Verne Gagne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Verne Gagne |
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Gagne in 1964 as AWA World Heavyweight Champion
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| Birth name | Laverne Clarence Gagne |
| Born | February 26, 1926 Corcoran, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 2015 (aged 89) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Children | 4, including Greg Gagne |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Verne Gagne |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Trained by | Joe Pazandak Tony Stecher |
| Debut | 1949 |
| Retired | 1981 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Navy United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Unit | Underwater Demolition Team |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| Representing the Minnesota Golden Gophers | ||
| NCAA Championships | ||
| Gold | 1948 Bethlehem | 191 lb |
| Gold | 1949 Fort Collins | Heavyweight |
| Bronze | 1947 Champaign | Heavyweight |
Verne Gagne (born Laverne Clarence Gagne on February 26, 1926 – died April 27, 2015) was an American athlete. He was famous as both an amateur and professional wrestler. He also played football. Later, he became a wrestling trainer and a wrestling promoter.
Gagne owned and ran the American Wrestling Association (AWA). This was a very popular wrestling company in the Midwest for many years. He stayed in charge until 1991, when the company closed. As an amateur wrestler, Gagne won two big college titles. He was also a backup for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in 1948. After that, he became a professional wrestler in 1949. Verne Gagne won 11 world championships in professional wrestling. He is one of only seven people to be in the WWE, WCW, and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame.
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Early Life and School
Verne Gagne was born in Corcoran, Minnesota. He grew up on a farm in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. When he was 14, his mother passed away, and he left home. He went to Robbinsdale High School. There, he won the state championship for high school wrestling in 1942 and 1943.
In 1943, the University of Minnesota asked him to play football. He played as a defensive end and tight end. He also kept wrestling. As a first-year student, Gagne won a wrestling title in 1944. This was after he served in the Marine Corps.
Amateur Wrestling Career
Gagne's sports career was paused when he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1943. He also served with the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team. After his military service, he returned to the University of Minnesota.
As an amateur wrestler, he won two NCAA titles. In 1948, he won his first NCAA championship in Pennsylvania. He beat Charles Gottfried in the 191-pound weight class. The next year, he moved up to the heavyweight class. He faced Dick Hutton, who was a two-time national champion. Their match ended in a 1–1 tie. Gagne won because he controlled Hutton for more time during the match.
He was also a backup for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team for the 1948 Olympic Games. He later said he might have wrestled in the Olympics. But his coaches found out he had earned money from a wrestling match at a carnival. This made his amateur status unclear.
Football Career
Verne Gagne joined the National Football League (NFL) after being chosen by the Chicago Bears. This happened in the 16th round of the 1947 NFL Draft.
His son, Greg Gagne, later shared a story. He said that the Bears owner, George Halas, made his father choose between football and wrestling. At that time, wrestling paid much better than football. So, Verne chose wrestling. By 1949, Gagne had signed with the Green Bay Packers. He played in three preseason games before leaving the team.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting Out in Wrestling (1949-1960)
In 1949, Gagne decided to become a professional wrestler. He started his career in Texas. In his first match, he beat Abe Kashey. Famous boxing champion Jack Dempsey was the referee. On November 13, 1950, Gagne won the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Junior Heavyweight title.
In 1953, Gagne was given the new NWA United States Championship in Chicago. Gagne became a very well-known wrestling star during the early days of television. He was on the Dumont Network, where he showed off his amazing wrestling skills. People said he was one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the 1950s. He reportedly earned a lot of money each year.
By early 1960, Gagne was very successful. He wrestled less often and started to focus on creating his own wrestling company.
Creating the AWA (1960-1991)
In 1960, Gagne started his own wrestling company. It was first called the American Wrestling Alliance, but later became the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Before this, the wrestling shows in Minneapolis were part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Gagne wanted to break away from the NWA. He announced that if the NWA World Champion, Pat O'Connor, didn't defend his title against Verne Gagne within 90 days, Gagne would become the recognized World Champion by default. There was no plan for this match to actually happen. After 90 days, the AWA was officially formed in August 1960. They announced that because Pat O'Connor didn't fight Gagne, the AWA recognized Gagne as its first AWA World Champion.
