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Ski Hi Lee

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Robert E. Leedy (9 February 1921 – 31 May 1974) was a Canadian professional wrestler, boxer and actor, better known by his ring name, Ski Hi Lee (also spelled Sky Hi Lee, Sky High Lee, and Sky Hy Lee).[1][2][5][6][7] Known for his great height and strength, he was described as the tallest professional wrestler of his era[20][21][22] and as "among the roughest in the business".[23]

Ski Hi Lee
Birth nameRobert E. Leedy[1][2]
Born(1921-02-09)9 February 1921[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada[2]
DiedMay 31, 1974(1974-05-31) (aged 53)[3]
London, England, United Kingdom[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bob Lee[4]
Hi Lee[4]
Jack Lee[4]
Robert E. Lee[4]
Ski Hi Lee[1]
Sky High Lee[5]
Sky Hi Lee[2]
Sky Hy Lee[6][7]
Tiny Lee[4]
Billed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[8][9] - 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)[10]
Billed weight280 lb (130 kg)[11] - 300 lb (140 kg)[1][12][13]
Billed fromEl Paso, Texas, United States[14][15]
Houston, Texas, United States[16]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada[17][18][19]
Debut1944[1]
Retiredc.1968[4]

Early life

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Leedy was born on 9 February 1921[1] in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2]

Professional wrestling career

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Leedy began wrestling in 1944.[4] During the late 1940s, he wrestled for various promotions in Canada and the United States.[24] Midget wrestler Sky Low Low, who debuted in the late 1940s, adopted his ring name in reference to Lee.[25]

By 1950, Lee was appearing with the Calgary, Alberta-based Big Time Wrestling promotion.[24] On 26 February 1951, Lee defeated Al Mills for the promotion's NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Mills regained the championship from Lee the following month. Lee won the championship from Mills a second time on 29 January 1952, once again losing the championship to Mills in a rematch the following month.[26] On 2 April 1955, Lee and Earl McCready defeated Fritz Von Erich and Lou Sjoberg for the Alberta Tag Team Championship. They lost the championship back to Von Erich and Sjoberg later that month. On 20 May 1955, Lee defeated Von Erich and Sjoberg for the championship a second time, this time with Don Lee as his partner.[13][27] Lee continued to wrestle for Big Time Wrestling until at least 1956.[24]

In 1957, Lee wrestled 30 matches in Australia - including two bouts against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz - followed by a single bout in New Zealand.[28]

In late-1957, Lee began wrestling for the Honolulu, Hawaii-based promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling. He continued to wrestle for the promotion until early 1959.[24] During his stint in Hawaii, Lee lived in Waikiki in Honolulu.[29]

In late-1958, Lee toured Japan with the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance, participating in the "International Competitions of the Fall" series as one-half of a tag team with Don Leo Jonathan.[30] While in East Asia, Lee visited Formosa during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, reportedly being introduced to Chiang Kai-shek.[31]

In the early-1960s, Lee toured South Africa.[32][33] In 1961, Jeremy Taylor recorded a satirical song entitled "Ag Pleez Deddy" ("Oh Please Daddy") in which reference is made to a scheduled bout between Lee and the South African wrestler Willie Liebenberg.[34][35]

After finishing his tour, Lee flew to the United Kingdom in 1962 to exchange his pay, which he had been given in sterling. He ultimately settled in the UK,[36][31] working for Joint Promotions and other companies.[37] During his time in the UK, he faced Tiger Joe Robinson in a bout that promoter Atholl Oakeley described as "one of the finest fights ever seen in London".[38]

Leedy's last recorded bouts were in mid-1968, when he toured Japan with International Wrestling Enterprise as part of its "Big Summer Series".[4]

Professional wrestling persona

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Lee in 1953 wearing his signature stetson.

