Earl Caddock
| Earl Caddock | |
|---|---|
Earl Caddock in 1920
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| Born |
27 February 1888 Huron, South Dakota |
| Died | 25 August 1950 (aged 62) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Earl Caddock |
| Trained by | Benny Reubin Frank Gotch Martin Burns |
| Debut | June 8, 1915 |
| Retired | June 7, 1922 |
Earl Caddock (February 27, 1888 – August 25, 1950) was an American professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" (a nickname used many times since), Caddock was one of professional wrestling's biggest stars between the years of 1915 and 1922.
Earl Caddock was born February 27, 1888 in Huron, South Dakota to parents of German Jewish heritage. His family name may have been "Caddach," "Craddock," or "Caddack," but he used the spelling "Caddock" exclusively throughout his wrestling career.
As a child he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the family moved to Chicago where he could be treated. Swimming was recommended as part of this treatment and he was given a membership in the local YMCA to facilitate this. During his time at the YMCA young Earl Caddock was exposed to wrestling. After his father was killed in a bizarre accident in which he fell down a manhole, Earl Caddock moved to his uncle's farm in Anita, Iowa. He continued to wrestle, and won many local championships.
In 1907 Earl Caddock returned to Chicago to enter college. There he received further training from Benny Reubin and joined the Chicago Athletic Association. It was around this time that he met Charlie Cutler and Ernest Kartje, two professional wrestlers. From 1914 to 1915, Earl Caddock won the AAU Lightheavyweight Championship twice, and the AAU Heavyweight Championship once.
Through Cutler and Kartje, Caddock was introduced to Frank Gotch and Martin 'Farmer' Burns who began to train him for Professional wrestling. On June 8, 1915 Earl Caddock made his professional debut in a match against Jesse Westergaard. His popularity grew and on April 19, 1917 he defeated Joe Stecher for the World Heavyweight Championship in Omaha, Nebraska.
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