Chief Don Eagle
Chief Don Eagle | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Carl Donald Bell August 25, 1925 | ||||||||||||||
Died | March 17, 1966 Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada | (aged 40)||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
Other names |
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Statistics | |||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | Heavyweight | ||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||
Total fights | 20 | ||||||||||||||
Wins | 16 | ||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 10 | ||||||||||||||
Losses | 4 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Carl Donald Bell (August 25, 1925[1] – March 17, 1966), also known by his ring name Chief Don Eagle, was a Mohawk boxer and professional wrestler during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally from Kahnawake, Quebec, he became Boston's AWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1950.[2]
Professional wrestling career
[edit]Eagle launched his boxing career in 1945, following a brief period in the steel and construction industries. He was trained by his father, Chief Joseph War Eagle, a former Junior Heavyweight Champion. In his rookie year, Eagle competed in 22 matches and secured 17 victories. He defeated the well-established Red Dawson with a frog splash in just under 16 minutes. At the height of his career in the early 1950s, Eagle achieved the unprecedented feat of lifting World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Primo Carnera off his feet. On May 19, 1951, he engaged in a 60-minute wrestling match against Antonino Rocca at the Chicago Stadium, ending in a draw.
Controversy over AWA World Title (Boston)
[edit]On May 23, 1950, Eagle defeated Frank Sexton in a best-of-three falls match. At that time, Sexton was just over a year into his nearly four-year reign as the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Three days later, Eagle appeared on television without the championship belt to compete against Gorgeous George in another best-of-three falls match in the Chicago area. Eagle won the first fall by submission. In the second fall, Eagle was counted out by referee Earl Mullihan. During the final fall, George managed to pin Eagle with a cradle. Despite Eagle having one shoulder off the mat, Mullihan administered a quick count and declared George the winner. The crowd was incensed and began to riot, throwing objects into the ring. In response, Eagle struck Mullihan with considerable force as he tried to exit the ring and the arena. As Mullihan fled up the aisle, Eagle banged him again between the shoulder blades. The Illinois State Athletic Commission suspended Eagle for assaulting a referee, but he regained the title on August 31, 1950. However, the title was declared vacant in November 1950 due to Eagle’s inactivity caused by injury, and it was subsequently replaced by the AWA Eastern Heavyweight Title.
Later career
[edit]In a 1953 match against the faux-Nazi Hans Schmidt, Eagle was catapulted over the top rope and smashed into the ringside chairs, resulting in several damaged spinal discs and two broken ribs. He took a year off working to recover from his injuries, during which he began training a young Billy Two Rivers. After his return to wrestling, Eagle continued to tutor Two Rivers for an additional year, occasionally teaming up with him. In 1960, he wrestled for the American Wrestling Association (Minnesota) as the promotion was launched. However, due to ongoing back problems, Eagle became semi-retired, wrestling infrequently across various regions over the next three years. He ultimately decided to retire permanently in 1965 at the age of 39.
Death
[edit]The Xenia Daily Gazette reported that Eagle was found dead at his home near Montreal on March 17, 1966, with a .32 caliber revolver found near his body.[3] Contemporaneous newspaper reports indicated he had been despondent over some construction project setbacks: namely, a Logan County (Ohio) Indian village, an expansion program in the Zane Shawnee Caverns, and a $12 million Indian Center near Montreal. Those close to Eagle, including Billy Two Rivers, do not believe his death was a suicide.[2] Skeptics noted it could have been a murder, connected to the death of his wife, Jean Eagle.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]Boxing
[edit]- Cleveland Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (1945)[1]
Professional wrestling
[edit]- American Wrestling Association (Boston)
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2016[2]
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- World Heavyweight Championship (Illinois version)
- Midwest Wrestling Association (Ohio)
Professional boxing record
[edit]20 fights | 16 wins | 4 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 10 | 1 |
By decision | 6 | 2 |
By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
Draws | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
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20 | Loss | 16–4 | Richard Hagan | KO | 4 (8) | 9 Aug 1948 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
19 | Win | 16–3 | Henry Jones | PTS | 6 | 13 Jul 1948 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
18 | Win | 15–3 | Johnny Flanagan | KO | 2 (6) | 10 May 1948 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
17 | Win | 14–3 | Al Hunter | TKO | 3 (6) | 16 Apr 1948 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
16 | Win | 13–3 | Lenny Johnson | TKO | 2 (6) | 19 Apr 1948 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
15 | Loss | 12–3 | Ocie Talbert | PTS | 6 | 29 Jan 1948 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
14 | Win | 12–2 | Al Timmons | PTS | 6 | 13 Jan 1948 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
13 | Win | 11–2 | Lonnie Morris | PTS | 4 | 6 Jan 1948 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
12 | Win | 10–2 | James Turner | PTS | 6 | 30 Dec 1947 | Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. | |
11 | Win | 9–2 | George Brown | KO | 2 (4), 1:18 | 25 Nov 1947 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
10 | Loss | 8–2 | Jackie Thompson | DQ | 1 | 21 Nov 1947 | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
9 | Win | 8–1 | Bobby Marshall | TKO | 2 (4) | 31 Oct 1947 | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
8 | Win | 7–1 | Chief War Cloud | PTS | 4 | 28 Oct 1947 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
7 | Win | 6–1 | Joe Connors | KO | 2 (4) | 22 Oct 1947 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
6 | Win | 5–1 | Jacques Carter | KO | 2 (4) | 15 Oct 1947 | Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
5 | Loss | 4–1 | Gibbs Pike | TKO | 5 (6), 0:54 | 29 Aug 1947 | Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Al Small | PTS | 4 | 25 Aug 1947 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Larry Chatman | KO | 2 (4) | 28 Jul 1947 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Len Billingsley | KO | 1 (4) | 21 Jul 1947 | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Herb Jones | KO | 2 (4) | 27 Jan 1947 | Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Chief Don Eagle Wrestling History". Professional Wrestler Information. Legacyofwrestling.com. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Oliver, Greg. "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Chief Don Eagle". Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ "Don Eagle, Former Star Wrestler, Is Found Dead". Xenia Daily Gazette. Xenia, Ohio. March 19, 1966. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
External links
[edit]- The Way It Was -- Don Eagle by Percival A. Friend
- And Another Indian Bites The Dust by Bill McCormack
- Chief Don Eagle's profile at Cagematch.net
- 1925 births
- 1966 deaths
- 20th-century First Nations people
- 20th-century male professional wrestlers
- Boxing people from Quebec
- Canadian expatriate professional wrestlers in the United States
- Canadian male boxers
- Canadian male professional wrestlers
- Canadian Mohawk sportsmen
- Deaths by firearm in Quebec
- First Nations professional wrestlers
- Heavyweight boxers
- Mohawks of Kahnawá:ke people
- Professional wrestlers from Quebec
- Sportspeople from Montérégie
- Suicides by firearm in Quebec
- Sportspeople who died by suicide
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen