Danny Hodge, one of the greatest combat sports athletes of the 20th century, passed away on Friday at the age of 88 following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Hodge was a three-time national champion at the University of Oklahoma, wrestling at 177 pounds. He famously won all three of his finals matches for the national championship via pinfall, something only one other Division I wrestler has ever done (Earl McCready). Easily the most famous college wrestler of his era, Hodge appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and remains the only collegiate wrestler to appear on the magazine’s cover while still an amateur. The yearly trophy for the best collegiate wrestler in the country is also named after him – the Dan Hodge Trophy.
Hodge also competed in the Olympic Games twice, in 1952 and 1956. He finished in fifth place at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, and at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Hodge won the silver medal.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Following his collegiate career, Hodge had both a professional wrestling and professional boxing career. He won the 1958 Chicago Golden Gloves, then turned professional after a 17-0 (12 KO) amateur boxing career. There was some talk of him both wrestling and boxing at the 1960 Olympic Games, but he decided to pursue the professional boxing career instead. That career didn’t last long, and Hodge retired from boxing in the summer of 1959 following an 8-2 record.
Hodge’s professional wrestling career took off from there, and he became a headliner in the NWA. Hodge held the USA Tag Team Championships on five different occasions alongside Skandor Akbar. He was also an eight-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He has been mentioned as a hero and inspiration by everyone from Jim Ross, to Gerald Brisco, to Bret Hart.
Hodge was honored later in life as a member of numerous wrestling Hall of Fames, including the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2000), the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum (2007), and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (1996). He is scheduled to be inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021. Hodge also received numerous awards from the Cauliflower Alley Club.
Hodge was famous for his iron grip, something that he attributed to having double tendons in his hands. Hodge would demonstrate the strength of his grip by holding an apple and crushing it with a single hand, a feat which he continued to perform even into his 80s.
