Danny Hodge
Hodge, then aged 80, crushing an apple with one hand at the Oklahoma House of Representatives in May 2013
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Allen Hodge
Born(1932-05-13)May 13, 1932
Perry, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 2020(2020-12-24) (aged 88)
Perry, Oklahoma, U.S.
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne79 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma Sooners
NCAA Wrestling Championships
Gold medal – first place1955 Ithaca177 lb
Gold medal – first place1956 Stillwater177 lb
Gold medal – first place1957 Pittsburgh177 lb

Daniel Allen Hodge (May 13, 1932 – December 24, 2020) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, who also had a brief professional boxing career. He is in both the U.S. amateur wrestling Hall of Fame, for his three NCAA titles and Olympic silver medal, and the pro wrestling Hall of Fame, as a seven-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. The Dan Hodge Trophy is the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Hodge was born and raised in Perry, Oklahoma, where he continued to live. He was famous for the ability to crush apples with one hand,[1] a feat which he demonstrated live on ESPN during the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. He said his strength was due to having double tendons in his hands.[2]

Early life

Daniel Allen Hodge was born and raised in Perry, Oklahoma,[3] the son of an alcoholic father and a mother who dealt with severe depression.[4][5] His home burned down when he was 9, and his mother suffered severe burns over 70 percent of her body, necessitating 52 blood transfusions.[4][5] Hodge was raised by his grandfather, who drank a lot and beat Hodge frequently.[4] He also worked at a Conoco gas station.[6]

Amateur wrestling career

Hodge started wrestling by the age of 13.[3] At Perry High School in Oklahoma, Hodge won the 165-pound title at the state tournament in 1951. As a collegiate wrestler for the University of Oklahoma, Hodge was undefeated at 46–0, with 36 pins and reportedly was never taken off his feet during his collegiate career.[7] He was a three-time Big Seven conference champ at 177 pounds (1955–1957), and won the 177-pound title at the NCAA championships those same three years, pinning all three of his finals opponents. In addition to his collegiate wrestling career, Hodge also won three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championships in freestyle wrestling, as well as winning one in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1956 at 174 pounds.[4] He was the first amateur wrestler to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[8][9]

Hodge in 1956

His reputation as a high school wrestler preceded him when he joined the US Navy in 1951. At Ames, Iowa, in April 1952, Hodge survived the US Olympic Trials, and was coached by Naval Academy Instructor Ray Swartz in the 174-pound division.[10] Hodge finished outside the top seven in the Helsinki Olympics freestyle middleweight, losing two of his three bouts.[3][11] Going into May 1956 wrestling trials for the US Olympic team, Hodge was the middleweight favorite. He was eliminated on May 2 by William Smith, who was embroiled in controversy with the Central AAU.[10] At the Melbourne Olympics freestyle middleweight, he won the silver medal, losing the final to Bulgarian Nikola Stanchev.[12]

The Dan Hodge Trophy, named after him, is the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.[4][7]

Professional wrestling career

Danny Hodge
Hodge in 1972
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Danny Hodge
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[13]
Billed weight227 lb (103 kg)[13]
Trained byEd "Strangler" Lewis[13]
Leroy McGuirk
DebutOctober 7, 1959[13]
RetiredSeptember 1, 1983

Trained by Leroy McGuirk and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Hodge made his debut as a professional wrestler on October 9, 1959.[4][10] Hodge's first major feud was with National Wrestling Alliance Junior Heavyweight Champion Angelo Savoldi. Hodge's father entered the ring during a boxing match on May 27, 1960, between Hodge and Savoldi, and stabbed Savoldi with a penknife.[10] Savoldi required 70 stitches at a local hospital, while Hodge's father was arrested.[14] On July 22, 1960, Hodge defeated Savoldi for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship at the Stockyards Coliseum in Oklahoma City.[15] Hodge became McGuirk's principal headliner, and by 1962, Hodge was making upwards of $80,000 a year.[14]

Hodge was a perennial NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, holding the title eight times for a total of over ten years, longer than anyone else.[4] After holding the title for over four years, he eventually dropped the title to longtime rival Hiro Matsuda. Six months later, he defeated Matsuda to regain the title.[16] He held the belt for several months until he lost it to Lorenzo Parente; they both continuously lost and regained the title in the span of a year during their feud. After Parente lost the belt to Hodge again, Hodge held the belt for another four months until eventually losing it to Sputnik Monroe on July 13, 1970.[16] Once again regaining the title a few months later, Hodge found himself as an ex-champion again when he eventually faced Roger Kirby. He was separated from the title until he defeated Dr. X, who was holding the title, and Hodge held his title once again for two more years before being upset by Ken Mantell on December 19, 1973. Mantell eventually lost the title to Hiro Matsuda, Hodge's rival; Hodge defeated him for the championship on March 2, 1976.[16]

