Dick Beattie R.I.P.

[oberebo]

Many of you may already know that on December 19th we lost a legend of OK State wrestling. Dick Beattie age, 82 was killed in a car accident near his home. Dick was a 2X national champion for OK State in 1958 and 1959 at 157 pounds. This was just one year before I saw my first match so I did not have the chance to see him in person. He was also on the 1956 US Olympic team in Melbourne but was unable to wrestle at 160.5 pounds due to an emergency appendectomy. Many people over the years have over the years as among their favorite wrestlers including a close but deceased friend of mine here in Shawnee. He won his 1958 NCAA championship with an 8-5 win over Sid Terry of Oklahoma.
MAY HE REST IN PEACE

 

[okiecowboy]

I remember being with some guys and visiting with him about professional wrestling. He said one had to be a showman, but had also better have some athletic ability to perform the tumbling and flips required and also absorb being on the other end of the flips and slams. He came across as a very nice guy. He was one of a very few professional wrestlers that I watched. One of his tricks was to have a bed of nails placed on his chest, then an anvil placed on top and then have someone hit it with a sledge hammer. I think that is the way it happed! I remember being very impressed and unwilling to try it on myself.