James Allen Crockett Sr. (June 2, 1909 – April 1, 1973) was a
professional wrestling
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 ...
promoter and professional sports franchise owner sometimes known as Jim Crockett Sr., or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim".
Early life
Crockett was born on June 2, 1909 in
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...
, to Charles Sampson Crockett (1878-1960) and Josie E. (Berry) Crockett. As a youth, he became a fan of pro wrestling, which had thrived during the 1920s with such grapplers as
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 ...
and
Joe Stecher dominating the scene.
Career
Professional wrestling
In the early 1930s, a dispute arose over the bookings of new wrestling sensation
Jim Londos, so
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
promoter
Jack Curley negotiated an alliance between various regional managers that enabled Londos to travel the country as champion while allowing the promoters to share profits evenly across the regions. As a result of this arrangement, new wrestling "territories" emerged across the
U.S., and in 1935, a 25-year-old Crockett, who had also served as a concert promoter while also owning a theater and a restaurant, decided to set up a permanent wrestling shop based in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...
. The organization, known as
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...
, scheduled wrestling events in both Carolinas, as well as in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, under the banner of Eastern States Championship Wrestling. Over the next decade, ESCW featured some of the top wrestling stars of the day. Then in 1948, wrestling's top promoters gathered in
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...
to form the industry's first true governing body, known as the
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...
. As the dominant force representing the Carolina region, Jim Crockett Promotions soon became an important member of the NWA, with Crockett serving as a chief lieutenant under longtime NWA President and leading St. Louis promoter
Sam Muchnick
Samuel Muchnick (born Jeshua Muchnick, August 22, 1905 – December 30, 1998) was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often regarded as wrestling's equivalent of Pete Rozelle (the forward-thinking commission ...
. Over the next 25 years, Crockett's Carolina territory reigned among the most successful regions in the NWA, as he regularly sold out the 16,000-seat
Greensboro Coliseum
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex, commonly referred to as Greensboro Coliseum (the first and biggest building on the site), is an entertainment and sports complex located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, the complex holds eight ven ...
featuring such stars as
Johnny Weaver, Rip Hawk, Swede Hanson, and
Gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
&
Ole Anderson on his Championship Wrestling program.
Ice hockey and baseball
The championship trophy of the
Southern Hockey League was named the
James Crockett Cup.
In 1976, the Crockett family purchased the
Asheville Orioles
The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina.
Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...
and renamed them the
Charlotte Orioles. They also saved the historic
Calvin Griffith Park from being torn down and restored it to preserve its history. It was renamed Jim Crockett Memorial Park, and then DBA "Crockett Park" in 1977. The stadium was set on fire in 1984, three weeks before baseball was set to open.
Personal life and death
He was married to Elizabeth Jackson Eversole Crockett, with whom he had four children:
James Allen Crockett, Jr.,
David Finley Crockett, Charles J. "Jackie" Crockett, and Frances Earl Crockett.
By the early 1970s, an ailing Crockett was forced to retire, as his son-in-law John Rigley had begun to take over many of the territory's responsibilities. Crockett died on April 1, 1973, and control of the company was then ceded to his son, 28-year-old
Jim Crockett, Jr.
James Allen Crockett Jr. (August 10, 1944 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional wrestling promoter. From 1973 to 1989, he was part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Allian ...
, who took over the promotion and ultimately renamed it "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling." Jim Crockett Promotions would eventually hold a tag team tournament from 1986 through 1988 in honor of him called the
Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (also known simply as the Crockett Cup) is a professional wrestling event produced every April by the professional wrestling promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event features a ...
. He was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2015.
Legacy
The Crockett Foundation
Established in 1931, the Crockett Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks to financially assist US military veterans who have returned home from service. The organization is named after Jim Crockett Sr. and maintains a strong association to professional wrestling and baseball. Various figures from the pro wrestling industry have endorsed Crockett Foundation.
Awards and accomplishments
*
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 2015
*
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
:*
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 2019)
Notes
References
*Tim Hornbaker (2007). ''National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling''. ECW Press. , .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crockett, Jim
1909 births
1973 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
Businesspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina
Jim Crockett Promotions
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
Professional wrestling promoters
Southern Hockey League (1973–1977)