On March 15, 1976, after wrestling that evening in Houma,[4] Hodge was driving his car when he fell asleep at the wheel causing him to crash through a bridge and into a lake. The car flipped, and the crash broke his neck and shattered his teeth upon impact. Hodge was able to escape by punching out his car window and safely swimming back to shore.[2] He was then transported to a hospital,[5] and the injuries sustained in the accident caused his retirement from professional wrestling.[6] On September 1, 1983, Hodge returned to the ring, facing against SWCW USA Junior Heavyweight Champion Eric Embry, which Embry won.[17]

In 2007, Hodge was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.[9] He made appearances in WWE on Raw in 2005 and 2012 in which he honored his close friends and fellow Oklahoman Jim Ross.[18] WWE Hall of Famer and seven-time world champion Bret Hart has referred to Hodge as "one of the greatest wrestlers in pro wrestling or amateur wrestling there’s ever been",[19] and described being in the same room as Hodge at the 2008 National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum's award ceremony as "a big, big honor for me".[19]

Boxing career

Danny won the 1958 Chicago Golden Gloves at Heavyweight, then won a Chicago Intercity bout in October, beating Charley Hood. He finished his amateur career with 17 wins, no losses and 12 KO's. Convinced by boxing manager Art Freeman that he was a better prospect than Rocky Marciano, Hodge decided to become a professional boxer rather than pursue the opportunity to compete as a boxer and a wrestler at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.[10] In his professional boxing debut, he scored a first-round knockout victory over Norm Jackson.[10] As a professional, he had a reported record of 8–2, although only 7 wins have been documented. He retired on July 9, 1959.[10]

Personal life

Hodge and his wife, Dolores, had three children.[6]

On March 29, 2005, Hodge was honored by Oklahoma state lawmakers as an "Oklahoma Sports Hero".[4] He served as chairman of the Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission, which regulates professional boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts in Oklahoma.[20] There is a statue in his honor at the Perry Wrestling Monument Park in Oklahoma.[21]

Death

Hodge died at the age of 88 on December 24, 2020, and had been suffering from dementia.[6]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ Fairley, Tim (May 15, 2013). "Attempting a reversal: Oklahoma's wrestling greats grapple with the International Olympics Committee to return the sport to the games". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Melok, Bobby (March 27, 2013). "The most badass wrestler stories ever told". WWE. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Parker, Don (April 1, 1957). "THE MAN TO BEAT". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mooneyham, Mike (May 10, 2009). "Hodge has lived the American dream". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Gross, Josh (September 15, 2009). "Hodge still a staple in Oklahoma". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Oliver, Greg (December 26, 2020). "Legendary Danny Hodge dies at 88". Slam! Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Scovel, Shannon (April 2, 2022). "Dan Hodge Trophy: History, winners and how it works". NCAA. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Palmer, Mark (April 1, 2017). "Hodge is Still the Only Wrestler on Sports Illustrated Cover". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Laurer, Karl. "Danny Hodge". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 224, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ Snowden, Jonathan (2012). Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-1770902213.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Danny Hodge". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  14. 1 2 National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 225, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6
  15. 1 2 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 12. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  17. ↑ Getz, Al (March 9, 2020). "McGuirk Wrestling Territory: March 1976". ChartingTheTerritories.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ Martin, Adam (October 1, 2012). "WWE posts video of Jim Ross Appreciation Night". WrestleView. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  19. 1 2 Eck, Kevin (July 3, 2008). "Transcript of Bret Hart's Hall of Fame speech". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Oklahoma State Athletic Commission - Commissioners". Oklahoma.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Danny Hodge celebration". Perry Wrestling Monument Park. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  22. ↑ Oliver, Greg (April 18, 2004). "Heenan given CAC's top honor". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  23. ↑ Nation, Ryan (April 18, 2007). "Don Leo Jonathan earned CAC's top honour". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Honorees". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Ventura given Museum's top honour". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. August 4, 2003. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Induction Class 2021". International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Japan:All Japan International & World Tag Team Titles". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 369. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  28. ↑ "Danny Hodge". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Tennessee: U.S. Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 194. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  30. ↑ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Japan: TWWA Trans-World Wrestling Association Title (Isao Yoshihara)". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 365. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  31. ↑ "NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State/Mid-South)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  32. ↑ "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Oklahoma & Louisiana & Arkansas & Mississippi)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
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