the matches, but at the time I didn’t understand that. That should have been the end of my career, but wrestling kept calling me back. Basketball was never going to be my sport, so wrestling it was. I decided to give it another try.

I wanted to make my parents proud. My brother had been a pretty good wrestler until he separated his shoulder. I remember Dad watching my brother Mark at practice and talking with Coach Mosley about his potential. I wanted a piece of that attention too.  In the 9^th grade, I was going to join the school wrestling team, and I was going to be great.

Next time, The Wrestler Part 2