Tampa Wrestling Results

*The Tuesday, February 19, 1935 edition of the Tampa Tribune reported that the
Benjamin Field boxing and wrestling commission “yesterday” concluded that they’d
appoint two judges and a referee to “hand down decisions in each future wrestlin match
at Benjamin Field that is not decided by a fall before expiration of the time limit.” Also, the
“commission, and not promoter Downing, will do the future hiring and firing of both
referees and judges.” Col. Homer W. Hesterly was chairman of the Benjamin Field boxing
and wrestling commission, and commandant of the 116th Field Artillery, which owned the
Benjamin Field arena.

Eustis, Florida: Thursday, February 21, 1935
(Eustis Elks Lodge) … Jimmie Morris vs. Bob Savage (2/3) … Tony Marconi vs. Young
Stecher … Joe Cook vs. Gus Pappas … (benefit for the Harry-Anna crippled children’s
home)
Note: Cook was a “wrestling policeman from Providence.” Savage was from Kentucky.

Tampa, Florida: Friday, February 22, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Babe Caddock b. Jack McArthur (20:06) (Caddock used a “Japanese
toehold”) … Louis LaChene b. Dobie Osborne (dec., 30:00) (judges picked LaChene,
while the referee picked Osborne) … Jack Rogers b. Al Maynard (Maynard was a
substitute for Bob Savage (Robert Chesterfield Montmorency Savage) (15:45) … Oscar
“Swede” Holmberg b. Tiny Roebuck (judge’s decision) … Nick Condos b. Dick Stahl (1:
40) … (promoter: James R. Downing) … (referee: Charlie Burgett) … (judges: Pop
Jones, Chris Sulzer) … (3,000 fans)
Note: Caddock was said to be the former Florida champion.

Tampa, Florida: Friday, March 1, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Babe Caddock b. Robert Savage (22:07) … Swede Holmberg b.
Dobie Osborne (15:04) … Nick Condos b. Joe Lindsay (18:23) … Al Maynard b. Tony
Marconi (17:25) … Louis LaChene b. Preacher Hogue (DQ) (16:20) … (promoter: Jim
Downing) … (referees: Red McEwen, Jess O’Brien) … (3,500 fans)

*On March 1, 1935, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended Jim Londos,
keeping in accordance with the California commission. Londos missed a match in Los
Angeles on Wednesday.

Tampa, Florida: Friday, March 8, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Swede Holmberg b. Nick Condos (DQ) (fans chased Condos, the
heel, from the arena) … Dobie Osborne b. Babe Caddock (5:06) (Caddock’s first loss at
Benjamin Field “since he lost the Florida hippo title here last summer”) … Preacher
Hogue b. Jack Rogers (16:07) … Al Maynard b. Joe Cook (14:00) … Captain Rex Smith
b. Alex Hedlund (18:15) … (promoter: Jim Downing) … (referee: Jess O’Brien) … (3,000
fans)
Notes: John Grandovich was the Florida champion and expected to return to the state
from New England. Caddock was a former Florida titleholder.

Tampa, Florida: Monday, March 11, 1935
(Lowry Park Transient Camp) … Frank LaMarque vs. Frank Stahl (2/3) … three boxing
matches

*On Monday, March 11, 1935, the Benjamin Field Boxing and Wrestling Commission, in
efforts to continue to rein in the wild antics of professional wrestling, drafted additional
regulations to control the industry at their venue. For their “poor showing” on Friday,
both Alex Hedlun and Rex Smith were indefinitely suspended, however, no action was
taken against Nick Condos – the man who caused the most havoc on that particular
program. Veteran referee Jess O’Brien was fired, and the commission replaced him with
Fred Hammer. Hammer was reportedly a Big Ten wrestling champion representing the
University of Wisconsin.

Tampa, Florida: Friday, March 15, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Dobie Osborne b. Oscar Holmberg (48:05) … Preacher Hogue b.
Nick Condos (dec., 30:00) … Ed Miske b. Al Maynard (14:53) … Gus Pappas b. Billy
Lutze (4:55) … Jack Rogers b. Joe Cook (13:57) … (promoter: Jim Downing) …
(referee: Tony Marconi)
Notes: Ed “Miske” was from Ohio State University. His last name is more often spelled
“Meske.” Downing was going to move his weekly wrestling to Monday nights.

Tampa, Florida: Monday, March 18, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Gus Pappas b. Nick Condos (Condos punched the referee and the
commission split his purse) … Ed Meske b. Jack Rogers (4:22) … Dobie Osborne b. Al
Maynard (12:35) … Stanley Sitowski b. Louis LaChene (16:33) … Preacher Hogue b.
Tom Mahoney (18:30) … (promoter: Jim Downing) … (referee: Frank Hammer) …
(3,500 fans)
Note: Pappas was reportedly 50 years old, and called “Grandpap” by the local paper.

Tampa, Florida: Monday, March 18, 1935
(Lowry Park Transient Camp) … Frank LaMarque b. Dick Stahl (33:15) … several boxing
matches

Tampa, Florida: Tuesday, March 19, 1935
(Seminole Heights Arena) … Pete Baltran and Fred Hammer drew (30:00) … several
boxing matches … (sponsored by the American Legion, Seminole Post)

Notes: Did not search between March 21 and April 21, 1935

Tampa, Florida: Monday, April 22, 1935
(Benjamin Field) … Jack Sherry b. Tom Draak (30:00) …Florida Heavyweight Champion
John Grandovich and Ghafoor Kahn drew (30:00) … Tom Mahoney b. Jack Rogers (DQ)
(23:40) … Babe Caddock b. Nick Condos (dec., 30:00) … (referees: Fred Hammer, Jess
O’Brien) … (3,500 fans)

*Jim Downing’s company Downing Sports Syndicate, Inc. went bankrupt and fell into
hands of the receiver, Joseph P. Lieb. Lieb hired a matchmaker named Charlie Leiman
of Texas and planned to put on his own shows at the Benjamin Field arena. However,
Col. Homer Hesterly vetoed Lieb’s attempt to promote at his facility, and remained
affiliated to Downing’s outfit. Proactive in arranging a circuit, Lieb went to Miami to
coordinate things there. An injunction prevented Downing from promoting matches in
Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Bradenton, Daytona Beach,
Jacksonville, and Arcadia.

*It was clear that there was a new wrestling war on the horizon. Lieb immediately brought
wrestlers Dobie Osborne and Rudy Strongberg over to his operations.

*Additionally, there was talk of a group of North Carolina promoters trying to muscle into
the Florida territory, and speculation that Lieb was connected to their syndicate.

*Despite Hesterly’s public announcement against Lieb using the Benjamin Field arena, a
judge issued a court order on April 27, 1935 allowing him to present a wrestling program
there. Hesterly planned for their own show at the venue for Friday, utilizing a different set
of grapplers.

Tampa, Florida: Monday, April 29, 1935
(Benjamin Field Arena) … Don Nolan b. Johnny Plummer (2/3) … Dobie Osborne and
Rudy Strongberg drew (30:00) … Herman Hickman b. Oscar Holmberg (11:30) … Gus
Pappas b. John Allen (9:42) … (promoter: Joseph P. Lieb) … (500 fans)
Notes: The Tampa Tribune (5/1/1935) said that “last Monday night’s hippo show at
Benjamin field marked the first time in history that Uncle Sam has promoted wrestling. Mr.
Leib, the matchmaker, was appointed by and acted as the agent of the bankrupt court, a
federal institution.” Lieb was the brother of Tom Lieb, a member of the football coaching
staff at Notre Dame.

*On Thursday, March 2, 1935, it was decided that the receivers of the Downing Sports
Syndicate would no longer have access to the Benjamin Field arena, and that the 116th
F.A. would be the only operators for wrestling there. A trustee for the creditors of the
Downing Sports Syndicate, Horace Rutherford named Downing his matchmaker, and
worked a deal with Hesterly to promote at the arena until the next hearing on May 13.

Tampa, Florida: Friday, May 3, 1935
(Benjamin Field Arena) … Florida State Heavyweight Champion John Grandovich b. Tom
Draak (23:12) … Babe Caddock and Ivan Mikaloff drew (60:00) … The Red Mask b. Jack
Rogers (8:22) … Ghafoor Kahn b. Joe Lindsey (12:18) … Louis Rosetti b. Fred Hammer
(8:00) … (matchmaker: Jim Downing) … (referee: Tom Mahoney) … (sponsored by:
116th Field Artillery) … (2,500 fans)
Note: Col. Homer Hesterly initially appointed Major T. Byrd Sparkman matchmaker, then
changed to Downing after the March 2 decision.

Research by Tim Hornbaker
November 3, 2010

Tampa Wrestling Results - 1935