Anaheim, 1983

[ac]

Just wondering why you stopped your amateur career. You retired after a couple of stellar performances on the youth world level for the good ol' maple leaf.

Obviously your decision to turn professional worked out but do you miss freestlye? Have you kept in contact with the sport at all, especially in Canada? We have such few world class wrestlers in our history (Igali, Wilson, Gia, Thue) it would be interesting to hear your point of view as to why you stopped and why we're struggling with developing young talent.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

[ac]

****bump/addition*****

I also noticed your placing 4th at Espoir worlds if I'm not mistaken where Baumgartner won. Just curious if you ever wrestled Bruce Baumgartner ever and how the match would have gone.

Thanks again if you get around to reading this.

[Earthquake-GEAUX LSU TIGERS]

No, the politics involved in the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association helped in my decision. There were people protecting "their" Canadian University heavyweights from me. I was blacklisted as they considered me American for leaving Canada and attending LSU. I also became Canada's first ever world wrestling champion in any level or weight class, and did not have a lot of support from individuals in power at that time, and was actually insulted to my face by the president of BCAWA. So, I went to the Olympic training camp, beat up their heavyweight, and went down to the US training camp, and trained Baumgartner. I wrestled him in competition a couple times, losing both times, but never getting pinned. At the training camp, I became one of his favorite training partners, and got to where I could beat him about 30% of the time. That doesn't sound great, but Bruce was a great wrestler. I'm not sure what year he won the Espoirs. I won it in '83 over Gary Albright. In '81 I think I took (not sure) 4th in freestyle , 6th in Greco. That was only my second year wrestling.
'Quake

[Hemmeorrhage]

I was blacklisted as they considered me American for leaving Canada and attending LSU.

If there was ever a reason to turn your back on your country(Sgt. Slaughter Wrestlecrap angle reference) it would be the fighting Tigers of LSU.

Hit it
Like knights of old, Let's fight to hold

The glory of the Purple Gold.



Let's carry through, Let's die or do

To win the game for dear old LSU.



Keep trying for that high score,

Come on and fight,

We want some more, some more.



Come on you Tigers, Fight! Fight! Fight!

for dear old L - S - U.

RAH!