Fred Beell

Wrestler

What is Fred Beell known for?

Fred A. Beell was a notable alumni from Marshfield High School, Wisconsin. He was born in West Prussia, Province of Prussia, on January 17, 1876. At the age of three, his family migrated to the United States, settling in Marshfield, Wisconsin, where he eventually attended Immanual Lutheran School.

Beell was not just a prolific figure in his hometown, but he also made significant contributions in the sports field and served his community as a police officer. A versatile individual, he was both a professional wrestler, making his debut in 1895, and a police officer, a career he pursued after his wrestling career.

In his wrestling career, Beell first became prominent in the late 1890s when professional wrestlers would fight numerous exhibition matches each month. He is known for the “Beell Throw,” a wrestling move named after him due to his perfection of it. He won the Northwest Wrestling Champion title defeating William West on April 9, 1900. In 1906, he gained national attention when he beat Frank Gotch, becoming the American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. His wrestling career spanned over 24 years, after which he retired and joined the Marshfield Police force in 1919.

Beell's life was tragically cut short on August 5, 1933, when he was killed on duty while investigating a break-in at the Marshfield Brewing Company. Posthumously, he has been honored with several awards including induction into the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2005, the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018. He was a three-time holder of the World Light Heavyweight Championship, a one-time American Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time Northwest Champion. He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972.

To this day, Beell's legacy lives on. Beell Stadium, home of the Marshfield Tigers football team, is named in his honor.

For more information, you can visit Fred A. Beell's Wikipedia page, or Marshfield's location on Google Maps.