Wrestling legend Danny Hodge, 88, passes away

Graphic courtesy of the University of Oklahoma Athletics.

The University of Oklahoma Athletics family and wrestling community mourn the loss of National Wrestling Hall of Famer Danny Hodge, who died Dec. 24 at the age of 88 in his hometown of Perry, Okla. Hodge won three NCAA championships for the Sooners and is the namesake of the Hodge Trophy, the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. His success on the mat led some to call him the greatest amateur wrestler of all-time.
Hodge came to Norman from Perry High School in 1955 to wrestle for hall-of-fame coach Port Robertson. He compiled a perfect 46-0 record as a student-athlete, winning 36 of his matches via fall on his way to three consecutive national titles. His performance in the 1957 NCAA Championships earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and assisted the Sooners to their fourth national championship. He is one of only two collegiate wrestlers to win three NCAA titles via fall and he was known for never surrendering a takedown throughout his OU career.
The depths of Hodge's success went deeper than just college wrestling as he won three national freestyle championships and took home a silver medal from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He enjoyed an 18-year run as a professional wrestler and accrued a 17-0 record as a boxer in the 1950s.
In 2005, Hodge was honored by Oklahoma state lawmakers as an Oklahoma Sports Hero and was invited to the House of Representatives floor to crush an apple with his bare hand, something he had become famous for over the years. In 1957, he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and to this day remains the only wrestler to ever do so. Hodge was honored as a charter member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1978.
OU STATEMENTS

OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione:
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Danny Hodge, a true giant in the sport of wrestling. He was a man who displayed great character and toughness but was also selfless and had an ability to connect with people of all ages. His mindset of what makes a champion was timeless. In that sense he reminded me of what made Port Robertson so memorable. He made everyone feel important when actually he was the one we were trying to celebrate. I was so honored to get to know him a little over the years. It was always special to have him on campus."


Oklahoma Head Wrestling Coach Lou Rosselli:

"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of our own Danny Hodge. His impact on OU wrestling and on the entire wrestling world will always be felt and appreciated. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. His legacy will forever be treasured at the University of Oklahoma."
National Wrestling Hall of Fame release

Distinguished Member Dan Hodge Passes Away
STILLWATER, Okla. – Dan Hodge, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in the Charter Class of 1976, passed away on Thursday, at the age of 88.
“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Distinguished Member Danny Hodge,” said Lee Roy Smith, National Wrestling Hall of Fame Executive Director. “On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, we extend our most sincere sympathies to Delores, his wife of 69 years, and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“To those familiar with Danny, he was a superhero on the mat and in the ring, demonstrating extraordinary feats of strength and skill. Yet, his alter ego outside of competition was a kind, gentle and encouraging mentor to others,” he added. “With his success, he could have lived anywhere in the world, but chose to return to his beloved hometown of Perry, Oklahoma. He lived his life as a simple and humble man who would help anyone in need. A selfless ambassador, he always went out of his way to help promote the sport while crushing apples and signing autographs. He will be deeply missed, but his legend will live on.”
Hodge was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000 and is considered by many to be the greatest junior heavyweight professional wrestling champion ever. Trained by Leroy McGuirk and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, he won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship seven times and the Tri-State NWA North American Heavyweight Championship three times. He wrestled professionally for over 20 years and was one of the top attractions in the United States and in Japan.
Hodge and fellow Perry native Jack VanBebber, who won Oklahoma’s first gold medal in wrestling in 1932 and was also inducted as a Distinguished Member in 1976, are honored with statues in the Perry Wrestling Monument Park.
Hodge appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 1, 1957 and remains the only amateur wrestler to appear on the cover of the iconic sports magazine in its nearly 66-year history.
The Hodge Trophy, college wrestling’s Heisman Trophy presented annually by WIN Magazine, is named in his honor.
He was one of only three wrestlers who competed prior to 1970 to be named to the NCAA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2005.
A wrestler of awesome strength, Hodge's physical prowess was so great that often - for his fans at least - it overshadowed his tremendous skills. His grip could shatter a pair of pliers, could crush an apple into applesauce. Had he not studied and carefully utilized proper wrestling techniques, he might well have maimed his opponents instead of dominating them.
In the collegiate style of wrestling, he had no peer, indeed no challenger. He won every one of his 46 bouts for the University of Oklahoma, 36 of them by fall, an astonishing 78 percent. During his junior and senior years, he pinned 22 consecutive opponents. And no collegiate foe ever took him to the mat from the standing position.
Three times an NCAA champion at 177 pounds, he twice was voted the Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA tournament.
In one 10-day span in 1956, his junior year, Hodge won the NCAA title and National AAU championships in both Greco-Roman and freestyle, winning every bout in those three tournaments by fall.
Twice he was an Olympic wrestler, placing fifth in 1952 at Helsinki before his college career started, and winning the silver medal in the 1956 Games at Melbourne. There, in the championship bout, he led his Bulgarian opponent by a wide margin when a controversial rolling fall was called against him.
Over five years starting in 1952, his only three defeats in any style of wrestling were administered by three Olympic champions, a Russian, an American and a Bulgarian.