Collected Wisdom: Danny Hodge…
Collected Wisdom with Danny Hodge
Interviewed by Robert Przybylo, BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Age: 76
Hometown and residence: Perry
If you’re a fan of amateur or professional wrestling, then you know the name Danny Hodge. He was a three-time national champion at Oklahoma and competed in two Olympics, winning a silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He was never taken down in college and is the only wrestler to ever be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Hodge’s trademark is to crush an apple with one hand, which he can still do today. The top amateur wrestler is given the Danny Hodge Award equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football. A book was recently released on Hodge’s life, Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story, written by Mike Chapman.
I was a lot like every other young man growing up. Our family didn’t have cars and my father worked a lot. I didn’t see him that much, but we did the best we could.
When I was 9, our home burned to the ground. My mother got burnt real bad, real bad. She was in and out of hospitals for a couple of years and needed 52 blood transfusions. About 70 percent of her body was burned.
My brothers and sister were split up. I was sent to live with my granddad. He used to beat me a lot with his cane. He drank a lot. He was a mean man. I got tired of it. One day I said he had beat me for the last time, and I left. I never went back.
My mother re-married and moved to New Mexico. I moved from place to place before finding a spot in a cot above the fire station and working at the Conoco on the weekends I would work from eight in the morning to 10 at night. I learned how to work hard at an early age.
I got into wrestling by accident. I was just watching the boys, and it looked like they were having fun. Coach John Divine did so much for me and taught me so many things that went beyond wrestling.
That first medal is something I’ll never forget. I got third place in junior high. You always remember that first one.
I found out wrestling was my thing. My senior year, I pinned everybody but one person and won state. That one kid from Ponca City ran away the whole time. Wrestling was such a pleasure for me.
I’ve always taught kids to pin. Fans love to see the fall. Pins sell the arena. The harder you work, the luckier you get. The fans meant so much to me. It was always such a thrill to be out there. Loved every minute of it.
The Olympics wasn’t something I thought a lot about. I knew about it some because of Jim Thorpe and Jack VanBebber. It was such a pleasure to be out there. Can you believe a young man from Perry representing his country like that?
I used to break pliers with one hand, and that’s how the crushing the apple started. And in wrestling, there is a lot of slapping. I wanted to break the next arm that slapped me. I would give a limp handshake to start off until the first time I grabbed them. Then they knew I was for real.
I was in the Navy for two years and then got a scholarship to Oklahoma. I figured ‘he can do it, he can do it, I can do it.’ In 1956, I pinned everybody. But I hope somebody will come around and break my record. That means they’ve pinned everybody, and that means they’ve deserved it.
A bad car accident broke my neck in 1976. I was in Louisiana, and I went to turn up the heater in my car, and then my car was bouncing around the highway. It ended up upside down and being submerged in about 10 feet of water. I thought ‘is this is for me?’ A piece of my hip was fused into my neck.
I started boxing and won the Golden Gloves. I was knocking out everybody and was wondering why I wasn’t being knocked out? I fought professionally 10 times but never got paid, so I went to professional wrestling.
My favorite opponent in wrestling was Hiro Matsuda. We’d go 90 minutes one night, and he’d get a fall. Then the next night another 90, and I’d get a fall. Then the next night another 90 and nobody would get a fall. I loved working with him and always felt I could go another 90. But you know what? So could he.
You always have to have time for the kids. They’re the future of the sport, and I still love watching wrestling. I’ve spent time with Ladd Rupp (current Perry wrestler who has won three state titles). I love teaching the kids. The key is hard work. Everyone works hard, so you have to do that something extra.
My family has been wonderful, what a blessing. I don’t know what to say about my wife, Dolores. She’s meant the world to me. I’ve had one son wrestle. I get to see my grandkids all the time. It’s been a pleasure.
It was great to see Sugar Ray Leonard again. We saw him the first time in 1980. He’s such a great person. We were guests to his second fight with Roberto Duran in New Orleans.
I just wanted to show the world I could do something. I’ve wrestled Lou Thesz. I’ve played golf with Joe Louis. Can you believe what a lucky life I’ve had?
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