1. Joe Savoldi spent his childhood in Castano Primo and Bergamo and was raised by his grandmother and an aunt before finally joining his family in Three Oaks, Michigan at age twelve.
15 Facts About Joe Savoldi
1. 2.
Joe Savoldi's first start for Notre Dame came during his sophomore year against would-be national champion, Georgia Tech, after Rockne's first, second, and third string fullbacks all fell to injuries.
3.
Joe Savoldi's career came to a sudden end on November 17,1930 when he withdrew from school after divorce papers were filed, and news of his secret marriage was leaked to the press.
4.
Interpromotional wars were raging at the time, and on April 7,1933 at Chicago Stadium, Joe Savoldi was involved in a double cross on heavyweight champion Jim Londos.
5.
Vigorous arguments were waged over whether Joe Savoldi had truly won the match, and whether Londos' title had even been on the line.
6.
Joe Savoldi continued his wrestling career throughout the decade, touring New Zealand in 1936, appearing in Hawaii and Australia in 1937, and spending a lengthy time in Europe shortly before World War II.
7.
Joe Savoldi was approached by the US government in 1942 about joining the war effort in an espionage role.
8.
Joe Savoldi was assigned to the Special Operations branch of the Office of Strategic Services, with the code name "Sampson".
9.
Joe Savoldi spoke Italian in several dialects as well as French, Spanish, and some German, and his dangerous work behind enemy lines was highly regarded according to several, now declassified, documents.
10.
Joe Savoldi resumed his wrestling career before war's end, but his ability to move around in the ring would begin to diminish due to the onset of arthritis.
11.
Joe Savoldi tried promoting in the Chicago area for a while between 1946 and 1948, and is credited with nicknaming and training the first African-American pro wrestling champion Bobo Brazil.
12.
Joe Savoldi returned to the ring for a couple more years, wrestling his final match in 1950.
13.
Joe Savoldi then went back to university to work towards earning his qualifications for a teacher's degree, and eventually started a program to mentor hard-to-reach kids before becoming a full-time science teacher at Henderson County High School in Henderson, Kentucky.
14.
Joe Savoldi died in 1974 at the age of 65, and is buried in Henderson.
15.
In October 1931, Joe Savoldi signed a motion picture contract with Hollywood and committed to appear in football and wrestling pictures.