Basketball wasn’t the only sport that happened in the old Ridgeway fieldhouse. In 1953, you could see both amateur Golden Gloves boxing and professional wrestling.
On January 24, 1953, the Ridgeway Lions Club hosted a professional wrestling match as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. The match was arranged by Kansas City promoter Orville Brown and featured three heavyweight wrestling bouts. The main event featured “Gorgeous” Bobby Lane versus Heart of American Champion Dave Sims, which Dave Sims won. Cowboy Roy Graham, the Texas Angel, won over “Chick” Garabaldi in straight falls. Joe Aldeman fought Bruce Ozenberger to a draw in the opening event. Over 500 paying customers watched the matches. It wasn’t clear how much money was ultimately raised for the March of Dimes polio fund. (I will write about Ridgeway’s boxing history another time.)
