• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

"Tough" Tony Borne, Celebrated Professional Wrestler, Dies At 84

Posted: Sep 1st 2010 By: CMBurnham

"Tough" Tony Borne, one of the Northwest's premier professional wrestlers in the mid-20th century, known for his growly voice and in-ring banter, died Friday of heart complications at his home near Milwaukie. He was 84.

His family plans a public memorial at a future date at the Milwaukie Elks Lodge.

Though Borne became a mainstay in Portland's professional wrestling community, he was not a native. Born Anthony Osborne in Columbus, Ohio, he began his professional wrestling career in the mid-1950s, a time before national professional wrestling had taken hold.

Borne wrestled in high school in Columbus and went on to compete for the U.S. Navy before earning 19 Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles, 10 with Lonnie "Moondog" Mayne.

Borne's son Matt followed his father in professional wrestling career, notably as the World Wrestling Federation's boisterous Doink the Clown. "We couldn't go anywhere without people recognizing Dad," Matt Borne said.

"Tough" Tony Borne was a local hero in the Northwest's professional wrestling circuit. He died on Aug. 27 at his home near Milwaukie.

Tony Borne's lively performance was known to outstrip his 5-foot-9, 220-pound size, slight measurements compared with his wrestling colleagues. He also had a signature bristly beard, which he would shake in the eyes of his opponents.

"He was really larger than life," said Mike Rodgers, who has published the Troutdale-based Ring Around the Northwest newsletter for 27 years. "When you watched him, you wouldn't dwell on his size. He could stand up to anyone fine."

Rodgers said Borne consistently drew large crowds in Portland, but his biggest showing was in Mexico, where he performed in front of more than 25,000.

Borne entered real estate after his wrestling career came to a close in the 1970s. At 59, after years of hiatus, he wrestled his last match with Matt in Texas. He eventually launched his own company, Tony Borne Realty, and retired in 1994.

Matt said the Borne legacy will always bear "Tough" Tony's name.

"He would give me that grin and tell me I had to believe in myself," Matt Borne said. "But those were some big shoes to fill."

Tags: Tony Borne, Matt Borne, WWF, Doink the Clown