Early in his career Lee wrestled as a face[17] and was billed from his hometown of Toronto.[18][19] He used various ring names before settling on "Ski Hi Lee".[4] Later in his career, Lee wrestled as a heel and was billed as being a cowboy from El Paso, Texas (or, less commonly, Houston, Texas[16]) in the United States,[1][12][14][15] with his character described as a "country bumpkin version of Jaws"[2] and a "roughneck"[8][39] and supposedly being the son of the Texas Ranger "Hi Lee".[40] Lee was described by Pat Barrett as "one of the most hated men in wrestling, on a par with Roddy Piper";[41] on at least one occasion he was attacked by multiple audience members while leaving the ring.[42]

Lee had a distinctive appearance, with Bob Leonard describing him as "this great big, raw-boned guy who had the look of a corpse that had been left hanging around for a couple of days [who had] long, shaggy hair [and was] always unshaven".[2] His hair was described as a "lion-like mane".[43] One writer described his "large head, long curly locks, sideburns, walrus moustache and 'mutton-chop' whiskers".[28] Lee was referred to by one audience member as "the first person I ever saw who was a lean 292 pounds".[43] He was known to wear a stetson.[40][44]

Lee wrestled in a brawling style that emphasised his height and strength, with frequent choking and gouging.[45][46][47] His finishers included a backbreaker,[9][43][48][49] a knee drop,[50] and a right-handed punch.[51][52]

Boxing career

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Robin Lee
 
Born
Robert E. Leedy
Other names"Tiny"
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Reach87 in (221 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights17
Wins11
Wins by KO5
Losses1

Leedy boxed from 1945 to 1946 as a heavyweight under the ring name Robin "Tiny" Lee (sometimes referred to as simply "Tiny Lee"). Fighting out of San Francisco, California, he was billed as 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm) with an 87 inches (220 cm) reach. He is recorded by BoxRec as having fought 17 bouts between July 11, 1945, and June 25, 1946, of which he won 11, lost five, and drew one. In September 1945, he reportedly defeated Billy Gilbert by knockout in 14 seconds.[53][54][55][56][57]

17 fights 11 wins 5 losses
By knockout 10 4
By decision 1 1
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Date Location
17 Loss 11–5–1   Johnny Haynes KO 25 June 1946   Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
16 Loss 11–4–1   Tex Boddie TKO 13 May 1946   Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack and Coliseum, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
15 Win 11–3–1   Charley Johnson KO 30 April 1946   Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California U.S.
14 Loss 10–3–1   Doug Ellison PTS 23 April 1946   Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California U.S.
13 Win 10–2–1   Lowell Strong TKO 28 March 1946   Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
12 Loss 9–2–1   Abel Cestac KO 28 February 1946   Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota U.S.
11 Win 9–1–1   Lindy Elliott TKO 15 February 1946   St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
10 Win 8–1–1   Tiger Sullivan KO 4 February 1946   City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
9 Win 7–1–1   Bill McClure KO 31 January 1946   Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
8 Win 6–1–1   Charley Johnson PTS 21 December 1945   National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.
7 Win 5–1–1   Johnny Ebarb TKO 23 November 1945   Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
6 Loss 4–1–1   Doug Ellison TKO 5 October 1945   National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.
5 Win 4–0–1   Billy Gilbert KO 14 September 1945   Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
4 Win 3–0–1   Frankie Estrada KO 3 August 1945   National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.
3 Win 2–0–1   Joe Hudson KO 24 July 1945   Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
2 Win 1–0–1   Battling Moore KO 14 July 1945   Palo Alto, California, U.S.
1 Draw 0–0–1   Charley Johnson PTS 11 July 1945   Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.

