Wood River IL: January 1, 1951
(HS Gym, att. 3,000) ... Wladek Kowalski beat Pat O'Shocker (2-0) .... Jim Dobie beat
Carlos (Babe) Rodriques (2-0) ... Whitey Whittler beat Mike O'Grady (3:00) ... Ralph
Garibaldi beat George O'Brien (16:00) ... NOTE: This was the inaugural American
Legon-sponsored mat show here.

Wood River IL: January 15, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson beat Karol Krauser (2-1) ... Pete Managoff drew Dick Raines
(45:00, 1-1) ... Jim Dobie beat Red Vagnone (16:22) ... Bob Geigel beat Fred Blassie
(11:25) ... Referee: Babe LaFee ... NOTE: "Red (Vagnone), whose nickname comes
either from the shade of his face or his rapidly departing hair, proved no match for the
muscular Dobie, who finally flattened him." -- Alton IL Evening Telegraph, Jan. 17, 1951

Wood River IL: January 29, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Wladek Kowalski vs Dutch Hefner ... Pete Managoff & Karol Krauser vs Dick
Raines & Red Vagnone ... Fred Blassie vs Bob Geigel

Wood River IL: February 12, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson beat Pete Managoff (2-1) ... Gypsy Joe & Earl McCready beat
Karol Krauser & Angelo Poffo (2-1) ... Dutch Hefner drew Ivan Rasputin (30:00)

Wood River IL: March 5, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Hombre Montana & Gypsy Joe beat Dick Raines & Ivan Rasputin (2-1, dq) ...
(Midgets) Sky Low Low beat Pee Wee James ... Pete Managoff drew Dutch Hefner
(30:00) ... Referee: Leo Kallis

Wood River IL; March 19, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Primo Carnera beat Ivan Rasputin (2-0, dq) ... Ray Eckert & Dutch Hefner
beat Pete Managoff & Earl McCready (2-1) ... Ray Eckert drew Dutch Hefner (30:00)

Wood River IL: April 2, 1951 (Monday)
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson beat Walter Palmer (1-1, utc) ... Billy Goelz beat Gypsy Joe
(2-1, dq) ... Ralph Garibaldi beat Otto Kuss ... Dick Raines drew Ted Christy (30:00)

Wood River IL: April 30, 1951
(HS Gym) ... (NWA Title) Lou Thesz* beat Ray Eckert (2-0, dq) ... Ronnie Etchison beat
Jerry Meeker (2-1)... Jim Dobie beat Finice Hall ... Ralph Garibaldi beat Earl McCready

Wood River IL: May 14, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Ivan Rasputin vs Jim Dobie ... (Midgets) Tiny Roe & Cowboy Cassidy vs
Fuzzy Cupid & Pee Wee James ... Jerry Meeker vs Jack Britton ... Finice Hall vs Ralph
Garibaldi

Harrisburg IL: September 3, 1951
(Saline County Fairgrounds, att. 6,000) ... Fred Blassie beat Tiger Jack Moore (2-1, dq)
... (Ladies) Gloria Barattini & Joyce Ford beat Millie Stafford & Mae Young ... Jim Dobie
drew Ralph Garibaldi (30:00) ... NOTE: This card was bought in for the Saline County
Trades and Labor Assembly Labor Day celebration

Wood River IL: October 1, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Wladek Kowalski drew Bobby Managoff (1-1, nc, ring collapsed) ... (Midgets)
Sky Low Low beat Sonny Boy Cassidy ... Al Williams beat Joe Millich ... (Midgets) Little
Beaver beat Pancho the Bull ... NOTE: "The generally expert performance was marred
somewhat by one unfortunate incident. Little Beaver tried for a flying head scissors and
missed. But Pancho, obviously a well-trained Bull, obligingly rolled over and registered
extreme anguish. But, even Ethel Barrymore occasionally muffs a line." -- Alton IL
Evening Telegraph, Oct. 2, 1951

Wood River IL: October 29, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Bobby Managoff drew Wladek Kowalski (60:00, 0-0) ... Whitey Whittler beat
Jim Dobie (2-0) ... Warren Bockwinkel drew Tiger Jack Moore (235, of Dallas TX) ...
Farmer Jones beat Chris Zaharias (sub for Stu Gibson) ... NOTE: Tickets are $2.50, $2,
$1.50, $1 and 75 cents.

