Hodge submitted to Don “The Spoiler” Jardine’s claw hold one night in Shreveport, and ringside attendants carried him to the dressing room. Photo by Joyce PaustianĪnd here’s one from Jim Ross, who was awed as a young ref in early-‘70s Oklahoma to be on the road with his idol. Jerry Brisco learns not to shake the hand of Danny Hodge in 2014 at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame induction ceremony (it’s the posthumous induction plaque for Wilbur Snyder). I always wondered, ‘Why in the heck is that bear screaming so loud? That’s Danny Hodge up there, I know, but man, that’s a five hundred pound bear!’ Little did I know that fifteen years later when I was in the ring with him, I’d know why the bear was screaming.” Hodge’s opponent that night was Victor, the wrestling bear. Jerry Brisco’s story is as a kid in Oklahoma, where he snuck into a gym and crawled through the rafters for a chance to see his hero. People don’t realize how strong that guy is.” The only reason I got my hand out was because he loosened it up. He clamped down on my hand and at that time I was pretty stout and I picked him three feet up off the ground and he never flinched. “He said, ‘I want you to pick me up.’ This is without crossing his legs, just the muscles in his legs. The Cauliflower Alley Club presented him with its Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and the Lou Thesz Award in 2007.īut to get to know Danny Hodge, it’s best to listen to those who knew him on the road―because everyone has a Danny Hodge story.ĭuke Myers’ tale is set on a stage in Shreveport, Louisiana, where, at the champ’s request, he put his open, flat hand between Hodge’s legs. As a pro, he’s in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, the newly-announced International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and in both wings of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, for his amateur and his pro work, plus countless other halls of fame.There is a statue in his honor in Perry, Oklahoma, unveiled in 2016.The Dan Hodge Trophy is presented to the NCAA’s best college wrestler each year.He competed in both the 19 Olympic Games, and won a silver medal in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia.He is only amateur wrestler to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.He won the Big Seven title three times, and the NCAA title three times at 177 pounds. After graduating Perry High School in Perry, Oklahoma, where he had been state champion in 1951, he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, where he went 46-0, never even taken off his feet.It is pretty easy to list Hodge’s accomplishments: His long-time friend, Jerry Brisco, simply wrote “My HERO RIPDAN” on Twitter. The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, Texas, noted Hodge’s passing. He was 88.įor the last number of years, Hodge had suffered from dementia, and had not been out in public much. Danny Hodge, perhaps the greatest amateur wrestler in the history of the United States, and a long-time professional wrestler, has died.
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