Des Moines Wrestling Results

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, January 5, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Orville Brown b. Sonny Myers to capture the NWA World Heavyweight Title
(2/3) … Tug Carlson b. Emil Dusek … Joe Dusek and Frank Taylor drew (30:00) … (promoter:
Pinkie George)

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, January 12, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Tug Carlson b. Joe Dusek (2/3) … Marshall Estep and Ras Samara drew (30:
00) … Frank Taylor b. Frank Hickey … (promoter: Pinkie George)
Note: Hickey was from Modesto, California.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, January 19, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Tournament … Ras Samara b. Wally Dusek … Rube Wright b. Danny
Plechas … Tug Carlson b. Jack Dillon … Frank Taylor b. Joe Dusek … Ras Samara b. Rube
Wright (DQ) … Tug Carlson b. Frank Taylor … Tug Carlson b. Ras Samara in the finals to earn
a future World Title Match … (promoter: Pinkie George)
Note: Carlson was said to be from Tulsa.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, January 26, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Marshall Estep b. Tug Carlson (2/3) … Joe Dusek b. Rube Wright … Pete
Bartu and Red Vagnone drew (30:00) … (promoter: Pinkie George)
Notes: Bartu was from Niagara Falls, New York and Estep was a postmaster from Sturgeon,
Missouri.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, February 2, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Primo Carnera b. Joe Dusek (1-0) (Dusek was unable to continue after
suffering a sprained knee) .. Tug Carlson b. Red Vagnone (22:31) … Pete Bartu and Ken
Fenelon drew (30:00) … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (near capacity crowd)

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, February 16, 1948
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Billy Goelz b. Pete Bartu (2-0) …
Marshall Estep b. Johnny Marrs (16:35) … Ken Fenelon b. Johnny Moochy (18:10) (Moochy
was a substitute for Otto Kuss) … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (2,500 fans)
Note: The newspaper stated that Otto Kuss was hospitalized with influenza.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, March 1, 1948
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown and Marshall Estep drew
(1-1) (60:00) … Al Williams b. Robert Duabert (2-0) (Duabert was a substitute for Billy Goelz,
who was “thrown by an Iowa snow drift near Cedar Rapids”) … Ken Fenelon b. Alberto Pico (17:
30) (Ken was a substitute for Danny Fenelon) … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (2,000+ fans)
Notes: Estep was said to be undefeated locally since becoming a heavyweight. Danny Fenelon
was a “cousin” of Ken Fenelon. Williams was reportedly suspended for 90 days last November
“because of his rough tactics.” Brown and Goelz were defending their “National Wrestling
Alliance” championships. Danny Fenelon was unable to wrestle because he was sick with
influenza in Dubuque.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, March 8, 1948
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Billy Goelz b. Al Williams (2/3) …
Ken Fenelon b. Walter Sirois … Danny Fenelon b. Alberto Pico … (promoter: Pinkie George)
… (referees: Jack Sharkey, Bob Foster) … (2,300 fans)

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, March 22, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Juanita Kaufman b. Dotty Dotson (2/3) … Al Williams b. Earl Wampler (40:
10) … Rudy Kay b. Danny Fenelon (13:56) … (promoter: Pinkie George) … (referee: Bob
Jensen)
Notes: The winner of the main event was promised a title match with Women’s World Titleholder
Mildred Burke. Kay was from Oak Park, Illinois and both Juanita Kaufman and Al Williams were
from Chicago. Dotson was billed as being from Atlanta. Wampler suffered a broken pinkie
finger during his match. The newspaper stated that “a brief scuffle in the west seating section
necessitated the replaying of the national anthem prior to the start of the evening’s wrestling
proceedings.”

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, March 29, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Women’s World Champion Mildred Burke b Juanita Kaufman (2/3) … Al
Williams b. Frank Taylor (24:58) … Ken Fenelon and Rudy Kay drew (30:00) … (promoter:
Pinkie George) … (referee: Bob Foster)
Notes: The newspaper indicated that this was the first appearance for Burke in Des Moines in
two years. Foster was from Des Moines.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, April 5, 1948
(The Coliseum) … NWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown b. Marshall Estep (2/3) …
Ken Fenelon and Al Williams drew (30:00) … Sandor Kovacs b. Rudy Kay (DQ) … (promoter:
Pinkie George)
Note: No show next two weeks.

Des Moines, Iowa: Monday, April 26, 1948
(The Coliseum) … Tony Galento b. Earl Wampler (2/3) … Rudy Kay and Al Williams drew (30:
00) … Ken Fenelon b. Hugh Jensen (15:20) … (promoter: Pinkie George)
Note: Jensen of Des Moines was a substitute for Dusty Rhoades of Detroit.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
December 28, 2007

Des Moines Wrestling Results - 1948