Background
Sarpolis was born in Newport, Pennsylvania to Lithuanian immigrants.
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Doc Sarpolis
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After serving in World War I, he attended medical school at Rush College and in 1926 earned a medical degree from Loyola, following in his brother"s footsteps.
Career
He had a love for music and could play several instruments. During enrolment at the University of Chicago, he made money performing in a band. He also played football for coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
He was recruited into wrestling by Jack Pfefer in 1926, who recommended that he emphasize his Lithuanian heritage.
He wrestled Jim Londos in San Francisco on July 12, 1932. The match had an attendance of over 10,000.
In 1933, he claimed the undisputed championship of Lithuania by winning a tournament in Cleveland. During the Great Depression, Sarpolis would book in Dallas for Editor McLemore.
He occasionally refereed and filled in for injured wrestlers and filled in for wrestelrs who missed bookings.
His nickname was “Doc”, and he purchased one-third of the Texas Agency with Sigel and Burke. The group would book grapplers into Dallas, San Antonio, and other cities in Texas. In April 1953, he sold his stake and jumped to McLemore’s anti-NWA outfit.
In 1955, Sarpolis and Dory Funk bought out Dory Detton in for approximately $75,000.
The West Texas territory had the Funk family as its headliners. Once known for junior heavyweights, the new ownership transformed into an area featuring grapplers of all shapes and sizes.
Sarpolis continued to pay membership dues and In August 1962 was elected president of the NWA. At the August 1963 NWA convention in Saint Louis, members worked to reach a solution and the office agreed to recognize Thesz. Losses to The Shiek and Thesz led to the eventual phasing out of Dory Junior.’s championship.
Throughout the 1960s, Sarpolis and Funk, Senior had working agreements with Sam Muchnick, Verne Gagne, Bob Geigel and Jim Barnett.
The production had Stanley Blackburn as its kayfabe commissioner, Shelton Key as the ring announcer, and the weekly television shows were taped on Saturday afternoons from the studio of KVII-television (Channel 7 in ). Sarpolis died of a heart attack on May 28, 1967 after a boating accident. The Sarpolis family would sell his shares in the promotion to Dory Funk, Junior. and Terry Funk.
They had two sons: Karl Junior. died as an infant less than a year old.
A second son also named Karl was born on November 20, 1924 lived in Chicago until his death on June 19, 1996. He would marry a second time and had a daughter named Betty Jane on July 23, 1944.
Achievements
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Although Funk was considered as a potential replacement for Pat O’Connor as NWA world heavyweight champion, not long after the NWA made Buddy Rogers champion instead, the office chose to recognize Gene Kiniski as champion instead. He became the first president to recognize a champion other than the NWA titleholder. Even after Lou Thesz defeated Rogers for the NWA title in Toronto, Sarpolis continued to recognize Kiniski and then Dory Funk, Junior. as champion.
