Jack Curley
Encyclopedia
Jack Curley was a sports promoter of the early 1900s. He managed several high-profile boxing
events around the turn-of-the-century and he also established professional wrestling
as a viable business in the big city, and he eventually built the New York
office into an industry power while negotiating an agreement between the nation’s most powerful regional territories.
. Nevertheless, they soon returned to Europe
, and young Jacques spent his childhood near Strassburg and Paris
before moving back to San Francisco as a teenager. Following school, he worked as a newspaper copy boy, and he then took a job at a saloon owned by ex-prize fighter George La Blanche. At age 16, he ran away from home and changed his name to Jack Curley while taking a job at the World’s Fair in Chicago. He then worked as a reporter for the Chicago Dispatch, but soon lost his job and suffered through hunger while looking for work. Then in September 1893, he was hired by promoter/manager P.J. Carroll to run his local gym; and Curley assisted many of the fighters in their training, most notably including World Welterweight Champion Tommy Ryan
. By 1896, Curley had accumulated enough contacts within the industry that he moved to St. Louis and began promoting his own boxing
cards. He eventually returned to Chicago a few years later; and in 1901, he became the city’s correspondent for The Police News, one of the nation’s top fight publications. In the years that followed, he also managed some of the era’s premier boxers, including George Gardiner
, Jimmy Gardner
, Jim Flynn, Georges Carpentier
and Jess Willard
.
and Fred Beel. The following year, Gotch defeated Estonian strongman Georg Hackenschmidt
for the World Heavyweight Title, and pro wrestling subsequently exploded as the nation’s most popular sport. As a result, Curley became the manager for “Doc” Benjamin Roller, one of the era’s premier grapplers; and in 1909, he was named the athletic director for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
in Seattle, where he emerged victorious in a promotional war against Joe Carroll. After brokering the legendary July 4, 1910 boxing match between Jack Johnson
and Jim Jeffries, he then set up a series of wrestling cards in Europe, matching Dr. Roller against India
’s Great Gama and Poland
’s Stanislaus Zbyszko
. While in Europe, Curley engaged in feverous negotiations with George Hackenschmidt in an effort to coerce the former champion to return to the U.S. for a big-time rematch against Frank Gotch. Billed as “the Match of the Century,” the bout was promoted as the biggest wrestling event ever seen up to that point. Unbeknownst to the public, Hackenschmidt had suffered a debilitating leg injury in a sparring match with Dr. Roller just days before the event was scheduled to occur. However, Curley expertly hid the information from the fans; and through a splendid marketing campaign, he drew 35,000 fans to Chicago’s Comiskey Park
on September 4, 1911 (setting an attendance record that stood for the next 23 years), while Gotch easily dispatched Hackenschmidt in two straight falls to retain the title.
After promoting the Jack Johnson
-Jess Willard
title bout on April 5, 1915, Jack Curley gradually found himself squeezed out of the boxing industry by Jack Kearns
and Tex Rickard; and he thus began to focus most of his energies on pro wrestling. He soon became the manager for Wladek Zbyszko
(the younger brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko
), and he also guided the likes of “the Terrible Turk” Yussif Hussane and “Americus” Gus Schoenlein. Then on January 27, 1916, he brought new World Champion Joe Stecher
to New York City
for the first time in a publicized encounter against the Masked Marvel (Mort Henderson); and while pro wrestling had previously floundered in the Big Apple
, the bout drew much of New York’s social elite while launching Jack Curley as the city’s dominant power. As a result, Curley soon established himself as the Northeast’s preeminent wrestling matchmaker while promoting the likes of Wladek Zbyszko
and his newest ring sensation, "Strangler" Ed Lewis
. However, as law enforcement reduced the gambling influence on sporting results, pro wrestling bouts fell into a trend of long, tedious contests that frequently ended in draws or no-decisions. Consequently, Curley revolutionized the industry by placing a greater reliance on one-fall matches in his territory, which subsequently reduced the length of the average matchup and lent to increased fan interest. Then in March 1918, Curley negotiated the formation of a “Trust” with Midwestern promoters Billy Sandow
and Tony Stecher that allowed the regions to swap its wrestling talent. Previously, the majority of big matches had been held in rural towns throughout the Midwest, but this agreement proved influential in that it facilitated pro wrestling’s relocation to the urban centers of the East Coast, where matchmakers could promote bigger gates in the cities’ lucrative sports venues.
