Wikipedia

Hard Boiled Haggerty

For the 1927 film, seeHard-Boiled Haggerty (film).

Don Stansauk(April 2, 1925 – January 27, 2004)[1][2]was an Americanprofessional wrestlerand actor, known by hisring name,Hard Boiled Haggerty.He was previously a professionalAmerican footballplayer, and he became a successfulcharacter actorafter his wrestling career.

Hard Boiled Haggerty
Hard Boiled Haggerty - Sports Facts - 22 September 1952 Minneapolis Auditorium Wrestling Program
Hard Boiled Haggerty - Sports Facts - 22 September 1952 Minneapolis Auditorium Wrestling Program
Birth nameDon Stansauk
BornApril 2, 1925[1]
Los Angeles,California,United States
DiedJanuary 27, 2004 (aged 78)[2]
Malibu, California,United States[2]
Alma materPasadena City College
University of Denver
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Don Sparrow[3]
Hard Boiled Haggerty
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Billed weight285 lb (129 kg)
Trained byDanny Loos[4]
Debut1952[3]
Retired1972[2]
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Service/ branchUnited States Navy
Battles / warsWorld War II(Pacific Theater)

Military service

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Haggerty served in theU.S. Navyon thebattleshiptheUSSNew JerseyduringWorld War II.[5]

Football career

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After attendingPasadena City Collegeand theUniversity of Denver,Stansauk was drafted by theDetroit Lionsin the eighteenth round of theNational Football Leagueentry draft in 1950.[1][6]He playeddefensive tackleand, after a season with the Lions, was traded to theGreen Bay Packers.[2][4][7]Over the next two seasons, Stansauk played in 15 games and recovered two fumbles.[7]

Professional wrestling career

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As a wrestler, he made his wrestling debut under his real name inGreen Bay, Wisconsin.[4]From there, he moved toChicago,where he was given thering nameDon Sparrow by promoter Karl Pojello, who thought that Stansauk "moved like a bird".[4]He was later given the name "Hard Boiled Haggerty" by promoterWally Karbowhile wrestling inMinneapolis.[3][4]Haggerty wrestled as aheeland was hated by the crowds because he portrayed an arrogant character.[4]

Haggerty won his first championship on April 4, 1950, withNWA San Francisco,teaming with Ray Eckert to win theSan Franciscoversion of theNational Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship.[8]Afterdroppingthe title the following month,[8]he teamed with Dutch Howlett to win theMidwest Wrestling AssociationAmerican Tag Team Championship in June while wrestling in Ohio.[9]After losing the belts, Haggerty continued wrestling in California. He won the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship twice, in 1951 and 1954, while teaming with Tom Rice.[10]In 1955, Haggerty wrestled forWorld Class Championship Wrestlingin Texas, winning theNWA Texas Tag Team Championshipwhile teaming with Stu Gibson.[11]

In 1956, Haggerty wrestled inCanada,winning theNWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championshipwhile competing forMaple Leaf Wrestling.Later that year, he won his first singles title while wrestling for the International Wrestling Association inMontreal.He won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 3, 1956, defeatingKiller Kowalskifor the belt.[12]He held the title for less than a month, losing it back to Kowalski in a rematch.[12]

Back in the United States, Haggerty formed atag teamwithKinji ShibuyainNWA Minneapolis.They won theMinneapolisversion of theNWA World Tag Team Championshipon April 22, 1958.[13]They held the title for only a day, however, before it was returned to the previous champions because of concerns regarding the referee for the title match.[13]Haggerty's next stop was Hawaii, where he won the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship while teaming with Bill Savage.[14]They lost the belts to Lord James Blears and Herb Freeman, but Haggerty teamed withButcher Vachonto regain the championship.[14]

During the 1960s, Haggerty wrestled in theAmerican Wrestling Association(AWA) and won several titles. From 1960 to 1961, he held theAWA World Tag Team Championshipwith three different partners.[15]During his first reign, his partner,Len Montanabroke his leg. As a result, Haggerty choseGene Kiniskias his new partner.[15]Shortly after he began teaming with Kiniski, Haggerty challenged his partner for theAWA United States Heavyweight Championshipand took the belt from Kiniski.[16]Haggerty and Kiniski continued to wrestle as a team, and they held the belts together twice. The team split up, however, on August 8, 1961, after Haggerty's interference accidentally cost Kiniski a match againstVerne Gagne.[15]The team vacated the championship, and a singles match between the two was scheduled to determine the fate of the title.[15]Haggerty and Kiniski wrestled a singles match. Haggerty won the match and the belts, and he choseBob Geigelas his new partner.[15]