Gagne had many big rivalries in the AWA. Some of his famous opponents were Gene Kiniski, Dr. Bill Miller, Fritz Von Erich, The Crusher, and Nick Bockwinkel. Gagne always wrestled as a "good guy" (called a face). His special move was the sleeper hold. His longest time as champion was for seven years, from 1968 to 1975. He won the title again in 1980 and lost it in 1981.
After losing his last title in 1981, Gagne wrestled sometimes for the AWA until 1986. His very last match was a six-man tag team match. He teamed with his son Greg and Jimmy Snuka. They won against Boris Zhukov, John Nord, and Sheik Adnan Al-Kassie in June 1986.
As the head of the AWA, Gagne liked a traditional style of wrestling. He looked for wrestlers who had amateur wrestling backgrounds. He preferred them over bigger, more muscular wrestlers who were popular in the 1980s. This caused a problem with his biggest star, Hulk Hogan. Gagne didn't think Hogan, who was a power wrestler, was championship material.
However, Hogan was very popular. Gagne eventually agreed to make Hogan his champion. But Gagne wanted most of Hogan's earnings from merchandise and matches in Japan. Hogan refused this offer. In late 1983, Hogan decided to leave the AWA and return to the WWF (now WWE). Many other big stars also left different wrestling companies to join the WWF. The WWF wanted to become a national company, changing how wrestling had been organized for decades.
Unlike other promoters, Gagne started to promote the AWA outside its usual areas in the mid-1980s. In 1985, ESPN began showing AWA Championship Wrestling. This gave the AWA national exposure, like the WWF. However, the AWA faced many problems. ESPN didn't always show the AWA program at its regular time. This made it hard for fans to watch regularly. Gagne's ideas for wrestling shows were also more traditional than the WWF's. He believed that the best wrestlers should be skilled technicians, not just charismatic personalities.
Throughout the mid to late 1980s, the AWA lost most of its top stars to the WWF. Ratings and attendance at live shows kept going down. By 1991, the AWA closed after 30 years.
Wrestling Halls of Fame
In April 2006, Verne Gagne was put into the WWE Hall of Fame. His son, Greg Gagne, introduced him. He is one of only seven people to be in the WWE, WCW, and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame.
In 2018, he was also inducted into the Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Illness and Death
Verne Gagne was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This is a brain disease that affects memory. He lived in a special care facility in Bloomington, Minnesota. In his last years, he still made public appearances. His son, Greg, often helped him.
Verne Gagne passed away on April 27, 2015, in Bloomington. He was 89 years old.
Championships and Accomplishments
Amateur Wrestling
- Amateur Athletic Union
- Northwestern AAU Championship (1942)
- Big Ten Conference
- Big Ten Conference Championship (1944, 1947, 1948, 1949)
- Minnesota State High School League
- Minnesota State Championship (1943)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA Championship (1948, 1949)
- Olympic Games
- Member of 1948 United States Olympic Team
- Robbinsdale High School's Athletic Hall of Fame
- Inaugural Class (2013)
Professional Wrestling
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Lou Thesz Award (2006)
- Other honoree (1993)
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (2 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) – with Edouard Carpentier
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 1999
- International Pro Wrestling
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2023
- International Wrestling Association (Montreal)
- IWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club / American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship (10 times)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Moose Evans (1), The Crusher (1), Billy Robinson (1), and Mad Dog Vachon (1)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (4 times) – with Bronko Nagurski (1), Leo Nomellini (2), and Butch Levy (1)
- World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) (5 times)
- AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Tri-State
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Greatest 18 Club inductee
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Stanley Weston Award (1986)
- PWI ranked him No. 158 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Southwest Sports, Inc.
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder
- Tokyo Sports
- Match of the Year Award (1981) vs. Giant Baba on January 18
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1993)
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
See also
In Spanish: Verne Gagne para niños