, Strangler Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko
, and Earl Caddock
; but Lewis and Sandow would leave the Trust in 1921, as they soon joined up with Toots Mondt
to form “the Gold Dust Trio
.” Curley’s NYC promotion then struggled in the mid-1920s as the Trio drew huge crowds while retaining possession of the title. But on May 30, 1925, Curley joined forces with Stanislaus Zbyszko
and Tony Stecher, as Zbyszko double-crossed the Trio by shooting on their manufactured champion, Wayne Munn
, thus returning the World Title to Curley’s group. Moreover, after the Trio split up following a 1928 financial dispute, Curley then formed an alliance with Toots Mondt
and Ray Fabiani, with the New York territory refusing to recognize Lewis’ title claim. Curley next built his company around Jim Londos
, a new star who became the sport’s first major sex symbol during the 1930s. With Londos as the headline attraction, the New York territory regularly drew crowds of 20,000 even in the midst of the Great Depression
; but gates quickly plummeted when Londos left the region after a contractual dispute in 1932. Curley then organized a meeting of the nation’s top promoters in November 1933, forming a new Trust agreement with Toots Mondt
, Ray Fabiani, Tom Packs
, Ed White
, and Paul Bowser
that stipulated that they share profits evenly while extending their collective powers across all of the North America. Although it dissolved in 1936, this new Trust expanded wrestling’s power base from coast to coast, and it is acknowledged by some as a prelude to the creation of the National Wrestling Alliance
in 1948.
to give up his amateur status. However, Curley’s health gradually declined during the late 1930s, and he died after suffering a heart attack in Great Neck, Long Island on July 12, 1937. A major contributor to Ring Magazine, he was a master of publicity and the foremost leader in establishing New York City as a premier wrestling territory.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
events around the turn-of-the-century and he also established professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
as a viable business in the big city, and he eventually built the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
office into an industry power while negotiating an agreement between the nation’s most powerful regional territories.
Early life
Jacques Armand Schuel was born in San Francisco on July 4, 1876 after his parents fled France following the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. Nevertheless, they soon returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and young Jacques spent his childhood near Strassburg and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
before moving back to San Francisco as a teenager. Following school, he worked as a newspaper copy boy, and he then took a job at a saloon owned by ex-prize fighter George La Blanche. At age 16, he ran away from home and changed his name to Jack Curley while taking a job at the World’s Fair in Chicago. He then worked as a reporter for the Chicago Dispatch, but soon lost his job and suffered through hunger while looking for work. Then in September 1893, he was hired by promoter/manager P.J. Carroll to run his local gym; and Curley assisted many of the fighters in their training, most notably including World Welterweight Champion Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan was a famed welterweight and middleweight champion boxer who fought from 1887-1907. Ryan was considered an excellent boxer-puncher, and many consider him one of the all time greatest middleweight champions. His won lost record is 86 wins , 3 losses and 6 draws...
. By 1896, Curley had accumulated enough contacts within the industry that he moved to St. Louis and began promoting his own boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
cards. He eventually returned to Chicago a few years later; and in 1901, he became the city’s correspondent for The Police News, one of the nation’s top fight publications. In the years that followed, he also managed some of the era’s premier boxers, including George Gardiner
George Gardiner (boxer)
George Gardner , was a famous Irish-born American boxer who was the first undisputed Light - Heavyweight Champion of the World. He held claims to both the World Middleweight Title as well as the World Heavyweight Title. Gardner is one of the biggest names in boxing history and one of the most...
, Jimmy Gardner
Jimmy Gardner
James Henry Gardner was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward.His playing career started with Montreal Hockey Club amateur men's team of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League in 1900, where he played until 1903, winning the Stanley Cup twice, in 1902 and 1903 as one of the 'Little Men of Iron'...
, Jim Flynn, Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
and Jess Willard
Jess Willard
Jess Willard was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He won the heavyweight title from Jack Johnson in April 1915 and lost it to Jack Dempsey in July 1919....
