More About the Great ILLINOIS Wrestler Abraham Lincoln

 We've talked about Abraham Lincoln's last wrestling match here. That was all in good fun. But the Sixteenth President was an actual wrestler, and he was said to be very good. This wasn't what we'd call Freestyle or Greco, at least as we know it now. It was more like what came to be known as "Catch" wrestling:

It is interesting to think of the 6-4 Lincoln throwing people around. This is from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame:

Lincoln was a storekeeper at New Salem when his boss backed him to out-wrestle Jack Armstrong, local tough and county champion. From the start, Lincoln handed out a thrashing. When Armstrong began fouling, Lincoln picked up his opponent, dashed him to the ground and knocked him out.

Lincoln's wrestling prowess was even a subject broached during the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Stephen Douglas mentioned in one of those debates about having known Lincoln for years, and Douglas said about his political opponent, "He could beat any of the boys at wrestling." 

So, when Coaches Poeta and Medlin talk about making ILLINOIS a mecca for the sport, there's a strong tradition to build from, starting with Honest Abe.