Earl McCready


Earl Gray McCready was a Canadian amateur wrestler. McCready competed in the U.S. for Oklahoma State University in folkstyle, and as a freestyle sport wrestler who competed for Canada in the 1928 Summer Olympics. Later in life he became a pro wrestler.
McCready was nicknamed 'The Moose' during his wrestling career.

Early life

McCready was born on the 5th or 15th of June 1905 in Lansdowne, Ontario. He grew up on a farm in open rural area of Saskatchewan in the north regions with Regina as its capital city, Western Canada. During his wrestling career his billed height was.
McCready died of a heart attack on the 9th of December 1983 in Seattle, Washington, United States at the age of 78.

Career

Amateur wrestling

In 1928 McCready finished sixth in the Olympic Freestyle Heavyweight Tournament. McCready still owns the record fastest fall in an NCAA final, pinning Ralph Freese of the University of Kansas in just nineteen seconds at the very first NCAA wrestling championship in 1928.

Summer Olympics

McCready competed for Oklahoma State University in folkstyle, and as a freestyle sport wrestler who competed for Canada in the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1930 Empire Games he won the gold medal in the heavyweight class.
McCready attracted the attention of Oklahoma State wrestling coaches when he defeated their heavyweight at a 1926 tournament in Canada. McCready came to the Stillwater, Oklahoma college, where he played football and wrestled. In three years of wrestling varsity, the 5'11", 238-pound McCready was 25-0, with all but three of his victories by pin.
As an Oklahoma State Cowboy, McCready won three NCAA heavyweight titles, becoming the first three-time NCAA champion at any weight. He was also the first foreign-born NCAA wrestling champ. He is one of only two collegiate wrestlers with three NCAA titles to win all three of his finals matches by pin. McCready still owns the record fastest fall in an NCAA final, pinning Ralph Freese of the University of Kansas in just nineteen seconds at the very first NCAA wrestling championship in 1928.

Professional wrestling

Following McCready's graduation from Oklahoma A&M with a degree in physical education, he became a pro wrestler in late 1930, pursuing a professional wrestling career. McCready finished sixth in the Olympic Freestyle Heavyweight Tournament and he won a Gold Medal in Freestyle as a heavyweight at the first British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1933, also in the same year as well, roughly two years after the start of his career, McCready had defeated the ten year reigning British Empire champion Jack Taylor in a wrestling match
McCready worked for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling during the 50s.

Retirement

In the early 1950s McCready became a star of Stu Hart's fledgling Stampede Wrestling promotion. In 1958 McCready fought his last wrestling match at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He retired from wrestling after a 28-year career in the sport.

Championships and accomplishments