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George Tragos/Lou Thesz
Hall of Fame Inductions
Class of 1999

Wrestling history was made Saturday, April 24, 1999 when the first-ever inductions were held at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum.

Wrestling legends Frank Gotch, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne were inducted into the Museum on Saturday. Lou and Verne were presented plaques, and representatives from Gotch's hometown of Humboldt, Iowa, and Lewis' hometown of Kenoosa, Wisconsin, accepted plaques on behalf of their cities.

A total of seven former world wrestling champions attended the ceremonies. Besides Thesz and Gagne, Dan Hodge, Dick Hutton, Harley Race, Mad Dog Vachon, and Killer Kowalski attended. Both Hodge and Hutton are former three-time NCAA champions, as well as great professional champions.

All the above were all available for autographs after the ceremonies.

:: Rocky Marciano Tribute ::

Another special event took place at 2 p.m. when legendary world heavyweight boxing champion ROCKY MARCIANO was honored. Rocky retired in 1956 with a 49-0 record, and was killed in a plane crash near Newton in 1969. To honor Rocky's great career and life, a bronze plaque was unveiled at 2 p.m. Sculptor Nick Klepinger and Peter Marciano, Rocky's nephew, were on hand. Peter was a football standout at the University of Iowa in the 1980s.



 
“On the Mat” is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. The broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show.

“On the Mat” can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.
Click here for archived shows.
 
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