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Posted February 15, 2007
Martin "Farmer" Burns was born in a log cabin southwest of Wheatland on February 15, 1961. He was Iowa’s first great wrestler, a world champion who claimed to wrestle over 6,000 times, losing just six times. He also coached Frank Gotch, of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Burns’ father was a farmer who died when Martin Burns was 11 leaving him, his mother, a brother and five sisters. The family was poor and so Martin worked many years at hard labor from a very early age, a key to his physical development.
Burns started wrestling as a teenager and made money traveling around the Midwest competing at carnivals and fairs. As a professional he claimed the world title by defeating Evan "Strangler" Lewis in 1895 and held the title for three years. He also holds the distinction of coaching Cedar Rapids Washington to the title at Iowa’s first state high school championship in 1921.
Martin Burns developed a custom workout for himself and his students that was based only on resistance provided by one's own body, a pair of dumbbell weights, and supplemental aerobic exercise, such as running. The workout consists of three phases of exercises organized into sets and repetitions. The first phase is a combination of warm-ups and stretches, using only one's own body for resistance. The second phase uses a pair of dumbbells for resistance, otherwise resembling aerobics in appearance. The third phase of exercises are partner exercises, again only relying on the two persons' bodies for resistance.
His nickname of "Farmer" was given to him on his first trip to Chicago in 1889. He had traveled to the Windy City on a cattle car and was intrigued when he saw a sign offering $25 for anyone whocould last 15 minutes with two well known wrestlers of the time - Jack Carkeek and "Strangler" Lewis. At first they didn't want to give him a shot because he was unknown, but eventually he made it on stage in his overalls and sock feet with jeers of the crowd insulting him by calling him "Farmer." He stayed with both of the wrestlers for 15 minutes and the crowd's jeers soon turned to applause. The next day he found himself treated as a hero by the local papers.
He won the World Wrestling Title in 1895 when he defeated Evan "Strangler" Lewis and retained the title until 1897 when he was defeated by Tom Jenkins. He later won and held the light heavy weight title until 1908. Burns weighed only 175 pound but defeated many of the great wrestlers of the day – some who outweighed by 50 to 100 pounds.
After the end of his active wrestling career he started a successful wrestling school in Omaha and later coached Cedar Rapids' Washington high school to the very first Iowa high school state wrestling tournament title in 1921. He died in Council Bluffs in 1937. In 2001, Martin "Farmer" Burns was inducted into the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame, now located in Waterloo.
FAMOUS IOWANS
The famous (and infamous) who have had a lasting impact on the state and the world
Pioneer wrestling champ Farmer Burns
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