Al Haft

Al Haft
Born
Albert C. Haft

(1886-11-13)November 13, 1886[1]
DiedNovember 10, 1976(1976-11-10) (aged 89)[1]
Other namesYoung Gotch
Occupation(s)wrestler, trainer, promoter
Known forWrestling promoter and founding member of the National Wrestling Alliance

Albert C. Haft (November 13, 1886 - 10 November 1976) was a wrestler (both professional and amateur), wrestling and boxing promoter and wrestling trainer who was a prominent promoter in the United States from the late 1910s until the 1960s, running his operations primarily from Columbus, Ohio.[2] He founded the Midwest Wrestling Alliance and was one of the founding members of the National Wrestling Alliance in 1948.[3]

Haft's was originally the manager and booker of John Pesek, who would go on to become World Heavyweight Champion. He was also involved in amateur wrestling and was the head wrestling coach at the Ohio State University, leading "The Buckeyes" to their first team title in 1923.[4] He also holds the Ohio State Second-Year Coaching Record to this day.[5]

  1. ^ a b Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com.
  2. ^ Greenberg, Keith Elliot (5 December 2017). Pro Wrestling: From Carnivals to Cable TV. Lerner Publications. ISBN 9780822533320 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Hornbaker, Tim (5 December 2017). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 9781554902743 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "OhioStateBuckeyes.com Ohio State Wrestling Travels to Big Ten Championships :: The Ohio State University official athletic site :: Wrestling". www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com. 27 February 2006.
  5. ^ "OhioStateBuckeyes.com Wrestling: No. 9 Ohio State Sends Seven Qualifiers to 2008 NCAA Championships :: The Ohio State University official athletic site :: Wrestling". www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com. 18 March 2008.