The following year saw Haggerty wrestling for the NWA once more. Haggerty teamed up with Kiniski again to win theVancouverversion of theNWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship.[17]They won the belts twice and, during their second reign, held the title until it was retired by the promotion.[17]

Haggerty returned to Hawaii to wrestle with the NWA, and he succeeded in taking theNWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championshipfrom Neff Maivia on February 6, 1964.[18]He held the belt for over two months but lost it back to Maivia in a rematch.[18]While wrestling with theLos Angeles–basedWorldwide Wrestling Associates(WWA) later that year, he won his first of fourWWA World Tag Team Championships.He teamed withThe Destroyerto win the title twice in 1964.[19]In Hawaii again the following year, Haggerty won his final singles title, taking theNWA Hawaii United States ChampionshipfromEnrique Torreson February 24, 1965.[20]He held the belt until September 15 that year, when he lost the title toKing Curtis Iaukea.[20]He later returned to Los Angeles, where he teamed with El Shareef to win the WWA World Tag Team Championship twice more.[19]

After retiring from wrestling, Haggerty went into acting and appeared in several movies.[4]He also had a role in several television shows, includingAdam-12,Kung Fu,Get Smart,Starsky and Hutch,Columbo,Baretta,Happy Days,The Bob Newhart Show,The Love Boat,The Incredible Hulk,The Fall Guy,andCrazy Like a Fox.[2]

He was a highly respected member of theCauliflower Alley Cluband earned one of their highest honors in 1993, the Iron Mike Mazurki Award.[2] While living at Pacific Palisades, Don Haggerty (as he was then known) was an ardent member of Elysium Institute in Topanga, he had a great sense of humor, and was admired by all.

On June 20, 2003, Haggerty was involved in acar accidentin Los Angeles and suffered a broken neck and other injuries.[3]On January 27, 2004, Haggerty died at his home inMalibu, California.[2]His interment was atForest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

Partial filmography

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Championships and accomplishments

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abc"Don Stansauk".Database Football.Archived from the original on November 23, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 8,2008.
  2. ^abcdefghi"Don" Hard Boiled "Haggerty: 1925 - 2004".Cauliflower Alley Club.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  3. ^abcd"Wrestler Profiles: Hard Boiled Haggerty".Online World of Wrestling.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  4. ^abcdefgOliver, Greg (January 30, 2004)."Hard Boiled Haggerty: Wrestler, actor, friend of CAC".SLAM! Wrestling.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  5. ^Obituary, Don (H.B.) Haggerty.Archived2021-06-10 at theWayback MachineThe Malibu Times.Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  6. ^"NFL Draft History: 1950".National Football League.RetrievedJanuary 8,2008.
  7. ^ab"Don Stansauk".Pro Football Reference.RetrievedJanuary 9,2008.
  8. ^abc"N.W.A. World Tag Team Title (San Francisco)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  9. ^ab"Ohio Tag Team Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  10. ^ab"N.W.A. Pacific Coast Tag Team Title (San Francisco)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 8,2008.
  11. ^ab"NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]".wrestling-titles.RetrievedDecember 27,2019.
  12. ^abc"I.W.A. International Heavyweight Title (Montreal)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  13. ^ab"N.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Minneapolis)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  14. ^abc"Hawaii Tag Team Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  15. ^abcdef"A.W.A. World Tag Team Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  16. ^ab"United States Heavyweight Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  17. ^abc"N.W.A. Pacific Coast Tag Team Title (Vancouver)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  18. ^abc"N.W.A. Hawaii Heavyweight Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  19. ^abc"W.W.A. World Tag Team Championship".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  20. ^abc"N.W.A. United States Heavyweight Title (Hawaii)".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  21. ^"Honorees".Cauliflower Alley Club.Archived fromthe originalon July 6, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
  22. ^"Canadian Open Tag Team Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedJanuary 7,2008.
  23. ^Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich]".Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present.Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp.275–276.ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
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