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Posted February 1, 2007
Frank Gotch was born and raised on a small farm three miles south of Humboldt. He became interested in wrestling at a young age. Gotch met Dan McLeod, former American heavyweight champion, in Lu Verne, Iowa, on June 18, 1899. McLeod introduced Gotch to Martin 'Farmer' Burns who would become his trainer.
Under the guidance of Burns, Gotch won a series of matches in Iowa and then Alaska. While in Alaska,
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World champion wrestler Frank Gotch
Gotch wrestled under the name Frank Kennedy and won the title of Champion of the Klondike.
Also during his time in Alaska, Gotch tried his hand at boxing, but failed miserably against the heavyweight Frank Slavin.
Gotch returned to Iowa where he took the American heavyweight title from Tom Jenkins. Jenkins went on to teach at West Point for 37 years. Gotch then went after The Russian Lion, Georg Hackenschmidt, an Estonian who had received the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. Gotch and Hackenschmidt wrestled at Chicago's Dexter Park Pavilion on April 3, 1908 to a crowd of over 40,000. Hackenschmidt was favored to win, but after two grueling hours he conceded to Gotch. This match crowned him as World Heavyweight Champion.
Frank Gotch became a superstar. He was known around the world for his athletic ability. He was invited to meet President Theodore Roosevelt. He starred in the play "All About A Bout" where he received standing ovations.
Riding on the wave of fame, Gotch and Hackenschmidt agreed to another match and played at the newlyanother match and played at
Wrestling champ Frank Gotch
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the newly opened Comiskey Park on September 4, 1911, to a crowd of 33,000. Gotch won again, easier this time, and was considered nearly invincible. Rumors persist to this day that Gotch paid a well-known "hook" wrestler (or submission wrestler) Ad Santel to injure Hackenschmidt during training for their second bout, a claim which is disputed by Gotch's supporters.
Frank Gotch was undefeated from 1906 to his retirement from active competition in late 1913. His professional wrestling career record was one hundred fifty-four wins against only six losses.
While in retirement, Gotch joined Sells-Floto Circus where he would pay any man $250 if they could last 15 minutes in a match against him without being pinned or conceding. Not once did he have to pay.
He grew tired of touring and moved back to Humboldt. After a year of health troubles, Frank Gotch died in 1917 at the age of 39, of what was rumored to be Syphilis, but the official cause of death was uremic poisoning.