Earl Caddock (February 27, 1888 – August 25, 1950) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" (a nickname used many times since), Caddock was one of professional wrestling's biggest stars between the years of 1915 and 1922.

Early life

Earl Caddock was born February 27, 1888 in

Huron, South Dakota Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The ci ...

to parents of

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

heritage. His family name may have been "Caddach," "Craddock," or "Caddack," but he used the spelling "Caddock" exclusively throughout his wrestling career. As a child, he was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and the family moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

where he could be treated. Swimming was recommended as part of this treatment and he was given a membership in the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

to facilitate this. During his time at the YMCA young Earl Caddock was exposed to

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. After his father was killed in a bizarre accident in which he fell down a

manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, m ...

, Earl Caddock moved to his uncle's farm in

Anita, Iowa Anita is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States, platted in 1869 and incorporated in 1875. The population was 963 at the 2020 census. Lake Anita State Park is located just outside the town. History A violent F5 tornado occurred just east o ...

. He continued to wrestle and won many local championships.

Amateur career

In 1907 Earl Caddock returned to Chicago to enter college. There he received further training from Benny Reubin and joined the Chicago Athletic Association. It was around this time that he met Charlie Cutler and Ernest Kartje, two professional wrestlers. From 1914 to 1915, Earl Caddock won the AAU Lightheavyweight Championship twice, and the AAU Heavyweight Championship once.

Professional career

Through Cutler and Kartje, Caddock was introduced to

Frank Gotch Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1877 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler. Gotch was the first American professional wrestler to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and he is credited for popularizing professi ...

and

Martin 'Farmer' Burns Martin Burns (February 15, 1861 – January 8, 1937), nicknamed Farmer Burns, was an American catch wrestler, wrestling coach, and teacher. Born in Cedar County, Iowa, he started wrestling as a teenager and made money traveling around the Midw ...

who began to train him for Professional wrestling. On June 8, 1915 Earl Caddock made his professional debut in a match against Jesse Westergaard. His popularity grew and on April 19, 1917 he defeated

Joe Stecher Joe Stecher (April 4, 1893 – March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was an American professional wrestler and three-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Known for his ferocity, tremendous leg strength and extensive knowledge o ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

In December 1917 a tournament was held with the winner to be declared World Heavyweight Champion. Caddock walked out of this tournament over promoter

Jack Curley Jack Curley (July 4, 1876 - July 12, 1937), born Jacques Armand Schuel, was a sports promoter of the early 1900s. He managed several high-profile boxing events around the turn-of-the-century and he also established professional wrestling as a vi ...

's refusal to bill him as World Heavyweight Champion.

Wladek Zbyszko Władysław Cyganiewicz (November 20, 1891 – June 10, 1968), better known by the ring name Władek Zbyszko (), was a Polish catch wrestler, professional wrestler and strongman. "Zbyszko" was his older brother Stanislaus's childhood nickname, ...

won the tournament and was declared the new World Heavyweight Champion. The appetite for a match between Caddock and Zbyszko was fierce and on February 8, 1918 it happened. The result was predictable with Caddock once again becoming World Heavyweight Champion. In August of that year his wrestling career was temporarily put on hold for his service in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Caddock was discharged from the Army on June 1, 1919 and he returned to his career in wrestling. The World Heavyweight Championship had changed hands a few times while he was at war and was once again held by Joe Stecher. A match between the two was immediately set. On January 30, 1920 fans packed

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

to see Stecher defeat Caddock. This match was filmed by pioneer cinematographer

Freeman Harrison Owens Freeman Harrison Owens (July 20, 1890 – December 9, 1979) was an early American filmmaker and aerial photographer. Biography was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the only child of Charles H. Owens and Christabel Harrison. He attended Pine Blu ...

, and is currently the oldest surviving filming of a professional wrestling match. Caddock's career continued successfully for the next few years but he wouldn't be in another World Title match until 1921. In January of that year Caddock faced

Ed "Strangler" Lewis Robert Herman Julius Friedrich (June 30, 1891 – August 8, 1966), better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler and trainer. During his wrestling career, which spanned four decades, Lewis was a four-ti ...

for the championship. Caddock's loss to Lewis in this match resulted in a near riot. Another title match in November against

Stanislaus Zbyszko 'Jan Stanisław Cyganiewicz'' (April 1, 1879 – September 23, 1967), better known by his ring name, Stanislaus Zbyszko, was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler. He was a three-time World Heavyweight Champion at his highest profile in t ...

resulted in another failure to recapture the World Heavyweight Championship. Earl Caddock's final match took place on June 7, 1922. He lost his last bid to regain the World Heavyweight Title to Ed Lewis.

Retirement from pro wrestling

After he retired from wrestling Earl Caddock would continue to run his own business which he started while still wrestling. He ran a Ford agency selling cars, tractors and heavy machinery to farmers in

Walnut, Iowa Walnut is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 747 at the time of the 2020 census. Walnut is located on Interstate 80 and is famous for its many antique stores. In recent years Walnut has become a regional ce ...

. He would also go on to become President of the United Petroleum Corporation. Earl Caddock died in 1950 after major surgery for a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur Wrestling

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

**AAU Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **AAU Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Professional Wrestling

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is a List of professional wrestling halls of fame, professional wrestling hall of fame museum located within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum's National Wrestling Hall o ...

** Class of 2000 *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

** Class of 2007 *Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...

( Class of 2003) *Other Titles ** World Heavyweight Championship ''(Catch as Catch Can version)'' ( 1 time)

References

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Biography by wrestling historian Steve Yohe
# #

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caddock, Earl 1888 births 1950 deaths American male professional wrestlers People from Huron, South Dakota People from Pottawattamie County, Iowa Professional wrestlers from South Dakota Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum