So while this is somewhat OT, the ACC Blog just put out a very interesting article about CJF's great-grandfather coming over to the U.S. from Spain as a wrestler. It's at least worth a read during the Spring. The full article can be found at the link below...
When new Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente was young, he would hear bits and pieces about his great-grandfather when his dad and uncle got together. Even then, the details were a little fuzzy.
He remembers being told great-grandpa Jack was a wrestler during the Great Depression. But nobody called him Jack. He was "The Spanish Red Devil." Sometimes "Spanish Jack."
Justin's Uncle Mark and Aunt Barbara set out to do a genealogy search several years ago, mostly out of curiosity. Barbara found that Jack was born Joaquin de la Fuente in 1897 in Oviedo, Spain. Around age 18, he ran away from home for unknown reasons. He stopped in Cuba first and lived with an uncle before coming into the United States.
He started in the Northeast as a boxer, and that eventually led to his brief wrestling career during the Great Depression. One photo shows Jack lifting buckets filled with concrete, which he used as weights. Others show him in a classic wrestling pose, sans shirt.
Comments
Can our coach get any freaking cooler?
Reminded me of
This might explain the pro wrestling gifs announcing each new day of practice
Start CJF nickname search, ASAP.
Does anyone know if ESPN has a stake in Wrestlemania? They seem to really pile it on in the weeks leading up to the event.
It seems fitting since everything ESPN does is fake and overdone! Lines up well with wrestlemania!
Wait....wrestling?
"fake and overdone!"
Pretty interesting story.
ESPN will drive it into the ground, though I'm sure. I can hear it already,
Musberger: "Hey Kirk, did you know Fuente's great grandfather was a pro wrestler nicknamed the Spanish Red Devil?!"
Every-Damn-Game from the announcers. A la Boykins glove size.
Did you know that Jeff Allen lost 40 pounds in the offseason?
ESPN must have bought a stake in WrestleMania as they have been all over a CFB to WWE kick lately. Wrote an article on which current players are most likely to become wrestlers:
Augie Conte, Virginia Tech Hokies
On the football field: Entering his third year as a starter on Virginia Tech's offensive line, the 6-foot-6 Conte helped the Hokies rush for more than 2,000 yards last season.
In the ring: Conte is among the strongest players on Virginia Tech's roster, and perhaps in the entire ACC. A minor shoulder injury prevented him from maxing out during offseason drills this year, but he said he has recently squatted 575, power-cleaned 400 and benched 450. As for wrestling, his high school coach was a big fan, so Conte would at least consider a career in the sport if the situation presented itself. "I heard a lot about it through him," Conte said. "If given the shot, I might try to explore that avenue, but I haven't planned on it."
Pro wrestling comparison: Bam Bam Bigelow. Conte is more athletic, certainly, but he has a similar mix of size and strength and, given Bigelow's fame for wrestling Lawrence Taylor during Wrestlemania XI, it's obvious they both enjoy tormenting pass-rushers.
LINK
What does El Diablo Rojo mean?
It's like Spanish for like a fighting chicken.
My favorite was always Stan the Man Stasiak with his heart punch.
Gordon Soley always reminded the audience that paramedics were standing by, to keep frayed nerves at bay. Admirable stuff.
Well, we have a new Sauces picture:
Is this real?!?
From the referenced article:
I think I've been "from the referenced article" twice today. My game is poor.
Is this real?
You want to know if this is REAL?!
Son, this is the internet. You don't need to know anything else.