Joe Savoldi

This article is about the football player and 'original' pro wrestler named "Jumping Joe" Savoldi. For the pro wrestler of the 1980s and '90s with the same ring name, see Joseph Savoldi.

Joe Savoldi
File:Joe Savoldi.jpg Joe Savoldi (left), using his trademark "dropkick", against an opponent
Birth name	Joseph Anthony Savoldi Jr.
Born	(1908-03-05)March 5, 1908 Castano Primo, Italy
Died	January 25, 1974(1974-01-25) (aged 65) Henderson, Kentucky, US
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Joe Savoldi
Billed height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Billed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Debut	1931
Retired	1950

Joseph Anthony "Joe" Savoldi Jr., more commonly known as "Jumping" Joe Savoldi (March 5, 1908 – January 25, 1974) was an Italian-born American football player and professional wrestler.

Biography

Savoldi was born severely premature in Castano Primo (Italy) and he spent his childhood in Castano Primo and Bergamo (Milan, Italy), being raised by his grandmother and an aunt. At the age of ten, WWI ended and young Joe was finally able to join his family in Three Oaks, Michigan. Giuseppe Savoldi anglicized his first name to "Joe" and became a star athlete in high school, excelling in football, basketball, baseball and track. After graduation from Three Oaks High, he enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, where, beginning in 1928, he would play football for the Fighting Irish teams coached by Knute Rockne. His 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. During that appearance, Savoldi fumbled a kickoff and played a terrible game before being sent to the showers. The following week, coach Rockne moved Savoldi from running back to the line, and Savoldi briefly quit the squad before being moved back to the running back position. It was also during the 1928 season that Savoldi was in the locker room at Yankee Stadium to witness Knute Rockne's legendary, "Win one for the Gipper speech."

The All-American fullback was first nicknamed, "Galloping Joe", followed by, "The Wandering Wop", followed by, "The People's Choice", before finally earning the moniker, "Jumping Joe". The nickname that finally stuck, was a result of a play he made in a 1929 game against Carnegie Tech when he scored a touchdown by jumping (diving) up and over the goal line, to win the game. Although common-place now, diving over the line of scrimmage was extremely dangerous during a period of leather helmets and little, or no, shoulder padding. Other career highlights for Savoldi came on October 4, 1930, when he scored the first ever Notre Dame touchdown at the newly opened Notre Dame Stadium, and one week later when he scored three touchdowns against Navy, sealing his fame as "the first hero in the lore of Notre Dame's $750,000.00 stadium." His 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. Prior to his withdrawal from Notre Dame, Savoldi averaged an incredible 11 yards per carry and 40 yards per kick off return, and due to his size (5'11" 218lbs) was known for his punishing style of running the ball.

Savoldi and his Notre Dame teammates were undefeated National Champions during both 1929 and 1930 and Rockne referred to those teams as his best ever. The backfield of Carideo, Savoldi, Brill, and Schwartz remains the only offensive backfield in the history of college football to all be voted to an All-American team during the same season (1930).

Upon Savoldi's expulsion from Notre Dame, he was first signed by Curly Lambeau of the Green Bay Packers, but when local Chicago Bears fans heard the news, their harsh criticism of George Halas not signing Savoldi led to an elaborate double-cross of Lambeau. According to Halas, Lambeau had broken the newly created "Grange Rule" by signing Savoldi prior to his senior class having graduated. But as soon as Lambeau retracted Savoldi's contract, Halas signed Savoldi, and Jumping Joe joined the Bears. Lambeau and the Packers then protested with commissioner Carr, but the commissioner allowed the Bears to keep Savoldi as long as they were willing to pay a fine of $1,000 per game that Savoldi played in. The Bears started Savoldi at the halfback position opposite Red Grange, and in his first game (only ten days after leaving Notre Dame), he scored the only touchdown in a 6–0 victory over Ernie Nevers' Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day in Wrigley Field. After helping the Bears win their final three games of the season (including a 21-0 upset of Lambeau's Packers on December 7, 1930 at Soldier Field), Savoldi was invited to re-join his fighting Irish team in a Notre Dame All-Star vs West/South All-Star game in the Los Angeles Coliseum. During the 20–7 victory, Savoldi scored three touchdowns, was named the game's MVP, and caught the eye of two famous spectators—wrestling promoter Billy Sandow and former world champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis. Sandow and Lewis allegedly promised Savoldi more money in a single wrestling match than he would make during the entire following season with the Bears.

As a wrestler, Savoldi became known for his finishing move, the flying dropkick (the pro wrestling move known today as simply the "dropkick"). From the early 1930's through the end of his career in 1950, Savoldi was credited as having originated the move, but today that attribution is disputed between him and Abe Coleman.

Interpromotional wars were raging at the time, and on April 7, 1933 at Chicago Stadium, Savoldi was involved in a double cross on heavyweight champion Jim Londos. After a tangle by the ropes, referee Bob Managoff declared Savoldi the winner by pinfall and awarded him the title. Vigorous arguments were waged over whether Savoldi had truly won the match, and whether Londos' title had even been on the line. As a result, Savoldi and Managoff were suspended in some territories and the title change was not universally recognized. Londos continued to bill himself as world champion, while Savoldi went to the New York area claiming the same, until he was defeated by Jim Browning on June 12 at Yankee Stadium. After peace was made between rival promotions, a Londos/Savoldi rematch was held at Chicago Stadium on January 31, 1934. Londos won the contest in front of 20,200 fans, one of the largest crowds to ever watch a wrestling match up to that time and the largest indoor match ever at that point.

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. In 1941, he brought a new energy drink to market, called Dropkick, The Drink For "All Americans". Despite excellent pre-sales, including a contract with the University of Notre Dame to feature the drink in their stadium during the 1942 season, the business venture fizzled when the United States entered the war, and the ensuing sugar rationing eliminated his ability to mass produce the drink. As the conflict continued, Savoldi was approached by the U.S. government in 1942 about joining the war effort in an espionage role, owing to his fluency in multiple dialects of Italian as well as his expertise in hand-to-hand combat. Thus he became an agent for the Office of Strategic Services operating in and around Italy, where he passed easily for a local. Among the operations in which Savoldi participated, the McGregor Mission included a series of secret meetings held behind enemy lines in July 1943 between an OSS team and members of the Italian Resistance.

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. He tried promoting in the Chicago area for a while between 1946 and 1948, and gave Bobo Brazil his start in the wrestling business. Savoldi returned to the ring for a couple more years, wrestling his final match in 1950. He 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. Joe Savoldi died in 1974 at the age of 65, and is buried in Henderson.

He is unrelated to the New Jersey-based professional wrestling family who changed their last name from Fornini to Savoldi during 1937 (while Jumping Joe Savoldi was wrestling internationally). That family includes Angelo Savoldi and son Joseph.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Missile dropkick
  • Flying dropkick
• Signature moves
  • Diving tackle

Championships and accomplishments

• Montreal Athletic Commission
  • World Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (1 time)
• National Wrestling Association
  • European Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Other titles
  • Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (1 time)