| Wilbur Snyder |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT WILBUR SNYDER | |
| 1929 births | |
| 1991 births | |
| american professional wrestlers | |
| edmonton eskimos players | |
| people from california | |
| utah utes football players | |
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His career with the Eskimos started in 1951 and by 1953, he was one of the top placekickers in football. He set various WIFU records, including best convert kicking percentage, 100 percent on 31 kicks, and set the record for the longest kickoff at 83 yards. WRESTLING CAREER Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954 , Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time career in wrestling. Part of his in-ring persona included the use of many football tactics, and it garnered Snyder a lot of national attention. He had already been a regional champion in Montreal , Canada when he made a name for himself by defeating Verne Gagne and snatching the US Championship at Marigold Arena in Chicago on April 7 , 1956 . Snyder was a regional champion in a myriad of territories that were affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance . National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 238, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6 One of those championships was an offshoot of the World Title that he nabbed from Verne Gagne on November 15 , 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska . After the departure of Jim Barnett, Snyder would buy into the Indianapolis territory with Dick The Bruiser . The enterprise was known as Championship Wrestling Inc. on April 27 , 1965 . Snyder's wife Shirlee was listed as the registered agent. Snyder and Dick's mother, M.A. (Margaret) Johnston were listed as directors of the company, to keep the wrestler's ownership of the territory private. The defeat of Mitsu Arakawa in September 1967 would add the WWA title to Snyder's list of accomplishments. The victory would result in a two year run as WWA Champion. Between 1956 and 1962 , he was a ten time US Champion. Long in-ring feuds would exist with Dick the Bruiser and Hans Schmidt . Another accomplishment of Snyder’s was his reign as 13-time WWA Tag Team Champion. During a tour of Japan in 1969 , Snyder teamed with Danny Hodge to claim the JWA International Tag Team Championship. Snyder passed away on December 25 , 1991 in Pompano Beach, Florida . REFERENCES |
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