Harvey IL: November 15, 1951 (Thursday)
(Thornton HS Gym) ... Bill Longson vs Walter Palmer ... Don Curtis (as Don Beitelman) vs
Ned Taylor ... Billy Goelz & Great Balbo vs Rudy Kay & Al Williams

Wood River IL: November 26, 1951
(HS Gym) ... Great Togo & Whitey Whittler vs Bobby Managoff & Pete Managoff ...
Warren Bockwinkel vs Chris Zaharias ... Joe Millich vs Dick Trout

Wood River IL: December 10, 1951
(Fieldhouse) ... Bill Longson vs Barney Bernard ... (Midgets) Victorio Gonzales vs Saile
Halasse ... Jack Britton vs Dutch Hefner ... Warren Bockwinkel vs Whitey Whittler (of
Roxana IL)

Wood River IL: January 7, 1952
(HS Gym) ... Bobby Managoff vs Benito Gardini ... Otto Kuss & Pete Managoff vs Vincent
Lopez & Whitey Whittler ... Joe Millich vs Chris Zaharias

Wood River IL: January 21, 1952
(HS Gym) ... Pete Managoff & Otto Kuss vs Whitey Whittler & Vincent Lopez ... Al
Lovelock vs Ray Eckert ... Jim Coffield vs Chris Zaharias

Wood River IL: February 18, 1952
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson vs Alo Leilani ... Al Lovelock & Vincent Lopez vs Dutch Hefner &
Mike Mazurki ... Pete Managoff vs Chris Zaharias

Wood River IL: November 24, 1952 (Monday)
(Fieldhouse) ... Bill Longson (sub for Morris Shapiro, as Mighty Atlas) vs Don Curtis (as
Don Beitelman) ... (Midgets) Tom Thumb vs Tuffy McRea ... (Midgets) Little Beaver vs
Dan Cupid ... Al Lovelock vs Jack Britton

Wood River IL: January 19, 1953
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson beat Hans Hermann (2-1) ... Ronnie Etchison & Tarzan White
beat Cherry Vallina (sub for Stu Gibson) & Ivan Rasputin (2-1, dq) ... Finice Hall drew
Ray Stern (20:00)

Wood River IL: October 12, 1953 (Monday)
(HS Gym, att. 659) ... Bill Longson beat Dutch Howlett (as Great Zorra) (2-1, dq) ... Roy
McClarty drew Joe Tangaro (45:00, 1-1) ... Ray Eckert beat Al Rossi (235, of Pekin IL) ...
Charles Pelan (of Wood River IL) beat Leo Zinn (of Maplewood CA, sub for Paul
Kisselbach of East St. Louis IL) ... Matchmaker: Jackson Woodson

Wood River IL: November 2, 1953
(HS Gym, att. 661) ... Ray Eckert beat Paul Baillargeon (2-1) ... Joe Tangaro & Guy
Brunetti beat Chris Zaharias & Jim Wright (2-1) ... Charles Pelan beat Carollo (of
Collinsville IL) (24:15)

Wood River IL: November 23, 1953
(HS Gym, att. 613) ... Joe Tangaro & Guy Brunetti beat Ray Eckert & Dutch Howlett (as
Great Zorra) (2-1, dq) ... Abe Kashey beat Finice Hall (1-0, utc) ... Charles Pelan beat
John Mercurrio (of East St. Louis IL) (18:05)

Wood River IL: December 14, 1953
(HS Gym) ... Bobby Managoff vs Abe Kashey ... Paul Baillargeon vs Hank Metheny (235,
of Wood River IL) ... Hans Hermann vs Dave Sims (245, of Hamilton ON) ... Bob Corby vs
Babe Zaharias ... NOTE: "Metheny is a police officer in California and home on vacation.
He is a teacher of Judo on the West Coast." -- Alton IL Evening Telegraph, Dec. 14, 1953

Wood River IL: January 4, 1954
(HS Gym) ... Bill Longson vs Bobby Managoff ... Joe Tangaro & Guy Brunetti vs Bob
Corby & Jim Wright ... Pete Managoff vs Sandor Kovacs ... NOTE: Shows here were
sponsored by the Southwestern Illinois Association of Veterans and Fraternal
Organizations, consisting of the Moose, Eagles, American Legion, Douglas and Italian
Clubs


Research by J Michael Kenyon
Wood River (IL) Wrestling Results