Acting career

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Leedy acted in three films: the French comedies L'Empire de la Nuit and Les Bricoleurs in 1962 and 1963 respectively, and the Indian mystery Nasihat in 1967.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1962 L'Empire de la Nuit ("The Empire of the Night") Le géant ("The giant")
1963 Les Bricoleurs ("The DIYers") Le voleur de la banque ("the bank robber")
1967 Nasihat ("Advice") Henchman

Personal life

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Leedy suffered from acromegaly.[1][58] He had a high pain tolerance and would engage in geek show feats including chewing glass[2][10] and allowing people to throw darts into his bare back.[59][60]

Lee owned a 200-acre dude ranch in Bolton, Ontario (the "Rocking H"), as well as a restaurant in Toronto and 1,200 acres in Alberta.[1][13][28]

Lee was a heavy drinker, reportedly drinking a forty of whisky for breakfast.[2] Fellow wrestler Orig Williams described him as a "world-class drinker" who would drink three bottles of whisky daily.[36] Fellow wrestler Al Oeming quoted Lee's aunt as bemoaning him having on one occasion drunk "a 26er of King's Straight for breakfast, a 26er at noon, and a 26er at night".[61]

Death

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Leedy died on 31 May 1974 in his adopted home of London.[3] His death has variously been ascribed to complications from acromegaly,[1] alcohol intoxication,[2] and health complications caused by a cook lacing a meal he had eaten with rat poison.[41]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Grasso, John (2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-8108-7926-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McCoy, Heath (2005). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. Canwest. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-0-9736719-8-8.
  3. ^ a b c "All England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 results for Leedy". Ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ski Hi Lee". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Torres Stockton Wrestling Winner". Lodi News-Sentinel (via Google News). Lodi, California. 27 February 1959. Retrieved 29 May 2019. Sky High Lee took one fall from George Drake in the preliminary.
  6. ^ a b "Sky Hy Lee vies with War Cloud in mat feature". Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com). Rochester, New York. 16 April 1950. p. 56. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Sky-Hy Lee". Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com). Rochester, New York. 5 January 1958. p. 11. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Wrestling: Civil Auditorium - tonight, 8:00 PM". The Honolulu Advertiser (via Newspapers.com). Honolulu, Hawaii. 11 May 1958. p. 29. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Ski Hi Lee beats Endo". The Honolulu Advertiser (via Newspapers.com). Honolulu, Hawaii. 2 June 1958. p. 9. Retrieved 5 June 2019. The tall Texan, who is 6 ft. 7 in., used a back-breaker to gain the first fall in 8:30.
  10. ^ a b Nicholson, Geoffrey (1964). The Professionals. André Deutsch. p. 12.
  11. ^ "Wrestling Thursday Mar 15". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. 2 March 1951. p. 32. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Sky High Lee". Lethbridge Herald (via NewspaperArchive.com). Lethbridge, Alberta. 20 January 1956. p. 6. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d Smith, Donald G. (2012). Fritz Von Erich: Triumph and Tragedy. Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media. pp. 41, 43. ISBN 978-1-93616-823-1.
  14. ^ a b "Sky-Hi's size means nothing to Roy McLarty". Regina Leader-Post (via NewspaperArchive.com). Regina, Saskatchewan. 20 March 1951. p. 16. Retrieved 5 June 2019. ...Ski Hi-Lee of El Paso, Texas...
  15. ^ a b "Yukon Eric wins over Reggie Lisowski at East Main Arena". The Register-Mail (via NewspaperArchive.com). Galesburg, Illinois. 3 June 1953. p. 22. Retrieved 5 June 2019. ...Sky Hi Lee, 290 pounds from El Paso, Tex...
  16. ^ a b "Curfew lifted for tilt of Lee, Sexton tonight". Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com). Rochester, New York. 14 October 1954. p. 35. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Big boys join midgets at Saratoga". Troy Record (via NewspaperArchive.com). Troy, New York. 5 September 1956. p. 19. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Ski Hi Lee of Toronto, a favorite around these parts for several years...
