Wrestling Tough, 2nd Edition – Now Available!

Tuesday, December 18th, 2018 | Books | No Comments

Mike’s latest book, No. 30, is now available both at bookstores across America and through THE LINK on this web site. The book was published by Human Kinetics of Champaign, Illinois, one of the largest publishers of sports books, and is an updated version of Mike’s popular 2005 book “Wrestling Tough”. This new book is loaded with stories of many current stars like Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs,  Zain Retherford, and Helen Maroulis – and has many behind-the-scene stories of such legendary figures as Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, Lee Kemp, John Smith, Dan Hodge, Wayne Baughman, Mark Johnson, Randy Couture, Lou and Ed Banach, Greg Strobel and many more. The foreword was written by Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion and coach of the 2007 World Team champions in Greco-Roman wrestling.

As Dan Gabe wrote, “Wrestling Tough is much more than learning about being successful on the mat. It’s for all who would like to dominate or develop a passion for any sport. Incredible reading! Get energized and be entertained at the same time!”

Just $24 plus $6 S&H —  If you order through this website, Mike will be happy to personally sign any book if requested.

Tom Tyler Interview

Saturday, November 18th, 2017 | Books | No Comments

Mike recently was interviewed by Mike Radich, owner of an internet web site dedicated to film personalities and sports stars, about the sensational movie and athletic career of Tom Tyler. Tom appeared in over 100 movies during his long career, starring in many westerns and in 1941 playing the first comic book super hero EVER in the movies, Captain Marvel. Two years later, Then Tom played another comic book hero, The Phantom.

Tom was also a terrific weightlifter during his early movie career, winning a national title and several other major meets and becoming the first American to ever lift 300 pounds overhead. He was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his era. Tom died tragically in 1954 at the age of 50, from a rare disease called scleroderma. Mike wrote Tom’s biography in a 2005 book entitled “The Tom Tyler Story: From Cowboy Star to Superhero.” The book is now out of print and considered a collector’s item. Click on this site to hear the interview.

Listen to the interview here on youtube: https://youtu.be/HQm4CYyP48Q

Upcoming Events for April and August 2017

Tuesday, April 4th, 2017 | Book Signing, Books, Speaking | No Comments

April 13 – Governor Terry Branstad will appear at the Newton YMCA for a special book signing on Thursday, April 13, from noon until 1:30 p.m., and Mike will be with him. Mike was the author of the book “Iowa’s Record-Setting Governor: The Terry Branstad Story,” which came out in December of 2015. The book is 234 pages long with over 50 photos, covering the governor’s life from growing up on a farm in tiny Leland, to attending high school in Forest City and then the University of Iowa and Drake law school. The book details his career as a politician, up through 2015 when he became the longest serving governor in American history.
 
Also, Mike will debut his latest book called “A Journey: Reflections on 50 Years on Writing, Wrestling, Weightlifting and Heroes. “ it is a 286 page book with nearly 200 photos, including stories on some of the best-known figures in U.S. history – from  Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, and Lou “The Incredible Hulk” Ferrigno to Iowa icons like Dan Gable, Hayden Fry, Dan McCarney and, of course, Terry Branstad. it is Mike’s 29th published book.
 
August 3-5 – Mike will be one of the special guests at the 2017 Dum Dum held at the Quality Inn and Suites in Coldwater, Michigan. The annual event is the largest gathering of fans in the world to celebrate the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author who created Tarzan of the Apes and other characters such as John Carter of Mars.  Other special guests are Jim Sullos, president of ERB., Inc.; Martin Powell, writer for ERB., Inc.; Bo Hampton, artist for Dark Horse Comics; Bob Zueschner, author of “Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Biography,” and Cathy and Tyler Wilbanks, of Team ERB. The host for the event is Michael Hatt, author of the book “Tarzan Slept Here”, which details the times Burroughs stayed in Coldwater.
   
Mike has written two books about actors who played Tarzan in the movies and his latest memoirs has a lot of Tarzan stories in it. He will have all three books for sale, along with other Tarzan memorabilia.
   
The dum dum is a gathering of apes that Tarzan called by beating on jungle drums. Mike hosted Dum Dum events in 1997 (Newton, Iowa), 2004 (Fort Collins,Colorado) and 2008 (Waterloo, Iowa) and is a recipient of the Golden Lion Award, given out by the Burroughs Bibliophiles to persons who have to perpetuate the memory of ERB and his works.

Tags: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, Terry Branstad

New book “A JOURNEY” offers absorbing look at life in the 1950s and heroes of movies and sports

Tuesday, March 21st, 2017 | Books | No Comments

Mike’s newest book has just been published, and is entitled “A Journey: Reflections on 50 Years of Writing, Wrestling, Weightlifting, and Heroes.” The book is 286 pages long with over 130 photos, most of them involving famous figures.

In the book, the author talks about a wide range of celebrities he has met over his long journalism career – including Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, Lou Ferrigno Ed Asner, and various Olympic champions and many other stars of sports, entertainment and politics.

Growing up in Waterloo, Iowa, Mike describes what life was like in the 1950s, and explains how his love of comic book heroes shaped his attitude towards life. He also talks about his three years in the U.S. Navy, where he was involved in several nerve-wracking events, including time spent working on “ghost ships” from World War II.

Considered the nation’s leading historian on the sport of wrestling, he includes numerous behind-the-scenes stories of pro ring legends like Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne, and amateur stars like Dan Gable and Dan Hodge. Mike has attended 45 NCAA wrestling championships and has known many of the biggest names in wrestling, including a dozen Olympians and several of the top stars of mixed martial arts, like Dan Severn and Randy Couture.

During his 35-year newspaper career, Mike won numerous awards for his work and is a member of nine halls of fame. He is an acknowledged authority on such diverse topics as Achilles and Tarzan of the Apes. In the book, he tells about his incredible trip to the ancient battlefield of Troy in 2006, when he attempted to spend a night on the Plain of Troy, and of becoming friends with four movie Tarzans.

He also discusses his attempts to break into Hollywood with movie projects, three of which are still very much alive.

“A Journey: Reflections on 50 Years of Writing, Wrestling, Weightlifting and Heroes” is published by Culture House of Newton, Iowa. It is $19.95 plus $5 for S&H. Persons wishing to order the book can send a check for $24.95 to Culture House, 3830 Harbor Avenue, Newton, IA 50208, or call Culture House at 641-791-3072.