"Famous" Wrestlers (Vintage Wrestling Card Archive)

• Last updated: April 10, 2002
• List compiled by Rob England.

• National Football League:

  • Walter Barnes - SEC Champion in the 40s
  • Harris Barton
  • Brad Benson - PA State Champion
  • Tom Cousineau - beat by Golic in semis 1975, Ohio placer
  • Tom Covert
  • Roger Craig - Davenport, IA State Qualifier '78 Jr year
  • Larry Csonka
  • Curley Culp - 1967 NCAA Champion, 1st & 2nd AAU UNL
  • Dan Dierdorf
  • Bill Fralic
  • Doug "Bubba" France - OH State finalist
  • Bill George - "Intra Collegiate Champion"
  • Charlie Getty - 1973 Penn State 5th College HWT, 2x AA
  • Kevin Glover
  • La'Roi Glover - 1992 2nd State CA
  • Bob Golic - 2x All-American Notre Dame, Beat Harold Smith
  • Tim Green
  • Archie Griffin - OH
  • Carlton Haselrig - 3x NCAA D1 Champion, 3x NCAA D2 Champion
  • Ron Heller
  • Chad Hennings - State Champion IA
  • Jay Hilgenberg - 1976 185 lbs 6th, 1977 185 lbs 2nd (City High, IA)
  • Dave Joyner
  • Alex Karras
  • Tim Krumrie - WI State Champion
  • Ernie Ladd
  • Ray Lewis - 4A State Champion @189 lbs FL
  • Kirk Loudermilk
  • Joel Mackovica
  • Mark McDonald
  • Chris McIntosh
  • Jim Nance - NCAA Champion 1963 &'65 (beat Larry Kristoff)
  • Lorenzo Neal - 4th in '87, 2nd '88, 1st '89 @HWT CA
  • Jeremy Newberry - Antioch, CA HS
  • Leo Nomellini - Big 10 Champion
  • Chuck Noll - State Champion PA???
  • Jonathan Ogden - St. Albans DC 1988/89
  • Irv Pankey - 2x State Champion MD, Aberdeen HS
  • Jim Plunkett - James Lick HS, CA
  • Mike Pyle - State Champion IL
  • Mike Reid - PA, songwriter also
  • Errict Rhett - State Champion FL
  • Cory Schlesinger - State Champion NE
  • Tony Siragusa - 108-1, NJ State Champion 1985
  • Fred Smerlas - State Champion MA & New England
  • Dave Szott - State Champion NJ '86 , Greco Jr Nat'l AA
  • Jim Thorpe - "loved to wrestle"
  • Tommy Vardell - 1987 5th State CA
  • John Ward - All-American Oklahoma State
  • Ricky Williams - (pinned by Stephen Neal in high school)

• Pro Wrestlers:

  • Kurt Angle - World and Olympic Champion
  • Bob Backlund - 1st 190 lbs and 2nd HWT NCAAs (D2)
  • George Bollas - 1st 1946 HWT, (Ohio St)
  • Jack Brisco - 2nd 1964 @191, 1st 1965 @191 in college
  • Mike DiBiase - 1946 AAU National Champion UNL
  • Dorrance Funk - Indiana State Champion
  • Verne Gagne - 2nd, 1st, 2nd NCAAs
  • Ray Gunkel - 1948 and 49 Freestyle UNL 1st
  • Earl McCready - 3x NCAA Champ in 1928,29,30 @HWT Ok A&M
  • Brad Rheingans - AAU Champion 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 Greco 220 lbs
  • Bob Roop - 1967 AAU UNL 4th
  • Joe Scarpello - 1st, 3rd, 2nd at 175 lbs for Iowa in 1947, 48, 49
  • Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vazin) - 1971 AAU National Champ 180.5 lbs MinnWC
  • Ralph Silverstein - NCAA Champion
  • Jesse Ventura - Wrestled in high school
  • Mr Wrestling (Tim Woods) - 1955 AAU Champ 191.5, 1957 AAU Champ 191.5

• Actors and others:

  • Joe Allen - Astronaut
  • William Baldwin
  • John Belushi
  • Dr. Norman Borlag - Noble Prize Winner
  • Pappy Boyington
  • George Brooks
  • Michael Collins - Astronaut
  • Tom Cruise - "Thomas Mapother" Glen Ridge HS, NJ (9th & 10 grades)
  • Tony Danza
  • Pat Day
  • Kirk Douglas - "Issur Danielovitch" D3 Nat'l Champ (St. Lawrence C.)
  • Chris Farley
  • Al Franken - Comedian
  • Victor French - Actor
  • Pee Wee Herman - "Paul Reubens" 2x State Champion, Dade County FL
  • Larry Holmes
  • John Irving - Author, "World According to Garp", "Cider House Rules"
  • Harvey Keitel - Actor
  • Ken Kesey - Author, Merry Prankster of 1960s Kool-Aid Fame
  • William Kerslake - NASA Scientist
  • Jim Lampley
  • Jay Leno - HS wrestler
  • Sugar Ray Leonard
  • Mario Lopez - "Slater, Saved by the Bell" 7th State 160 lbs CA in 1991
  • Bill Macatee
  • Jay Mohr - Saturday Night Live, NJ "Jerry McGuire"
  • Nat Pendleton - Actor in the 30s "Whistling in the Dark" "Thin Man"
  • Katie Roman
  • Bill Shoemaker
  • Joseph Smith - Founder of the Mormon Church
  • Mr. T
  • Vince Vaughn - Actor, Wrestled from 8th to 10th grade
  • "Weezer"
  • Spud Webb
  • Robin Williams - HS Wrestler
  • Rob Zander - "Cheap Trick"

• Presidents of the United States:

  • Calvin Coolidge
  • Dwight Eisenhower
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Ted Roosevelt
  • William Taft
  • Zach Taylor
  • John Tyler
  • George Washington

• Politicians & Military:

  • Former SOH Carl Albert
  • Denny Benchoff - 3 Star General, West Point 137 lbs in the 60s
  • Sen. Lincoln Chaffee - RI
  • Rep. Greg Ganske - IA
  • Sen.Chuck Hagel - NE
  • Dennis Hastert - Speaker of the House, State Champion IL, coached HS
  • Comm. Gen. Krulach - US Marines
  • Jim Leach - IA
  • John McCain - US Navy
  • George Patton - Wrestled at West Point
  • Donald Rumsfield - New Trier HS IL 4th, Secretary of Defense (Princeton)
  • Al Rushatz - Army FB, All-American fullback
  • Norman Schwartzkopf - Wrestled at West Point
  • George Stephanopolous - Columbia University
  • Sen. Paul Wellstone - MU?

• Business Leaders:

  • Rocky Aoki - Benihana Restaurants
  • Roone Arledge - ABC Sports/News Exec.
  • Scott Beck - Boston Market
  • James Biggs - Nestle
  • Dan Cathy - Chick-fil-A
  • Henry Kravis-Kohlberg - Kohlberg, Kravis, & Roberts
  • Dave Pottruck - Charles Schwab
  • Edward Rust - State Farm Insurance
  • Art Rutzen - Wells Fargo Bank

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