![]() ![]() He was "very capable'' from the start later, when he started a sod company, Kenny became known as "Sodbuster.'' The other most-famous All-Star wrestler to face almost-weekly defeat was George "Scrap Iron'' Gadaski. He wrestled both amateur and some pro-style matches while in the Navy, and joined Verne Gagne's fledgling AWA circuit here in 1962. He was a standout athlete in Holdingford, Minn. Kenny Jay was the wrestling name for Ken Benkowski, who died at 85 on Thursday in Bloomington. There was no finer compliment for a friend arriving for an evening of thirst-quenching than to say, for instance: "There he is … the very capable Gary Clerkin.'' "Yes, Kenny's going to lose tonight, we all know that, but he is going to start this match on fire, and show us his true talent, before being caught in an unfortunate reversal and getting pinned by an opponent who happens to be among the main attractions on this weekend's card - and there's still time to get your tickets!'' Marty's favored descriptions in his interviews became part of our lexicon, and the most-used was O'Neill's constant introduction of the "very capable'' Kenny Jay. It became a sure sign in those early '60s to put out the campfire and scatter to Parts Unknown when various attendees started crushing almost-empty beer cans against their foreheads, Crusher-style. We loved him initially as a bad guy, loved him equally when he was transformed into a good guy. If only the lake had been renamed those six decades ago, and we had a chance to hear Marty O'Neill from behind his sunglasses attempt to handle "Bde Maka Ska'' in his pre-match interviews, what a treat that would've been.Īs it was, neither the Killer's gigantic home runs nor Fran the Man's scrambling, not even Bobby Lee Bell's majestic tackle play, equaled the impact of our rasslin' hero: Yet, for the rapscallions in this category of youth, glorious as were these happenings, the most influence on us took place early on Saturday nights when the weekly All-Star Wrestling show appeared on Channel 11 from a cramped studio at the Calhoun Beach Towers. The Twins arrived with Harmon Killebrew at Met Stadium in 1961, as did the Vikings with Fran Tarkenton a few months later, and Murray Warmath's sudden conversion to roster diversity led to consecutive Rose Bowl appearances for our beloved Golden Gophers. ![]() Those of us at the longer scale of the Baby Boomer meter in Minnesota found many heroes at the dawn of the 1960s. ![]()
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