The Most Famous Iowan You’ve Never Heard Of

The small town of Humboldt, Iowa is the birthplace of one of the most famous Iowans in history. Not only was he known, the world over, but he also was proud to call the Hawkeye State his home. However, these days, most Iowans don't even know his name.

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Who Was Frank Gotch?

Frank Gotch was born and raised on a small farm, just outside of the Northwest Iowa town of Humboldt, way back in 1877. He began wrestling at an early age and quickly became one of the best wrestlers in the area, beating many locals with ease. Frank perfected the legendary "toe hold" as one of his finishing moves.

Gotch kept winning and in 1908, he finally met the reigning world champion, and undefeated, George Hackenschmidt, an Estonian strongman. The two met at Dexter Park in Chicago, in a highly anticipated match, viewed by thousands.

The wrestlers battled in an epic and grueling match for two hours, before Gotch took Hackenschmidt down, winning the title.

Gotch would spend the next five years at the pinnacle of the sport, dominating all-comers. He would wrestle in his final match in Kansas City, Missouri in 1913, defeating Georg Lurich. Gotch is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and held the title longer than almost any other wrestler in history.

He was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002. In July of 2012, an 8-foot bronze statue of Gotch was unveiled at Bicknell Park in Humboldt.

To learn more about Frank Gotch and his impact on wrestling, check out the YouTube videos below.

Story Sources: Frank Gotch Bio on Wikipedia Website, Wrestling Moves Wikipedia Page