Hans Furst

Hans Furst (October 29, 1890 - November 2, 1967), also spelled Hans Fuerst, was an Austrian professional wrestler and matchmaker.[1]

Hans Furst
Born(1890-10-29)October 29, 1890
Vienna, Austria
DiedNovember 2, 1967(1967-11-02) (aged 77)

Early life

Furst was born in Veinna, Austria on October 29, 1890.[1] Furst was said to have won the Austrian wrestling championship at the age of 16 and was said to be the youngest wrestler to hold that title.[2] He attended business college in Vienna, and learned to wrestle there. He finished second in a European lightweight title tournament while still being a student and was a member of his schools, wrestling, football and hockey teams.[1] Furst was said to be a good swimmer and was said to be Austrian two-mile running champion.[2]

Wrestling career

First arrived in Buffalo, New York in 1907 and was the New York State Light-heavyweight champion in 1914 and 1915.[1] Furst was said be "one of the cleverest light-heavyweight wrestlers" and had wrestled Wladek Zbyszko in 1911 at Brown's Gymnasium and also had fought George Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko and Dr. Benjamin Roller.[1][3][4][5] He wrestled multiple matches against Oluf Nielsen and[2] highly publicized losses to Pierre la Colosse and Cyclone Burns in 1915.[6][7][8][9] Furst wrestled Earl Caddock and Ed "Strangler" Lewis in 1916 along with others like Joe Matty, Steve Karger and Adolph Pohl (who was known for his short temper).[10][11][3] Furst defeated Cyclone Ress in February 1918 and was defeated by Wladek Zbyszko on June 22, 1918.[12][13]

Matchmaker

Furst partnered with Ed Delivuk to create of the Great Lakes Athletic Club in New York in the 1920s.[14] Furst was an assistant matchmaker and treasurer of the Buffalo Sporting Club and later became the head matchmaker and secretary in 1934.[1] Furst later resigned and sold his stake in the Buffalo Sports Club in August 1936.[15]

Personal life

Furst's main job outside of the ring was importing diamonds and Furst was said to enjoy swimming.[1]

References
  1. Delivuk's Widow Heads Ring Club, The Buffalo News, 1934, retrieved 13 March 2023
  2. Nielsen To Wrestle Hans Furst ---St. Peters' To Play Christ Church Five, Perth Amboy Evening News, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  3. Furst-Karger Match Here., The Boston Globe, 1916, retrieved 13 March 2023
  4. Christensen Beats Alvarez In Great Mat Battle; Nielsen Wins From Furst, Perth Amboy Evening News, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  5. Wrestling, Newark Star-Eagle, 1913, retrieved 13 March 2023
  6. Double Jitney Admission By Neward Feds, Fall River Globe, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  7. Sporting Notes, Kennebec Journal, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  8. Burns Defeats Furst, The Boston Globe, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  9. At Random in Sportdom, Asbury Park Press, 1915, retrieved 13 March 2023
  10. Buffalo Gets First Peek At Masked Marvel, Star-Gazette, 1916, retrieved 13 March 2023
  11. Furst and Pohl in Finish Match, The Boston Globe, 1916, retrieved 13 March 2023
  12. Furst Wins Two Falls From Cyclone Ress, The Boston Globe, 1918, retrieved 13 March 2023
  13. Zbyszko and Hans Furst Grapple- Benny Leonard in Exhibition Bout, The Standard Union, 1918, retrieved 13 March 2023
  14. "Obituaries". Legacy of Wrestling. 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  15. Cordovano Gets Matchmaker Job, The Buffalo News, 1936, retrieved 13 March 2023
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