Luther Lindsay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Luther Lindsay |
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| Birth name | Luther Jacob Goodall |
| Born | December 30, 1924 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, 1972 (aged 47) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Myocardial infarction |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Luther Lindsay Luther Lindsey |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | c. 1951 |
Luther Jacob Goodall (born December 30, 1924 – died February 21, 1972) was an American athlete. He was a professional football player and a famous professional wrestler. He was known by his wrestling name Luther Lindsay or Lindsey.
Lindsay wrestled all over the United States with the National Wrestling Alliance. He also wrestled in other countries like Japan and Canada. He was one of the first African American wrestlers to become a big star. Fans loved him, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic areas.
He often wrestled with or against Shag Thomas. He also teamed up with other wrestling legends like Bearcat Wright and Nick Bockwinkel. Lindsay had exciting rivalries with wrestlers like "Iron" Mike DiBiase and Mad Dog Vachon.
For many years, Lindsay was called the U.S. Colored Heavyweight Champion. This was a special title for Black wrestlers because of the unfair segregation laws at the time. He took part in some of the first wrestling matches in the U.S. where Black and white wrestlers competed against each other. Between 1953 and 1956, he faced the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz many times. Even though most of these matches ended in a draw, Lindsay was the first African American to challenge for this top title. Lou Thesz greatly respected his wrestling skills.
Lindsay was known as one of the best submission wrestlers of his time. He even trained with Stu Hart in the famous "Hart Dungeon". Lindsay was one of the few wrestlers who could beat Stu Hart there. Hart respected Lindsay so much that he carried a picture of him until his own death. Many other wrestlers, like Lou Thesz, also held Lindsay in high regard.
Contents
Luther Lindsay's Wrestling Journey
Starting Out in Wrestling
Luther Goodall was born on a farm in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 30, 1924. He played college football for Norfolk State and Hampton Institute. He was also a wrestling champion in college. Even though he was a great athlete, unfair segregation laws stopped him from playing against white athletes.
He played professional football in Canada for two years. Then, around 1950 or 1951, he started wrestling professionally. He took his wife's last name, Lindsey, as his wrestling name.
Breaking Barriers in Wrestling
By 1953, Lindsay was known as the U.S. Colored Heavyweight Champion. Because of segregation laws, he could only travel and wrestle against other African American wrestlers at first. Shag Thomas was one of his most frequent opponents.
In the late 1950s, Lindsay made history in Kingsport, Tennessee. He was the first African American to wrestle in a match south of Washington, D.C.. He faced Ron Wright. People were worried about trouble, but the crowd surprisingly cheered for Lindsay. Because of his success, other African American wrestlers like Bearcat Wright also started wrestling in the area.
Success in the Pacific Northwest
In 1953, Lindsay began wrestling in Washington. He faced many different opponents. On July 31, he wrestled Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This was a very important match because it was the first time an African American challenged for this major title. The match ended in a draw, showing how skilled Lindsay was. They had several more matches that also ended in draws.
On October 10, Lindsay defeated Bronko Nagurski in a big match. The winner was supposed to get a chance to wrestle Lou Thesz. Lindsay also played in a charity football game called the "Muscle Bowl" with other wrestlers. This event raised money for local boys' clubs.
In January 1954, Lindsay won his first big title, the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship, with Bobby Burns in Honolulu. He continued to face Lou Thesz, often fighting to draws. Later that year, he and Jack Claybourne won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team titles in Toronto.
In 1955, Lindsay and George Dusette won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship. They later lost these titles but Lindsay continued to wrestle Lou Thesz, with their matches often ending in draws.
Wrestling in Texas
Later in 1955, Lindsay went to Texas. As segregation laws began to change, he took part in the state's first interracial wrestling match. He faced Duke Keomuka. This was a very important event. Lindsay also wrestled Lou Thesz again in Dallas, and it was another draw.
In 1956, Lindsay had more matches against Duke Keomuka. These matches were very exciting and sometimes controversial. He also teamed up with Pepper Gomez for the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship. Lindsay continued to challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, facing Lou Thesz and later Whipper Billy Watson.
Adventures in Other Promotions
In the late 1950s, Lindsay wrestled for different promoters. He faced wrestlers like Wally Greb and Wild Bill Austin. He also wrestled for Vince McMahon, Sr.'s Capitol Wrestling Corporation, where he faced Chris Tolos and Hard Boiled Haggerty.
In 1960, Lindsay joined Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling. He had a rivalry with Don Leo Jonathan. He also won the Stampede International Tag Team Championship with Oattem Fisher. He challenged Pat O'Connor for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship several times.
Lindsay later returned to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation and wrestled at Madison Square Garden.
Return to Portland and Japan
In 1961, Lindsay won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship and the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with different partners. He also traveled to Great Britain and won matches there.
In 1962, he toured Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling. He and Ricky Waldo won the All Asia Tag Team Championship. After losing the titles, he returned to the U.S. and faced "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He teamed up with his longtime rival Shag Thomas again, and they won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles multiple times between 1962 and 1964. Lindsay also won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title again.
In 1963, Lindsay was in a car accident, which caused him to miss some wrestling time. However, he and Shag Thomas continued to win the tag team titles.
Hawaii and More Tag Team Success
Lindsay also wrestled in Hawaii, where he won the NWA Hawaii United States Heavyweight Champion and the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship with Bearcat Wright. He was part of a big 18-man battle royal that was shown on the first episode of Big Time Wrestling in Hawaii.
He returned to the Pacific Northwest and teamed up with Pepper Martin. They won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles from Pat Patterson and The Hangman. They had many exciting matches against them.
In 1965, Lindsay faced NWA Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz again in Honolulu, resulting in another draw. He continued to win titles in Hawaii, including the NWA Hawaii United States Heavyweight Championship again.
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
In the mid-1960s, Lindsay joined Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory. A disagreement involving a racial slur led to a wrestling television show being cancelled, but Lindsay remained popular.
He continued to win titles, including the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title and the NWA Canadian Heavyweight title. He often teamed with Abe Jacobs and Dean Ho. He also continued to face Lou Thesz, with one match ending in a draw in 1968. Lindsay and Shag Thomas won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles again in 1969.
In 1970, Luther Lindsay faced the famous Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Gene and Ole Anderson). He also wrestled Dory Funk, Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1971.
Luther Lindsay's Final Match
On February 21, 1972, Luther Lindsay was wrestling Bobby Paul in Charlotte, North Carolina. After about ten minutes, Lindsay pinned his opponent to win the match. Sadly, he suffered a fatal heart attack right after making the pin and passed away on top of his opponent.
When Lindsay did not respond, he was taken to the dressing room where he was declared dead. His funeral was attended by many wrestlers who respected him greatly. In 2017, Luther Lindsay was honored and inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Legacy wing.
Championships and Accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bobby Bruns (1) and Bearcat Wright (1)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ricky Waldo
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2009
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jack Claybourne
- National Wrestling Alliance
- World Negro Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States Version) (1 time)
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (10 times) - with George Dussette (1), Bing Ki Lee (1), Herb Freeman (1), Shag Thomas (5) and Pepper Martin (2)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2017
- Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (1961) with Herb Freeman
- Stampede Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version) (1 time)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) - with Oattem Fisher
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) - with Ray Villmer
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
