Hans Furst (October 29, 1890 - November 2, 1967), also spelled Hans Fuerst, was an Austrian professional wrestler and matchmaker.[1]
| Hans Furst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 29, 1890 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | November 2, 1967 (aged 77) |
Early life
editFurst was born in Vienna, Austria on October 29, 1890.[1] Furst was said to have won the Austrian wrestling championship at the age of 16 and was said to be the youngest wrestler to hold that title.[2] He attended business college in Vienna, and learned to wrestle there. He finished second in a European lightweight title tournament while still being a student and was a member of his schools, wrestling, football and hockey teams.[1] Furst was said to be a good swimmer and was said to be Austrian two-mile running champion.[2]
Wrestling career
editFirst arrived in Buffalo, New York in 1907 and was the New York State Light-heavyweight champion in 1914 and 1915.[1] Furst was said be "one of the cleverest light-heavyweight wrestlers" and had wrestled Wladek Zbyszko in 1911 at Brown's Gymnasium and also had fought George Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko and Dr. Benjamin Roller.[1][3][4][5] He wrestled multiple matches against Oluf Nielsen and[2] highly publicized losses to Pierre la Colosse and Cyclone Burns in 1915.[6][7][8][9] Furst wrestled Earl Caddock and Ed "Strangler" Lewis in 1916 along with others like Joe Matty, Steve Karger and Adolph Pohl (who was known for his short temper).[10][11][3] Furst defeated Cyclone Ress in February 1918 and was defeated by Wladek Zbyszko on June 22, 1918.[12][13]
Matchmaker
editFurst partnered with Ed Delivuk to create of the Great Lakes Athletic Club in New York in the 1920s.[14] Furst was an assistant matchmaker and treasurer of the Buffalo Sporting Club and later became the head matchmaker and secretary in 1934.[1] Furst later resigned and sold his stake in the Buffalo Sports Club in August 1936.[15]
Personal life
editFurst's main job outside of the ring was importing diamonds and Furst was said to enjoy swimming.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Delivuk's Widow Heads Ring Club, The Buffalo News, 1934, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ a b c Nielsen To Wrestle Hans Furst ---St. Peters' To Play Christ Church Five, Perth Amboy Evening News, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ a b Furst-Karger Match Here., The Boston Globe, 1916, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Christensen Beats Alvarez In Great Mat Battle; Nielsen Wins From Furst, Perth Amboy Evening News, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Wrestling, Newark Star-Eagle, 1913, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Double Jitney Admission By Neward Feds, Fall River Globe, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Sporting Notes, Kennebec Journal, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Burns Defeats Furst, The Boston Globe, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ At Random in Sportdom, Asbury Park Press, 1915, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Buffalo Gets First Peek At Masked Marvel, Star-Gazette, 1916, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Furst and Pohl in Finish Match, The Boston Globe, 1916, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Furst Wins Two Falls From Cyclone Ress, The Boston Globe, 1918, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Zbyszko and Hans Furst Grapple- Benny Leonard in Exhibition Bout, The Standard Union, 1918, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ "Obituaries". Legacy of Wrestling. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008.
- ^ Cordovano Gets Matchmaker Job, The Buffalo News, 1936, retrieved March 13, 2023
External links
edit- Hans Furst's profile at Wrestlingdata.com