Featured Speaker at Iowa Hawk Party – February 10th

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 | Speaking, Wrestling | No Comments

For the second straight year, Mike will be the featured speaker at the HAWKEYE Area Wrestling Klub (HAWK) following the Hawkeyes wrestling meet vs. Michigan at 8:00 pm on February 10, 2023.  He will bring the Dan Hodge Trophy with him and have a few of his books available for purchase, as well. The party at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Coralville is open to the public for a fee of $20, which includes food and beverages. The speech will begin sometime around 10:00 pm.

Tags: Dan Hodge Trophy, HAWK Klub

Speech on Nile Kinnick and Earl Caddock

Monday, October 24th, 2022 | Speaking, Wrestling | No Comments

On Nov. 13, Mike will the the guest speaker at  the annual fundraiser of the Cass County Historical Museum in Griswold, Iowa, located in the far southwest part of the state. Mike will talk about two Iowa legends — Nile Kinnick in football and Earl Caddock in wrestling. Kinnick, considered the greatest football player in state history and winner of the 1939 Heisman Trophy, lost his life during World War II, while Caddock, one of the state’s greatest wrestlers, suffered lung damage from a gas attack while serving in the army during World War I, but returned home to Walnut, Iowa. He was a three-time AAU national champion who in 1917 became world heavyweight champion in the professional ranks, when the matches were still legitimate. Mike has written books about both men, and he will have some of his 32 books on sale afterwards.

The event is open to the public and free of charge, but donations are accepted. The talk starts at 2 p.m. in the museum, located in the center of town.

Tags: Cass County Iowa, Earl Caddock, Nile Kinnick

USA Takedown Radio Appearance

Thursday, October 20th, 2022 | Documentary, Podcast, Radio, Wrestling | No Comments

On Saturday, October 29, Mike will be a guest host on the USA Takedown radio show in the studio in Des Moines. Host Scott Casber is the founder of this 30-year-old program, and the entire show will be devoted to the new documentary “For the Love of Catch”. Curran Jacobs, producer and narrator of the documentary, will be interviewed along with several other stars that appeared in the documentary. The show is carried live from 8 to 10 AM central time each Saturday morning on 106.3 FM and 1460 KXNO. Fans can also listen online or on their mobile devices using the iHeart Radio app, free of charge, by searching USA Takedown.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Scott Casber

For the Love of Catch Documentary

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 | Documentary, Wrestling | No Comments

On October 1, Mike and Bev were special guests at the premiere of “For the Love of Catch” documentary, which is about the history of wrestling in all its forms. The premiere was held in Owasso, Michigan, the hometown of Curran Jacobs, who produced and narrated the film. Curran was captain of the Michigan State University team in 2012 and has a degree in theater arts. He has appeared in several movies and is the winner of several major tournaments in catch wresting, which allows submission holds and choke holds. Mike wrote the original script and is featured throughout the film, which begins with a trip to Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary Frank Gotch, and then to Iowa City for interviews with Dan Gable, and Tom and Terry Brands. And then to the little frontier village of New Salem, Illinois, to visit former Illinois coach and 1980 Olympian Mark Johnson on the very spot where Abe Lincoln wrestled Jack Armstrong in 1832.

Also appearing in the film are MMA stars Randy Couture, Dan “the Beast” Severn and Josh Barnett, Scott Casber, Takedown USA founder, and many others. The film can be seen on Amazon Prime and DVDs can also be purchased there.

Tags: Catch Wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Randy Couture