  18. ^ a b "Wrestling City Hall Auditorium 8.30 tonite". Regina Leader-Post (via NewspaperArchive.com). Regina, Saskatchewan. 11 February 1952. p. 14. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Wrestling Tuesday night - 8:30 PM". Edmonton Journal (via NewspaperArchive.com). Edmonton, Alberta. 2 May 1955. p. 16. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  20. ^ "The Star Press". The Star Press (via Newspapers.com). Muncie, Indiana. 15 October 1953. p. 21. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Lee, at 6-9, is the tallest man in the wrestling business.
  21. ^ Jacobs, Bob (13 August 1961). "'Crippler Karl' born to play the heavy". The San Bernardino Sun (via Newspapers.com). San Bernardino, California. p. 27. Retrieved 8 June 2019. Who's the tallest? Ski Hi Lee.
  22. ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 2004). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. p. 23. With the exception of Killer Kowalski, who was their size, and Sky Hi Lee, who was a few inches taller, they were the biggest headliners in wrestling of the era.
  23. ^ "595-pound bout backs midgets on Sept. 10 card". Daily Freeman (via Newspapers.com). Kingston, New York. 5 September 1956. p. 16. Retrieved 8 June 2019. Both [Lee and McKenzie] are regarded as among the roughest in the business.
  24. ^ a b c d Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Sky High Lee - Career". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  25. ^ Pierce, Dale (2013). Wrestling in Akron. Arcadia Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-4671-1017-4.
  26. ^ a b "Canadian Heavyweight Title [Alberta & Saskatchewan]". Wrestling-Titles.com. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Alberta Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  28. ^ a b c Nelson, Half (September 1970). "The boys who rob the barber". New Zealand Sports Digest. pp. 25–27. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  29. ^ May-Treanor, Misty (2010). Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life. Simon & Schuster. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4391-5577-6.
  30. ^ "JWA: 1958 International Competitions of the Fall". Puroresu.com. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  31. ^ a b "Editorial Comment" (PDF). The Wrestler. Kappa Publishing Group. February 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  32. ^ MacKenzie, James Morris (1969). Black, Black, Black!. Minerva. p. 15.
  33. ^ Smith, Wilbur (17 May 2018). On Leopard Rock: A Life of Adventures. Bonnier. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-1-78576-531-5.
  34. ^ Chris, Guy; Mann, Butler (1979). A New Book of South African Verse in English. Oxford University Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-19-570141-8.
  35. ^ Joffe, Edward (2013). Before Mandela's Rainbow. AuthorHouse. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-4918-9208-4.
  36. ^ a b Williams, Orig; Williams, Martyn (2013). El Bandito - The Autobiography of Orig Williams. Y Lolfa. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-84771-778-8.
  37. ^ Morton, James (3 March 2011). "Paul Lincoln obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2019. Lincoln introduced a number of exotic creatures, such as the giant Ski Hi Lee.
  38. ^ Oakeley, Atholl (1996). Blue Blood on the Mat. Summersdale Publishers. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-84024-933-0.
  39. ^ "Promoter signs two main events for wrestle card". El Paso Herald-Post (via Newspapers.com). El Paso, Texas. 12 August 1953. p. 16. Retrieved 5 June 2019. ...two of the ring's toughest roughnecks in Sky Hi Lee and Plechas...
  40. ^ a b "Ski Hi Lee of Texas" (PDF). The Wrestler. Kappa Publishing Group. June 1961. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  41. ^ a b Barrett, Pat (1990). Everybody Down Here Hates Me: The Traumas and Dramas Inside the Incredible World of Professional Wrestling. Fleur-de-Lis Press. ISBN 978-0-9626593-0-0. [Lee] at that time was one of the most hated men in wrestling, on a par with Roddy Piper today. [...] In the end the cook made a meal for him, but laced it with rat poison. Why he didn't die at that time was a miracle, but he never totally recovered. [...] I'm sure it hastened his early death a few years later in London.
