Tom Jenkins was a one-eyed steel mill worker turned "rassler" back at the turn of the century. He was the first great wrestling champion to specialize in the catch-as-catch-can style and receive both national and international recognition. Earlier champs such as William Muldoon and Ernest Roeber were Graeco-Roman wrestlers. Collar-and-elbow style, another early form of wrestling was dominated by James McLaughlin and Duncan C. Ross. Jenkins and his successor, Frank Gotch, popularized catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and it became the dominant form of grappling in the U.S.
Jenkins was born in Bedford, Ohio in 1872 of Welsh ancestry. A rowdy youth, he was often in trouble with the police. Young Tom was nearly killed when explosives accidently blew up in his face during a 4th of July celebration. The injuries he received forced him to remain bedridden in a darkened room for nearly a year. He lost one eye as a result of the accident and was ordered by the doctor never to read. Jenkins wore a glass eye for the rest of his life.
He recovered and later found employment in the American Wire and Steel Mill in Newburg, Ohio. Tom's job was a dangerous task called "roughing", which involved grabbing red-hot 100-lb. iron bars and bending them through rollers. Jenkins once commented, "That job taught me to be quick ... it put a neck and arms on me and horny calluses on the heels of my hands." During their noonday rest, the mill workers would wrestle impromptu matches and Tom soon gained a reputation as a tough guy to handle.
In 1891, the steel mill held a benefit for an injured worker in the town hall. The program included singers, acrobats, cloggers and a wrestling match featuring Al Woods. When Woods' opponent failed to show, the mill workers volunteered the eighteen-year-old Tom Jenkins. Jenkins recalled, "... found myself in the ring with no experience and a pair of overalls ... It was cat and mouse, but when Woods caught me he couldn't throw me." They wrestled to a draw. The manager of the mill was so impressed with Jenkins' potential that he sent him to Luke Lamb in Cleveland for wrestling lessons.
A second match was soon arranged between Jenkins and a local pro named Pete Schumacher. Jenkins won two straight falls in a little over one hour's time. His steel mill buddies were so excited that they wrecked the club where the match was held. The entire purse was taken to pay for the repairs. Jenkins quit the mill and embarked on a full-time professional wrestling career. Unable to read, he was swindled by a series of crooked managers. That all changed in 1895 when Jenkins teamed up with George Tuohey, a well-known sports manager and promoter. Together they would dominate the heavyweight ranks for several years.
In Cleveland in 1897, Jenkins was matched with Martin "Farmer" Burns. The "Farmer" was generally acknowledged as the catch-as-catch-can wrestling champion of America after defeating Evan Lewis two years earlier. Burns had agreed to throw Jenkins twice in sixty minutes, but failed to gain a single fall. Several months later, Dan McLeod defeated Burns and claimed the title. A month after that, Jenkins beat "Farmer" Burns. Both McLeod and Jenkins boasted to be the champion, although McLeod had the more legitimate claim.
Dan McLeod at 165 pounds and "Farmer" Burns at 170 pounds were grappling wizards, masters at the rough-and-ready, American catch-as-catch-can style. Jenkins weighed in at the 200 pound range, which was considered big for that era. He was not as highly skilled a technician as Burns and McLeod, but he utilized his weight advantage, his strength and his toughness. Jenkins was adept at all the holds and pinning combinations, but he had a reputation as a "rough-houser". He used his heavily callused hands to rub the skin off opponents. Another one of his tricks was to throw a smashing forearm while feigning for a head hold. When the strangle-hold was outlawed in wrestling matches, Jenkins developed a jawlock, which was little more than a disguised choke hold.
In 1898, Jenkins wrestled two of the giant "Terrible Turks" who invaded this country. Yousouf Ismaelo was steam-rolling over all North American opposition. Jenkins agreed to wrestle Yousouf in mixed-styles, Graeco-Roman and catch-as-catch-can, $1,000 a side. Tom later described the contest saying, "I tried hold after hold. You couldn't budge him with a team of horses. Then I went to work on his legs... He kicked me and I protested to the referee. This boiled up the Turk and he stormed out of the ring. He did this five times and each time it took policemen, his manager, seconds and the ref to get him back ... He spun me over his head in an airplane whirl and threw me out of the ring. I landed in the third row of seats." The crowd was irate at the Turk's tactics and was ready to riot. The referee quickly raised Yousouf's hand in victory and he was rushed to the dressing room for protection.
On November 5, 1898, Jenkins took on the second "Terrible Turk", a 305-pounder named Hali Adali. This contest was billed for the world championship. It lasted three hours and was declared a draw. A couple of years later, Jenkins wrestled the third and biggest of the Turks, Noraolah, 6-foot, 6-3/4-inches tall and weighing 344 pounds. Jenkins was thrown in two straight falls. He lost nothing in his popularity due to his inability to defeat the "Terrible Turks" as they were looked upon as barely human. In a modern pro wrestling ring or football field, these Turks would appear ordinary, but a hundred years ago, they were monsters.
