Here are photos of "THAT" old man in his prime.
Credit for all this goes to
www.obsessedwithwrestling.com
Danny Hodge
Amature Wrestling Title History
National AAU 174lb Champion (1954);
National Intercollegiate Champion (1955);
National AAU 174lb Champion (1956)
National Intercollegiate 174lb Champion (1956);
National AAU 191lb Greco-Roman Champion (1956);
United States Olympic Team - Silver Medal (1956);
National Intercollegiate 174lb Champion (1957);
NCAA Championship (1956);
Professional Wrestling Title History
NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight title defeating Angelo Savoldi (July 22, 1960);
NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight title defeating Hiro Matsuda (March 2, 1976);
NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight title -won it 6 times in total-;
United States Tag Team titles w/Lester Welch;
United States Tag Team titles w/Jay Clayton;
Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles w/Shag Thomas;
NWA International Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder;
In the Beginning:
Danny Hodge began wrestling in Jr. High School and became All State Jr. High School champion at the 145 lb. weight class..
Danny Hodge continued to wrestle in High School and went to the state championships..
1951: Danny Hodge joined the Naval Reserves and was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Base in Waukegan, IL..
~~~He wrestled at the Great Lakes Naval Training Base and coached the wrestling team as well..
Danny Hodge attended the University of Oklahoma and wrestled for them..
1956: Danny Hodge won the NCAA championship, the AAU Greco-Roman, and the AAU Freestyle Tournaments..
1956: Danny Hodge went to the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and won a Silver Medal after losing a disputed match..
1957: Danny Hodge won the NCAA for the third year in a row..
Danny Hodge was also a Golden Gloves boxing champion and had had an 8-2 record as a professional fighter..
The Wrestling Business:
October 7, 1959: Danny Hodge had his first professional match and defeated Sasha the Great (Alex Mulko aka Nikita Mulkovich)..
Danny Hodge began training under Ed "Strangler" Lewis during his early days as a professional..
July 22, 1960: Danny Hodge defeated Angelo Savoldi to win the NWA World Jr. Heavyweight title in Oklahoma City..
Mid-70s: Danny Hodge played a heel in the Memphis area, and would come out on television and crush apples with his bare hands..
March 2, 1976: Danny Hodge defeated Hiro Matsuda to win his sixth NWA World Jr. Heavyweight title in St. Petersburg, FL..
Mid-March 1976: Danny Hodge was involved in an automobile accident that ended his career and nearly ended his life..
~~~He fell asleep at the wheel of his car near Monroe, Louisiana and hit a bridge and suffered a broken neck..
Retirement:
Danny Hodge was mostly face, but did have at least one heel run teaming with his old Olympic teammate Dale Lewis..
Danny Hodge was known for having the strongest hands in the wrestling business due to supposed double tendons..
Danny Hodge and his wife, Delores, have been married for over 50 years and live quietly in Perry, Oklahoma..