SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Missing an old friend
Earlier this week after having a medical test done in Wichita Falls, I decided to visit the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
PWHF president and curator Johnny Mantell has done a spectacular job putting together the museum, which is located on 8th Street next to the coffee house in downtown.
There was one part of the museum that really stood out for me.
In the entry way, there’s an old wrestling card from the world-famous Dallas Sportatorium.
Accompanying this story is an old advertisement for the Sportatorium, which was located on Industrial Boulevard in Dallas.
The barn-like structure became a mecca for entertainment, and not just for professional wrestling.
Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were two musicians who performed at the Sportatorium for Ed McLemore – a longtime promoter from Dallas.
Back in its heyday, there were professional wrestling cards every Tuesday.
That’s right. It wasn’t like World Wrestling Entertainment just coming through town once in a while like they did Friday at Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene.
Every Tuesday, top stars wrestled at the Sportatorium, and all the big names wanted to grapple there. Pro wrestling TV tapings were norm here.
The list of wrestlers reads like a who’s who, and many of them are enshrined in the PWHF.
Lou Thesz, Fritz Von Erich (real last name Adkisson, as many Montague County residents know), Dory Funk, Jr. and Gene Kiniski are just some of the standouts who laced up boots inside the Sportatorium.
Through McLemore’s efforts, Dallas earned the reputation as the “Professional Wrestling Capitol of Texas.”
The low cost of entertainment was another draw. Ringside seats, even in the late 1960s, were just $3. Box seats went for $2.50, and general admission was $1.50.
The capacity for the Sportatorium also helped, with only about 4,500 seats, both music and wrestling shows proved to be a hot ticket. Read more from this column in the Aug. 27 Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
Ed McLemore’s Sportatorium was the site for many top professional wrestling matches and country music concerts in Dallas back in the 1940s through 1980s. Today, the Sportatorium is no more, a vacant lot off Interstate-35 East on Riverfront Boulevard. (Submitted photo)
Saint Jo boys
The Saint Jo Panthers were able to win a one-sided game at Dodd City on Tuesday.
The Panthers won 41-22 against the Hornets as they try and ramp back up after the holidays to get ready for district play.
Saint Jo had an up and down performance at its tournament in North Hopkins the previous week as it tries to get the rust off caused by the holiday break.
The first quarter was competitive as the Panthers got scoring from four different players. Saint Jo held Dodd City to only one field goal, but several free throws allowed the Hornets to trail only 12-7 after the first quarter.
The Panther defense cleaned up the fouling while continuing to make any shot an easy one for Dodd City. This allowed Saint Jo to grow its lead as the game went along.
The Panthers allowed the Hornets to never score more than eight points in a quarter while they scored modestly in the double-digits in three of the quarters.
Saint Jo led 22-11 at halftime, 34-19 after three quarters before allowing only three points in the final period to make it 41-22.
Nocona girls
The Nocona Lady Indians stayed undefeated in district with a blowout win at home against Windthorst on Tuesday.
The Lady Indians beat the Lady Trojans 78-27 in a game that was not close at all.
Nocona came into the game confident with, easily winning its first three district games before the holiday break before playing several tough teams at the Championship Basketball Tournament last week where it went 2-2.
The Lady Indians were up 15-8 after the first quarter and 33-17 at halftime. Despite leading by double-digits, Nocona upped its intensity in the second half by outscoring Windthorst 24-3 in the third quarter.
The Lady Indians scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to end the game with the ludicrous score of 78-27.
Nocona boys
The Nocona Indians lost their first district game of the season, losing a tough game at home against Windthorst.
The Trojans won 63-52 in a game where one bad quarter from the Indians was all it took.
Nocona came into the game after starting district 1-0 with a win against Olney before the break. The Indians struggled in their holiday tournament last week in Bridgeport, but it was mostly against bigger schools.
It was a low-scoring first quarter as Nocona led only 9-7, but were in control.
Then the second quarter came and the Trojans flipped the game on its head.
Windthorst exploded for 26 points, scored all by three of its players as the low-scoring game was burst open.
On the flip side, the Indians scored only eight points while making one field goal in the quarter. Nocona found itself down 33-17 at halftime.
The Indians bounced back a little in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 14-11 to make it 47-31 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter was high scoring for both team. Nocona easily had its best offensive quarter, with 21 points scored as six different players made at least one basket.
Unfortunately, the Indians could not slow down Windthorst to try and make a comeback. The Trojans attempted 17 free throws in the period alone and made enough of them to nearly equal Nocona’s total, finishing with 19 points.
Windthorst won 62-53.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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