Sam Avey
 |
|
| Born |
February 5, 1895 Kingfisher, Oklahoma, US |
|---|---|
| Died | August 9, 1962 (aged 67) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Debut | 1924 |
| Retired | 1960 |
Sam Avey (February 5, 1895 – August 9, 1962) was an American businessman and sports promoter. Best known as the wrestling promoter of little big men, he is also credited for helping to create the Tulsa wrestling territory later used by the National Wrestling Alliance.
Sam Avey was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma on February 5, 1895. Prior to wrestling, Avey was a merchant in the family grocery, located in Cherryvale, Kansas. While growing up in Cherryvale, the community’s most prominent sports celebrity was Billy Sandow. Sandow was the manager of Ed “Strangler” Lewis, and Sandow was the catalyst for Avey’s interest in professional wrestling.
After serving in World War I, Avey returned to Cherryvale and was recruited by Sandow to embark upon a wrestling career. He started in wrestling by travelling as a referee. In his early years in wrestling, it was not uncommon that Avey was misspelled Avery. Later on, Avey was brought to Tulsa to promote the matches of Ed “Strangler” Lewis.
At the time, Oklahoma was a breeding ground for potential wrestlers. One of the wrestlers who caught Avey’s eyes was Leroy McGuirk, a grappler from Oklahoma A&M. McGuirk would eventually become a junior heavyweight champion, and wrestlers from all over the country came to Oklahoma.
After McGuirk was injured in auto accident, Avey gave him points in the company and named him the matchmaker. In September 1950, both men were appointed to Executive Positions in the National Wrestling Alliance. McGuirk was appointed as Second Vice-President while Avey was named the Treasurer due to his banking background.
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Wikipedia