Thursday, April 25, 2024
It wasn’t exactly wine and roses, but Dan Coates Jr. promised his bride-to-be a fi ne time.
The circa-1960 outing was to Fort Worth’s historic North Side Coliseum and professional wrestling – or “rasslin’” to native Texans.
Dan’s father, Dan Coates Sr., was the ringside announcer.
The young couple had just found their seats when a riled woman fan hurled a metal folding chair into the ring.
One of the wrestlers picked up the chair and threw back into the audience.
It didn’t miss Judy’s head by much.
That was the end of her wrestling days. She laughed it off and, yes, she married Dan.
The wrestling provided some wild evenings, and fans enjoyed the ride – whether screaming ringside or at the flickering black and white TV screen at home on late Saturday nights.
Professional wrestling ended at North Side Coliseum in 1978 before moving to Will Rogers Coliseum, another venerable Fort Worth facility.
Three years ago the University of Texas at Arlington presented a photography exhibit that showcased early 1980s wrestling at Will Rogers.
The exhibit proclaimed:
“By day they are factory workers, retail clerks, stay-at-home mothers, and students. But once a week, enveloped in a funk of cigarettes, spilled beer, and french fries, they become a crush of thousands screaming for blood and cheering for Texas and the American Way. It’s Monday night in Fort Worth and this is World Class Championship Wrestling.”
I never watched wrestling at Will Rogers. I never made it to North Side Coliseum either.
But in the 1960s the pubescent boys on Granbury’s Doyle Springs Road – of which I was an offi cial member – worshipped Saturday Night Wrestling on TV.
We huddled in the designated living room or den of the week, munching on Lay’s Potato Chips and Fritos bean dip, slurping Dr Pepper and rooting for the good guys – Fritz Von Erich, “Chief ” Wahoo McDaniel, Andre the Giant.
And we hissed at the bad guys – Gary Hart and the Playboys, Spoiler No. 1, Spoiler No. 2, “Bulldog” Danny Plechas, “Wild Bull” Curry, Killer Karl Kox.
We erupted in delight when Fritz started applying his famous “Iron Claw” to the forehead of his soon-to-be conquered opponent.
Susan Meyer Austin
“My grandfather watched it with me screaming in the background – this is fake!”
Bonnie Branham Espin
“My parents watched wrestling every Saturday night, then roller derby. I remember Fritz Von Eric and Killer Karl Kox were always fighting. We replaced a few of my dad’s recliners because he would get so fired up. Killer Karl Kox was the bad guy.”
Michael Moore
“10 minutes ...10 minutes. I can hear it just like it was now. We used to go to the Coliseum. You knew you were close when you smelled it ... the stockyards.”
Tony Sledge
“Several years ago I ran across a DVD called: ‘ Heroes of World Class Wrestling’. It’s a documentary hosted by Kevin Von Erich. It is a really well done story of the all the Von Erichs.”
Jennifer Pilcher Roy
“My dad used to take me to fi llings at Will Rogers on Monday nights that would be aired the following Saturday night. Abdullah the Butcher was the one I feared the most. Loved Kevin Von Erich. I remember going to matches here at Pirate Stadium and in the Li-pan Gym when they had traveling shows.”
Nadine Green
“My Uncle Leck Davis would nearly get in fi ghts. He’d get so mad yet he was one of the most gentle persons you would ever want to know.”
Hood County News Publisher Jerry Tidwell was a lad in far West Texas when he watched wrestling on TV. It was always on Sundays aft er church, and Tidwell thought it was comical to see similar actions on different channels in the same time slot. Fritz’s “Iron Claw” was on one channel and televangelist Oral Roberts’ healing hold on another.
DEDICATED FANS
Some pro wrestling followers were more dedicated than others. And some were firm believers that wrestling was the real deal.
Nadine Green said her father’s anger would rise to the level where he threatened to shoot the bad guys.
“You didn’t dare tell him the blood wasn’t real,” Green said.
Jacquie Barton Holder said her granny never missed Saturday Night Wrestling on Channel 11.
“She sat on the edge of her chair throwing punches with them!” Holder said.
Gwen Sledge Coker said, “We would watch it at Grandma Sledge’s. She thought it was real also! Th ey would start wrestling and she would say, ‘My God Cal, he is going to kill him.’”
B.J. Wallis ran a gas station and grill on Highway 377 back in the day.
In 1972, he said, big and hungry Thunderbolt Patterson pulled up to the station, ducked under the door and ordered six cheeseburgers all the way and three fries.
“I knew who he was when he came in, and we talked for about 1 1/2 hours. It was great!” Wallis said.
Gary Best has clear memories of the wrestling.
“Watched it every Saturday night,” he said. “The wrestler named Th e Brut had a PhD from some college in the East. Went one Monday night with the men of the family and stopped at a restaurant on West Camp Bowie and Dan Coates (the announcer) was there eating. We tried to talk to him as he left but he wouldn’t talk. Met him years later and he said he wasn’t allowed to talk about the show in public. He was a great announcer.”
David Jones remembers an “old lady” on the front row always blowing her whistle.
Tony Sledge remembers the woman.
“We would sit behind her sometimes,” Sledge said. “I liked to sit over there because I could see myself on TV Saturday night (the wrestling was on tape from Monday night).”
Sledge, by the way, said his grandmother used to date Killer Karl Kox.
Another female fan would shake a rubber chicken during the heated matches.
Others remember Ivan Putski and Duke Keomuka.
Granbury drew the popular Von Erichs once upon a time. Th e crowds were large. Cheryl Dennis Campbell she said still has Fritz’s autograph.
Douglas Lewis remembers the guys wrestling in Granbury. “Almost killed each other and drove back to Fort Worth in the same station wagon,” he said.
Barry Hodges also has clear memories of the wrestling.
“When I was growing up, if I was in Comanche visiting Mom’s folks (“Big Daddy” and “Granny”), without fail they would watch Saturday night wrestling (probably a bit of a miracle they could get decent reception). Always popped a big batch of popcorn and everyone got a bottle of Coke each. Granny could really get into yelling at the bad guys and cheering for her faves. Such memories!”
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Marsha Moore McRimmon
“We went to North Side Coliseum most Monday nights in the early ’70s, before kids.”
Jim Backus
“The Von Erichs were unlike the national syndicated wrestling shows today because they were our local heroes. Though most of us never had the opportunity to speak to them in person, it was if they were a part of our family.”
Jake Caraway
“Watched with Aunt May and Uncle Lin Linthicum. The kids had to be quiet because that was serious stuff .”
Monty Seymour
“Th e Iron Claw and the Tomahawk Chop.”
Scott Umphress
“ Chief Wahoo McDaniel had the tomahawk chop. Was the one that wore cowboy boots.”
Cheryl Gray Cooper
“I really liked Fritz Von Erich and his boys. I had a friend that knew them personally. We went backstage and I got to hang with them many times.”
Jimmy Bramlett
“Dad and mom, me and brother would go over to Mr. Kelley’s on Saturday night. We didn’t have a TV. It was serious stuff to Dad.”
Donna Jackson Hobbs
“My youngest sister LeJean Jackson Vallone was a huge wrestling fan and became friends with the Von Erichs when they came to Granbury.”
