PAGE OF FAME: Earl McCready

Earl McCready

Earl McCready
The Moose. McCready was born in Lansdowne, Ontario, but grew up in the Saskatchewan towns of Milestone and Ogema (all reports from the time say he was from Amulet, Saskatchewan).
Outstanding amateur wrestler. Three time U.S. national intercollegiate heavyweight champion (1928-30) while attending Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University). Won nearly all his matches by pinfall, and is known to this day as the greatest pinner in the history of heavyweight collegiate wrestling in the U.S. Won gold at the 1930 Empire Games (now Commonwealth Games).
Widely acclaimed as one of the most skilled pro wrestlers of the 1930s and 1940s. In The Ring magazine's annual ranking of the top wrestlers, McCready placed 5th in 1935 and 2nd in 1937, behind Jim Londos. WRESTLING magazine reported his won-lost record in New Zealand from 1935-48 as 243 wins, 9 losses. Was still ranked in the world's top 20 for skill at least as late as 1953. Recognized as British Empire champion in both Canada and New Zealand.

McCready is said to have been in the first televised wrestling match in Britain, defeating Rube Wright at the Crystal Palace in 1938. His final Maple Leaf Gardens match was in 1954. Continued to wrestle into the late 1950s.
He is an inductee in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma State University Wrestling Hall of Fame. There's even a street in Regina named after him.
He ended up living in the U.S. in the state of Washington and died in December 1983 at age 75.
"It would be fitting for McCready to be given his most important matches in Toronto. He is a Canadian, a former Olympic wrestler and perhaps the most popular mat man to ever appear here. Moreover, he is Canada's only hope for a wrestling championship in professional ranks." (From THE TORONTO DAILY STAR, September 25, 1931)
"I give the number two spot to McCready, who has lost only a couple matches in more than two years and has clashed with the world's best in foreign lands. Of the veterans, Londos, McCready, and Pesek seem to be as good today as they were when the youngsters were just making their bow." (From THE RING, March 1938)
"McCready, who held the [British Empire] title so long that he was placed in a class by himself down here, had suffered only three defeats prior to the Katan loss in four years of activity. In each case, McCready avenged the loss." (From THE RING, October 1940)
"Earl McCready is beyond any doubt one of the world's greatest wrestlers the game has provided. For the number of years Earl has been wrestling and the amount of matches he has engaged in, it is doubtful that any other wrestler could equal his record." (From WRESTLING, January 1953)

Prominent Titles:

2-time British Empire champion (New Zealand), 1935-53
2-time British Empire champion (Toronto), 1941-42
Pacific Coast champion (San Francisco), 1945