.
Professional Wrestling Promoter
On April 26, 1907, Jack Curley promoted his first major wrestling bout between Frank GotchFrank Gotch
Frank Alvin Gotch was an American professional wrestler of German ancestry, the first American to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States...
and Fred Beel. The following year, Gotch defeated Estonian strongman Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman and professional wrestler, and the first free-style heavyweight champion of the world. He launched his professional career in Russia and lived most of his life in London, England, where he gained the nickname of 'The...
for the World Heavyweight Title, and pro wrestling subsequently exploded as the nation’s most popular sport. As a result, Curley became the manager for “Doc” Benjamin Roller, one of the era’s premier grapplers; and in 1909, he was named the athletic director for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909, publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest.It was originally planned for 1907, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, but the organizers found out about the Jamestown Exposition being held...
in Seattle, where he emerged victorious in a promotional war against Joe Carroll. After brokering the legendary July 4, 1910 boxing match between Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
and Jim Jeffries, he then set up a series of wrestling cards in Europe, matching Dr. Roller against India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
’s Great Gama and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
’s Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
. While in Europe, Curley engaged in feverous negotiations with George Hackenschmidt in an effort to coerce the former champion to return to the U.S. for a big-time rematch against Frank Gotch. Billed as “the Match of the Century,” the bout was promoted as the biggest wrestling event ever seen up to that point. Unbeknownst to the public, Hackenschmidt had suffered a debilitating leg injury in a sparring match with Dr. Roller just days before the event was scheduled to occur. However, Curley expertly hid the information from the fans; and through a splendid marketing campaign, he drew 35,000 fans to Chicago’s Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
on September 4, 1911 (setting an attendance record that stood for the next 23 years), while Gotch easily dispatched Hackenschmidt in two straight falls to retain the title.
After promoting the Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
-Jess Willard
Jess Willard
Jess Willard was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He won the heavyweight title from Jack Johnson in April 1915 and lost it to Jack Dempsey in July 1919....
title bout on April 5, 1915, Jack Curley gradually found himself squeezed out of the boxing industry by Jack Kearns
Jack Kearns
Jack "Doc" Kearns was an American boxing manager from the state of Washington. He is most famous for managing Jack Dempsey, who was World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926. He also managed Mickey Walker, Joey Maxim, and Archie Moore. He was given the nickname "Doc" from Dempsey....
and Tex Rickard; and he thus began to focus most of his energies on pro wrestling. He soon became the manager for Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko , real name Wladyslaw Cyganiewicz, was a Polish professional wrestler and strongman. He is the brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko...
(the younger brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
), and he also guided the likes of “the Terrible Turk” Yussif Hussane and “Americus” Gus Schoenlein. Then on January 27, 1916, he brought new World Champion Joe Stecher
Joe Stecher
Joe Stecher , sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was a professional wrestler and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. Stecher is the first wrestler to regain the original version of the World Heavyweight Championship....
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for the first time in a publicized encounter against the Masked Marvel (Mort Henderson); and while pro wrestling had previously floundered in the Big Apple
Big Apple
"The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph...
, the bout drew much of New York’s social elite while launching Jack Curley as the city’s dominant power. As a result, Curley soon established himself as the Northeast’s preeminent wrestling matchmaker while promoting the likes of Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko , real name Wladyslaw Cyganiewicz, was a Polish professional wrestler and strongman. He is the brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko...
and his newest ring sensation, "Strangler" Ed Lewis
Ed Lewis (wrestler)
Robert Herman Julius Friedrich , was a professional wrestler best known by his ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, whose career spanned four decades.-Wrestling career:...
. However, as law enforcement reduced the gambling influence on sporting results, pro wrestling bouts fell into a trend of long, tedious contests that frequently ended in draws or no-decisions. Consequently, Curley revolutionized the industry by placing a greater reliance on one-fall matches in his territory, which subsequently reduced the length of the average matchup and lent to increased fan interest. Then in March 1918, Curley negotiated the formation of a “Trust” with Midwestern promoters Billy Sandow
Billy Sandow
Wilhelm Baumann, better known as Billy Sandow , was the manager of professional wrestler Ed "Strangler" Lewis and a subsequent member of the famed Gold Dust Trio promotion that changed the face of the industry during the 1920s...
and Tony Stecher that allowed the regions to swap its wrestling talent. Previously, the majority of big matches had been held in rural towns throughout the Midwest, but this agreement proved influential in that it facilitated pro wrestling’s relocation to the urban centers of the East Coast, where matchmakers could promote bigger gates in the cities’ lucrative sports venues.
