University of Minnesota Athletics
Verne Gagne - M Club Hall of Fame
Verne Gagne
Football, 1944, 1947-49
Wrestling, 1944, 1947-49
HOF Class of 1992
Verne Gagne, who grew up on a farm near Hamel, MN., was a two-time state high school heavyweight wrestling champion who came to the U of M to wrestle and play football, in the latter sport playing both defensive end and tight end.
After winning a Big Ten 175 pound wrestling title in 1944 as a Gopher freshman, Gagne went into the Marine Corps during WWII. At Santa Ana, CA, he played football for the El Toro Marine team for two years while teaching hand-to-hand combat techniques to fellow marines.
Gagne returned to the Gophers in 1946 and claimed three more conference wrestling titles from 1947-49, becoming the first-ever four-time Big Ten champion.
He also won a pair of NCAA championships, as a 191-pounder in 1948 and as a heavyweight in 1949. The three-time All-American won the 1949 AAU Wrestling Championship, and was a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic Greco Roman wrestling team.
Gagne briefly played professional football with the Green Bay Packers, but decided to make a career in professional wrestling. He became a household name across four decades as a world heavyweight champion wrestler and a promoter, with his Minneapolis-based All-Star Wrestling circuit.
Gagne is a member of the David Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame.