Former Gophers football star turned AWA legend Verne Gagne dies at age 89

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A master of the art scientific wrestling is gone.

Many Saturday nights in my youth were spent watching him on All Star Wrestling.

Goodbye Verne.
 

Former Gopher talking about a former Gopher:


Go Gophers!!
 






Yup..old time wrestling, old time hockey, old time NBA, old time NFL, and yes OLD TIME MUSIC AT
TCF! RIP Vern
 



He was a big U Donor

He was a big donor to the U football weightroom. The entire old weightroom was dedicated to him. figure 4 baybee.
 







Crusher: "I got a tousand stitches, I lost a gallon of blood..."
 



There are some great old AWA stories and Wally Karbo is a central figure in many of them. Wally Karbo was actually Verne's business partner, not really a "promoter", and he lived in the old Dyckman Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis, where the AWA offices also were for years. Verne was a allegedly a very crafty businessman from the Verne perspective, so being his partner could be somewhat challenging, when it came to the financial side. Wally's act as the promoter was very well done, though.

In the in 60's and early '70s AWA one hour "All Star Wrestling" show was taped in the Calhoun Beach Club.

http://hclib.tumblr.com/post/86331235276/the-hotel-dyckman-1909-1979-the-hotel-dyckman-was
 

I once saw Verne wrestle an old pro named Jack Pesek from Lincoln, NE at the summer fest in Harmony, MN. The ring was set up over the pitchers mound on the baseball field. Naturally Verne won, as the sleeper hold did it.

After wrestling was done we did the normal carnival things.
 

There are so many wrestlers who got their start with Verne. He seemed to bring on the Baby Faces, and brought in the heels from outside. My favorite outsider was Dr. X. Dick Beyer was The Destroyer on the West Coast, and brought Dr. X to the AWA. He used the figure 4. The production from the Calhoun Beach Club was classic. There will be fines and suspensions, yet on Saturday at the Old Saint Paul Civic Center it was settled, or not. And Verne did it all. Thanks Verne, RIP.
 


Last time I saw Verne he was piloting his boat on 'Tonka some 25 years ago
 

His life took such a sad turn at the end...you wonder if it was concussions. So many athletes end up down the same road. RIP Verne, you were a classic.
 

Sunday morning wrestling after church and a stop at Dunkin' donuts.

I remember my old man taking me to the civic center to see jerry fatwell.
 


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