In between big matches, which always included side bets and heavy wagering Jenkins toured the theatrical circuit taking on all comers and offering fifty dollars to anyone he couldn't throw in fifteen minutes. Only one man, out of over two hundred challengers, ever collected the prize, and that was at Graeco-Roman style.
Professional boxing was banned in New York in 1900 and several of the leading heavyweight boxers turned to the mat. Jenkins wrestled and beat two of them, Peter Maher and "Sailor" Tom Sharkey. Sharkey had trained hard at wrestling and put up a valiant defense, but he was unable to stave off defeat. Jenkins and Sharkey met again in a private, no-holds-barred "match fight". Sharkey was a rugged fighter and he knocked Jenkins out cold as the wrestler closed in for a lock-up.
Jenkins defeated Graeco-Roman champions Charley Wittmer and Ernest Roeber in "mixed-style" contests. A coin toss would determine the style of the first fall. The next fall would be held under the alternate style. If a third and final fall was necessary, the winner of the fastest fall was allowed to choose the grappling style. Jenkins also once boxed a four-round exhibition with "Gentleman" Jim Corbett.
Jenkins' main rival was Dan McLeod of Ontario. Both men had defeated Farmer Burns and both claimed to be the champion. In their first meeting, McLeod failed to throw Jenkins the agreed two times in a one-hour handicap contest. A rematch was arranged for November 7, 1901 in Cleveland. The bout was to be "to a finish, all holds allowable, best two out of three falls, catch-as-catch-can, for America's championship." The referee was Charley Wittmer. Jenkins won two straight falls in forty-one minutes. There was heavy betting throughout the match and the local newspaper called it "the greatest wrestling match ever witnessed in this country." All parties agreed that this contest was "on the level". Tom Jenkins was now the undisputed wrestling champion of America. He gave his opponent credit saying, "McLeod is a wonder. He is certainly the best white man I ever met. Never have I had to work so desperately before."
One year and one month later, McLeod threw Jenkins and re-won the title, but not without controversy. Jenkins had contracted severe blood poisoning in his left leg. He had a special protective device made for his leg out of leather bandages, steel wires and brass buckles. He wore the contraption into the match. Jenkins won the first fall after a grueling fifty-nine minutes. McLeod resorted to grinding the buckles into Tom's shin, causing him excruciating pain. This softened Jenkins up enough for McLeod to pin him for the second fall. The attending physician examined Jenkins and warned him to withdraw but he refused. Jenkins went out for the deciding fall, but was nearly defenseless and his manager, Tuohey, finally threw in the towel.
Early in 1903, Jenkins had the first of a series of matches with a "comer" from Iowa by the name of Frank Gotch. They met in Cleveland and the match-up was described as " one of the roughest mat battles in American history." Jenkins emerged the victor from this encounter. A couple of months later, Jenkins had a rematch with McLeod in Buffalo. Tom actually trained for the contest by working in the old steel mill. It was a fierce bout and both men freely punched and slapped each other. Jenkins used his callused hands to tear McLeod's face, neck and arms. Jenkins won and again held the title.
Jenkins lost the crown to Gotch, won it back and lost it again to him. Out of eight contests between the two gladiators, Jenkins won three. Each match, save for the last few when Jenkins was past his prime, were classics -- two of America's greatest wrestlers battling in all-out competition. Gotch lauded his rival, commenting, "Jenkins was the strongest and roughest wrestler of his time. His star was setting at a time when mine was in the ascendant."
Jenkins lost twice to George Hackenschmidt, the celebrated European wrestler; once in London and once in Madison Square Garden. Jenkins toured the world and took along his whole family. Unfortunately he spent most of his mat earnings by doing so. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Jenkins the boxing and wrestling instructor at West Point. Jenkins held that position for thirty-seven years, retiring in 1942. Tom Jenkins passed away in 1957.
Jenkins is largely overshadowed by Frank Gotch. But more than one old-timer considered Jenkins the better of the two in their primes. It is true Gotch twice beat Hackenschmidt, who twice defeated Jenkins, but Gotch resorted to all manner of foul tactics to do so and in the second contest, he even paid Ad Santel to injure Hack during training. Jenkins chose to wrestle Hackenschmidt in a "straight" and "sportsmanlike" manner and was simply out-powered. Neither did Gotch ever battle any of the giant Turks, whose explosive strength was said to be phenomenal. Jenkins gamely met three of them. (Note: Gotch did defeat Yussiff Mahmout and Yussiff Hussane, in fact they became members of his troupe, but they were both in Gotch's weight range.)
Tom Jenkins was held in high regard by all his contemporaries and Jack Curley once remarked that he "was the best I ever saw."
Note: The Gotch-Jenkins contests will be covered in more detail in an upcoming article on Gotch's career.
