Nickname(s): Dynamite
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 220 lbs
From: Perry, OK
Birthday: May 13
Pro Debut: October 7, 1959
Aliases: Dan Hodge
Feds worked for: NWA,
TSW,
AACW, Japan Wrestling Association (Japan), TWWA, Mid-States Wrestling (AR/KS/MO), Mid-South Wrestling (AR)
Finisher: Oklahoma Roll
Signature Moves: Hodge Headlock, Abdominal Stretch, KO Punch
Career Highlights: -JWA International Tag Team Champion
-Nebraska Tag Team Champion (w/ Reggie Parks)
-NWA International Tag Team Champion(w/ Wilbur Snyder)
-NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion (w/ Shag Thomas)
-NWA Southern Tag Team Champion (w/ Mario Milano)
-NWA (Mid-America) United States Tag Team Champion (w/
Lester Welch)
-NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion (8x)
-TSW North American Champion (3x)
-TSW United States Tag Team Champion (6x; 3x w/
Skandar Akbar, 1 each w/
Lorenzo Parente,
Luke Brown and
Jay Clayton)
-TWWA Champion
-USA Tag Team Champion (3x; all w/ Skandar Akbar)
Affiliates: Roy Welch, Jay Clayton, Shag Thomas, Wilbur Snyder, Skandar Akbar,
Dale Lewis,
Slam Shady
Notable Feuds: Tarzan Baxter, Soldat Gorky, Haru Sasaki, Duke Keomuka, Skandar Akbar,
Buck Robley,
Angelo Savoldi,
Hiro Matsuda,
Sputnik Monroe,
Chuck Karbo, Karl Von Steiger, Mr. Ito, Lorenzo Parente, El Medico, Roger Kirby,
Dr. X
Official Website: www.officialdannyhodge.com
Other Facts: -Began training for fighting because he felt he never fit in anywhere after his home burned down when he was 12. His mom was severely injured in that accident and required 52 blood transfusions and countless skin grafts.
-Was all state junior high school wrestling champion
-Was state champion in wrestling for Perry High School in 1951.
-Graduated from Perry High School
-Wrestled collegiately for the University of Oklahoma
-4 time National AAU Champion
-Was National AAU Champion for 174 lbs. from 1954-55
-Was National Intercollegiate Champion for 174 lbs. for 1955, 1956, and 1957.
-Boasts a Collegiate Record of 46 wins & 0 losses. He made 24 consecutve pins in his college career.
-Won 3 consecutive Big Seven (now Big 8) Championships, pinning all opponents, with an average mat time of 1:33.
-Competed in freestyle wrestling in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, placing 5th due to a botched referee's call.
-Was National AAU Greco-Roman Champion for 191 lbs. for 1956
-Outstanding Wrestler National AAU in 1956 in both free-style and Greco-Roman Divisions. He pinned all his opponents.
-Won Silver Medal for U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman Wrestling in 1956.
-Won NCAA Championship 3 times
-Was also a Golden Gloves compiling an 8-2 record
-The
Danny Hodge Trophy named after him is virtually the wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
-Trained for pro wrestling by
Ed Lewis
-Defeated Sasha the Great in his pro debut.
-Only man to hold National Championships in Boxing and Wrestling at the same time.
-The first pro wrestler to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
-Has appeared in 3 movies, "The Wrestler" in 1974, "The Wrestling Queen" in 1975, and "One More Shot" in 1996"
-Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1976
-Career ended on March 17, 1976 following a car accident that broke his neck and nearly took his life
-Inducted into the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame in 2000
-Was named one of the 15 greatest college wrestlers of all-time in March 2005
-Chairman of the Oklahoma Boxing
Commission
-On March 29, 2005, Danny Hodge was honored by Oklahoma state lawmakers as an 'Oklahoma Sports Hero'
-Former commissioner of Mid-States Wrestling
-Even at his current advanced age, he still possesses incredible strength, capable of crushing apples with his bare hands. This strength came by pulling double sheets of newspaper into a ball with his fingers, reversing then repeating all day and night Monday through Friday.
-When CB radios were popular, Hodge used the handle "Ringmaster" on the long trips between shows and entertained truckers with his stories.
-Was honored on September 30, 2006 in Paris, AR where the city made it "Danny Hodge Day" to celebrate his life
-Member of Helms Wrestling Hall of Fame
-Charter member of Wrestling Hall of Fame, in Stillwater, OK
-Charter member of Oklahoma Hall of Fame
-Member of Professional Hall of Fame
-Member of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (only wrestler to hold this honor)