  42. ^ Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (1976). Symposium on Television Violence. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. p. 126. ISBN 9780660005171. One day a wrestler called Sky High Lee came in with his head covered with bandages, sores, and burns all over his face...It seems that going from the ring to the dressing room, an old lady smashed a bottle on his head and five people stubbed out their cigarettes in his face.
  43. ^ a b c "Sky-Hi too big for swamp man". Regina Leader-Post (via Newspapers.com). Regina, Saskatchewan. 6 March 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 8 June 2019. The mountain was Sky-Hi Lee, a six-foot, eight-inch grappler from Texas whom one awed fan among the 700 described as "the first person I ever saw who was a lean 292 pounds". [...] using Lee's lion-like mane as a lever...
  44. ^ Van der Merwe, Paul (1996). Ek sien 'n nuwe aarde kom--: 'n outobiografie (in Afrikaans). P. van der Merwe. p. 40. ISBN 978-99916-30-66-3.
  45. ^ "Sky-Hi Lee 'tramples' Marconi in mat test". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. 2 March 1951. p. 23. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Sky-Hi Lee found his power and size to a great advantage [...] Slug and kick - then kick and slug, and maybe even choke.
  46. ^ "Ring floor survives match but takes terrific battering". Regina Leader-Post (via Newspapers.com). Regina, Saskatchewan. 9 December 1955. p. 34. Retrieved 5 June 2019. [Lee] choked, gouged, punched and occasionally took a fancy for Hepburn's fine mop of hair.
  47. ^ Korcheff, Ted (2013). First Looks and Beyond: The Collected Poems of Ted Kotcheff. Xlibris. pp. 35–40. ISBN 978-1-4931-2883-9.
  48. ^ "Villains capture tag match". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. 10 December 1955. p. 33. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Lee would soften Kameroff with backbreakers and apply a press...
  49. ^ "Sjoberg and Von Erich victors in wild match". The StarPhoenix (via Newspapers.com). Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. 24 March 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Lee went after Sjoberg and it took him less than five minutes to subdue his rival with a series of knee slams climaxed by a back-breaker.
  50. ^ Gay, Harvey (28 January 1956). "Wild scenes feature local wrestle card". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. p. 36. Retrieved 5 June 2019. First fall went to Ski Hi Lee with a knee drop...
  51. ^ "McCready, Hi-Lee win main event". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. 9 April 1955. p. 36. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Lee...uncorked a short right and [Von Erich] went face first to the canvas.
  52. ^ "Heroes win mat feature". Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com). Calgary, Alberta. 3 March 1956. p. 41. Retrieved 5 June 2019. Lee [hit] him with a right to the jaw as he bounced off and then [applied] a press for the three count.
  53. ^ "Robin Tiny Lee". BoxRec. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  54. ^ "Tiny Lee - biggest man in ring". The Knockout. Vol. 20. 29 June 1946. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  55. ^ "Omaha". Biddeford Daily Journal (via NewspaperArchive.com. Biddeford, Maine. February 5, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 22 July 2019. Robin (Tiny) Lee, 264½, San Francisco, knocked out Tiger Sullivan.
  56. ^ "World's strongest man will stage exhibition on mat during Lions mat show". Eureka Humboldt Standard (via NewspaperArchive.com. Eureka, California. 18 March 1958. p. 15. Retrieved 22 July 2019. Sky High Lee, a six-foot seven-inch former boxer named Tiny Lee, tips the scales at 290 pounds.
  57. ^ Silver, Mike (2012). The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science. McFarland & Co. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-4766-0218-9.
  58. ^ Graham, Superstar Billy (2010). Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes. Simon & Schuster. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-4391-2179-5.
  59. ^ "Ski Hi Lee". WrestlingHeritage.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  60. ^ Johnson, Milly. "An Autumn Crush". MillyJohnson.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  61. ^ Oliver, Greg (13 April 2014). "The wrestlers Al Oeming knew". Canoe.com. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  62. ^ Whalen, Ed (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 15:38. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
  63. ^ Banik, Paul. "Official Stampede Wrestling Hall Of Fame (1948-1990)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
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