Professional Wrestling's "Trust" Agreement
In subsequent years, Jack Curley promoted a series of championship bouts between Joe StecherJoe Stecher
Joe Stecher , sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was a professional wrestler and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. Stecher is the first wrestler to regain the original version of the World Heavyweight Championship....
, Strangler Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko , real name Wladyslaw Cyganiewicz, was a Polish professional wrestler and strongman. He is the brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko...
, and Earl Caddock
Earl Caddock
Earl Caddock was a professional wrestler who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" , Caddock was one of professional wrestling's biggest stars between the years of 1915 and 1922.-Early life:Earl Caddock was born...
; but Lewis and Sandow would leave the Trust in 1921, as they soon joined up with Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
to form “the Gold Dust Trio
Gold Dust Trio
The Gold Dust Trio was a group of promoters who controlled the world of professional wrestling during the 1920s while also making several fundamental changes to the industry's business model and operations that would ultimately change the direction of the sport towards a more pseudo-competitive...
.” Curley’s NYC promotion then struggled in the mid-1920s as the Trio drew huge crowds while retaining possession of the title. But on May 30, 1925, Curley joined forces with Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
and Tony Stecher, as Zbyszko double-crossed the Trio by shooting on their manufactured champion, Wayne Munn
Wayne Munn
Wayne Munn was an American professional wrestler and collegiate football player from the University of Nebraska.-Wrestling career:...
, thus returning the World Title to Curley’s group. Moreover, after the Trio split up following a 1928 financial dispute, Curley then formed an alliance with Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
and Ray Fabiani, with the New York territory refusing to recognize Lewis’ title claim. Curley next built his company around Jim Londos
Jim Londos
Christos Theofilou or Christopher Theophelus better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos, was a professional wrestler who was one of the most popular stars wrestling offered during the Great Depression.-Career:Jim Londos was born Christos Theofilou in 1897 in Argos, Greece. as the youngest of...
, a new star who became the sport’s first major sex symbol during the 1930s. With Londos as the headline attraction, the New York territory regularly drew crowds of 20,000 even in the midst of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
; but gates quickly plummeted when Londos left the region after a contractual dispute in 1932. Curley then organized a meeting of the nation’s top promoters in November 1933, forming a new Trust agreement with Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
, Ray Fabiani, Tom Packs
Tom Packs
Thomas Nicholas Packs , born Anthanasios Pakiotis, was a Greek-American professional wrestling promoter. He was one of the top promoters over the first half of the 20th century and was responsible for building one of the nation’s most prestigious wrestling territories in St...
, Ed White
Ed White (wrestler)
Edward J. "Ed" White was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known as Moondog King of the Moondogs when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1980s. White won 48 championships in Canada and around the globe...
, and Paul Bowser
Paul Bowser
Paul Forbes Bowser was a professional wrestling promoter who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s in the Boston area.-Wrestler:...
that stipulated that they share profits evenly while extending their collective powers across all of the North America. Although it dissolved in 1936, this new Trust expanded wrestling’s power base from coast to coast, and it is acknowledged by some as a prelude to the creation of the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
in 1948.
Death
While wrestling experienced its share of ups and downs, Jack Curley continued to experiment in other sports; and in 1931, he created the pro tennis tour when he convinced Bill TildenBill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II , nicknamed "Big Bill," is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. An American tennis player who was the World No. 1 player for seven years, he won 14 Majors including ten Grand Slams and four Pro Slams. Bill Tilden dominated the world of...
to give up his amateur status. However, Curley’s health gradually declined during the late 1930s, and he died after suffering a heart attack in Great Neck, Long Island on July 12, 1937. A major contributor to Ring Magazine, he was a master of publicity and the foremost leader in establishing New York City as a premier wrestling territory.
Championships and accomplishments
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 2002)