Title History
Amature Wrestling Title History
- National AAU 174lb Champion (1954);
- National Intercollegiate Champion (1955);
- National AAU 174lb Champion (1956)
- National Intercollegiate 174lb Champion (1956);
- National AAU 191lb Greco-Roman Champion (1956);
- United States Olympic Team – Silver Medal (1956);
- National Intercollegiate 174lb Champion (1957);
- NCAA Championship (1956);
Professional Wrestling Title History
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Angelo Savoldi (July 22, 1960);
- NWA (Mid America) United States Tag Team titles w/Lester Welch defeating Taro Sakuro & Yoshinosato (May 29, 1962);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Hiro Matsuda (April 23, 1965);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Lorenzo Parente (January ??, 1966);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Joe McCarthy (May ??, 1966);
- NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Scandor Akbar defeating Togo Shikuma & Chati Yokouchi (October ??, 1967);
- TWWA (Japan) World Heavyweight title defeating Lou Thesz (January 24, 1968);
- NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Scandor Akbar defeating Togo Shikuma & Chati Yokouchi (May 4, 1968);
- NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Lorenzo Parente defeating ??????? (December 3, 1968);
- NWA (Japan) International Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating Antonio Inoki & Giant Baba (January 9, 1969);
- NWA (Tri State) North American Heavyweight title defeating Chuck Karbo (October 21, 1969);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Sputnik Monroe (????, 1970);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Umanosuke Ueda (January 30, 1970);
- NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Luke Brown defeating Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts (May 27, 1970);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Dr. X (aka Jim Osborne) (March 20, 1972);
- NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Jay Clayton defeating Frank Goodish & Stan Hansen (July 9, 1975);
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight title defeating Hiro Matsuda (March 2, 1976);
Hall of Fame History
Career History
In the Beginning:
- Danny Hodge began wrestling in Jr. High School and became All State Jr. High School champion at the 145 lb. weight class..
- Danny Hodge continued to wrestle in High School and went to the state championships..
- 1951: Danny Hodge joined the Naval Reserves and was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Base in Waukegan, IL..
- ~~~He wrestled at the Great Lakes Naval Training Base and coached the wrestling team as well..
- Danny Hodge attended the University of Oklahoma and wrestled for them..
- 1956: Danny Hodge won the NCAA championship, the AAU Greco-Roman, and the AAU Freestyle Tournaments..
- 1956: Danny Hodge went to the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and won a Silver Medal after losing a disputed match..
- 1957: Danny Hodge won the NCAA for the third year in a row..
- Danny Hodge was also a Golden Gloves boxing champion and had had an 8-2 record as a professional fighter..
The Wrestling Business:
- October 7, 1959: Danny Hodge had his first professional match and defeated Sasha the Great (Alex Mulko aka Nikita Mulkovich)..
- Danny Hodge began training under Ed “Strangler” Lewis during his early days as a professional..
- July 22, 1960: Danny Hodge defeated Angelo Savoldi to win the NWA World Jr. Heavyweight title in Oklahoma City..
- 1968: Jack Donavan caused a riot during a match with Danny Hodge in Oklahoma City and had to fight their way to the locker-room..
- ~~~Both wrestlers likewise received minor knife wounds that required a trip to the emergency room at the local hospital!
- Mid-70s: Danny Hodge played a heel in the Memphis area, and would come out on television and crush apples with his bare hands..
- March 2, 1976: Danny Hodge defeated Hiro Matsuda to win his sixth NWA World Jr. Heavyweight title in St. Petersburg, FL..
- Mid-March 1976: Danny Hodge was involved in an automobile accident that ended his career and nearly ended his life..
- ~~~He fell asleep at the wheel of his car near Monroe, Louisiana and hit a bridge and suffered a broken neck..
Retirement:
- Danny Hodge was mostly face, but did have at least one heel run teaming with his old Olympic teammate Dale Lewis..
- Danny Hodge was known for having the strongest hands in the wrestling business due to supposed double tendons..
- Danny Hodge and his wife, Delores, have been married for over 50 years and live quietly in Perry, Oklahoma..
- January 24, 2005 – RAW: Jim Ross is honored with Jim Ross Day and a special appearance by the Legendary Danny Hodge..
- ~~~Of course, Triple H & Ric Flair interrupted and assaulted Danny Hodge and Stacy Keibler until Randy Orton made the save..
- March 18, 2005: Danny Hodge was in St. Louis accepting the award as one of the 15 greatest college wrestlers of all-time, as was Kurt Angle..
- September 30, 2006: Danny Hodge was honored in Paris, Arkansas where the city made it “Danny Hodge Day” to celebrate his life..
- September 30, 2006–Bill Ash’s Mid-South Wrestling: The Legendary Danny Hodge made a special guest appearance at the show.
- March 10, 2007–Mid South Wrestling: Among those there as special guests were Danny Hodge and Tom Jones.
- October 6, 2007–MSW: The Atomic Dogg (with Danny Hodge) defeated Prince Al Farat (with General Skandor Akbar)..
- June 14, 2008–Mid-States Wrestling: Stephen E (w/General Skandar Akbar) defeated Jason Jones (w/Danny Hodge)..
- October 15, 2009: Danny Hodge was inducted into the Online World of Wrestling Hall of Fame..
- February 27, 2010–Traditional Cham’p Wrestling: Tim Storm & Apoc w/Skandor Akbar beat Jett & Matt Riviera w/Danny Hodge..
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~Danny Hodge squeezed an apple and made apple sauce and knocked out a local manager after doing a run-in…
- December 26, 2020: Danny Hodge passed away at the age of 88.