Brief History:
Tulsa's Sam Avey and his protege and successor Leroy McGuirk were valuable allies to longtime NWA President Sam Muchnick. They were his sounding board in many regards, supporting the upper tier of the Alliance in their efforts to bring a semblance of harmony to professional wrestling. Avey's excellent system of promoting, booking and publicity was continued by McGuirk in the running of a wide territory that paid good dividends through the early part of the 1980s. A major factor in their success was an ability to focus on top light and junior heavyweight athletes like "Wild" Red Berry and Danny McShain. McGuirk himself was a mainstay on the Oklahoma circuit for a better part of two decades. Avey and McGuirk also responsibly utilized the great amateur talent out of Oklahoma schools, which included Dick Hutton, Danny Hodge, and Jack Brisco, among others.
Background:
Operating booking office in Tulsa was not something Sam Avey envisioned when he was just starting out in the professional ranks. In fact, that was something he sort of evolved into doing.
McGuirks's achievements in the amateur ranks were eye-opening and the amount of press certainly got Avey's attention. Could he sell the perks of being a professional wrestler to the Tulsa product?
National Wrestling Alliance Members:
Sam Avey was admitted to the NWA in 1949.
Oklahoma Wrestlers and Stars:
McGuirk, Leroy:
McGuirk was born on December 10, 1910 in Garvin, Oklahoma.
According to his profile in the June 1951 edition of Official Wrestling, written by fellow Oklahoman Jim Barnett, McGuirk won state and national championships in the welterweight division while at Tulsa High School. That article claims he was defeated in the 1931 finals, but the truth is that in 1931, he won the NCAA title at 155 pounds. In 1932, however, he was edged out and placed second in the 174 pound weight class. Barnett stated that McGuirk was a "finalist in the U.S. Olympic tryouts held in 1932 at Ohio State University."
The April 1, 1973 edition of the Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) newspaper stated that McGuirk "books about 40 different wrestlers for nearly 20 towns in five states, the majority in Louisiana and Mississippi." From a Shreveport TV studio, he tapes wrestling matches and sells tapes to 16 cities, and hosted live matches at WKY-TV in Oklahoma City for "over ten years." Leo Voss was McGuirk's assistant. He wrestled for five years, then refereed for "30 more." The article stated that "a car accident ended that, too." A car accident ended McGuirk's days as an active grappler and would do so for Danny Hodge too.
Miscellaneous Notes and Milestones:
For $185,000 in 1944, promoter Sam Avey bought the Coliseum in Tulsa.
Seeking in excess of $21,000 damages against promoter Leroy McGuirk and wrestler Mike Clancy, Norine Michaels, 62, filed suit in an Oklahoma City District Court for injuries she claimed to have suffered on March 15, 1963. She said that Clancy hit her while he was outside the ring, during a bout. On June 10, 1965, a jury decided that Clancy was not liable for accidentally hitting her.
Obituaries:
Representing Oklahoma A&M, Jack Nazworthy (Elmer Nazworthy) was an NCAA championship competitor, advancing to the semifinals of the 1935 tournament. He became a professional and later ran AT carnival shows in Oklahoma and Kansas. A product of Payne County, Nazworthy died in April 1977.
Toots Estes (Lenwood T. Estes), brother of Balk Estes and a well known non-heavyweight grappler in the 1930s, died in September 1961. Estes was born in Texas and raised in Elk City, Oklahoma.
Legendary Tulsa promoter and a crucial member during the early days of the National Wrestling Alliance, Sam Avey passed away at 67 on August 9, 1962.
Roland Kirchmeyer (Rollend Clarence Kirchmeyer), who enjoyed a long career as a heavyweight wrestler, died on December 12, 1967 in Catoosa County, Georgia. Kirchmeyer, although born in Texas, was raised in Cushing, Oklahoma and went to college at Oklahoma A&M.
On Sunday, October 23, 1977, longtime Oklahoma City promoter and referee Ernest "Red" Andrews died at 77 in Las Vegas. He was a former Oklahoma State Representative, a newspaperman, Marine, boxer, and commentator - at different times.
A matchmaker, referee, television announcer, and wrestler during his lengthy career, Leo Voss died on April 10, 1989 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Voss was a booker for Leroy McGuirk.
Oklahoma Wrestling Titles:
Southwestern "Team" and "Tag Team" Title
United States Tag Team Title
Oklahoma State Heavyweight Title
Oklahoma State Junior Heavyweight Title
Oklahoma Wrestling Results:
Oklahoma City Results - 1931
Oklahoma City Results - 1932
Oklahoma City Results - 1941
|
