John F. Spellman won six of seven bouts at the 1924 Olympics to capture the light heavyweight championship of the world, becoming the first Brown University graduate to win an Olympic title. The 1924 Olympics was held in Paris, and Spellman sped through the first two rounds in the light-heavyweight division, earning his trip to the finals. In the gold medal match, Spellman faced Swede Rudolf Svensson, a future two-time Greco-Roman gold medalist. Spellman won by decision to earn the gold medal.
Spellman, a two-time AAU champion, sought time off from the school to attend the 1924 Olympic Trials. Brown denied his request, but Spellman went anyway, earning a spot on the Olympic freestyle wrestling team. Brown punished Spellman by preventing him from graduating with his class, even though he had already completed the requirements. John’s older brother, Bob, and his younger brother, Frank, were also Brown captains and competed on New England championship teams coached by Brown’s legendary wrestling mentor, Frank Herrick. All three Spellman brothers are members of the Brown University Hall of Fame.
Among Herrick’s favorite recollections was a meet with Yale, tied 3-3 and about to be settled by the last bout in which Yale’s contender was one John McKay, six feet two, 235 pounds, and intercollegiate champion the previous year. Herrick had no match for him until he thought of Spellman, who hadn’t wrestled that day because of a sore side. Spellman was considerably smaller than McKay, but Herrick convinced him that he could show him how to win the match. After the regulation bout ended in a draw, Spellman managed to get on top of McKay and hold him for five seconds to save the day for Brown.
Captain of both the football and wrestling teams, the 5-10, 188-pound Spellman had broad shoulders and crushing arms and was a terror at either sport. He went through the 1924 wrestling seasons without losing a match. So great was his strength that he often raised an opponent over his head and slammed him to the mat for a quick pin. Spellman played pro football for the world champion Providence Steamrollers and wrestled against the top pros of his day, including a memorable match against Ed George for the world title. He won the first Fall but lost the next two and the championship to George.
After the Olympics, Spellman entered the pro ranks. He signed as a lineman with the Providence Steam Roller of the National Football League in 1925 and was a 1928 NFL championship squad member. He was named second-team all-NFL in 1929, stayed with Providence through 1931, and then played a final season with the Boston Braves in 1932. Spellman became a full-time wrestler upon his retirement from pro football.
The following article appeared in the Pawtucket Times on Feb. 12, 1926:
Spellman Wins His First Match as Pro Wrestler
John Spellman, former Olympic wrestling champion, Brown wrestler, and football player, made his debut in professional wrestling last night in Boston when he threw Jimmy Gentwell of Boston in 27 minutes in a very tough match. Boston writers said that Spellman shaped up like a future champion.
The following article appeared in the Pawtucket Times on Feb. 6, 1928:
Spellman-Sonnenberg on Mat Card Tonight
John Spellman and Gus Sonnenberg, two of the most popular players on the Steam Roller football team, feature tonight’s wrestling card at the Arcadia Ballroom in Providence. Spellman, a star at Brown and Olympic champion, is well along the road toward the topnotchers, according to Frank Herrick, coach at Brown. Sonnenberg, who made All-American as a tackle at Dartmouth, is in his first professional season and making a great impression. Many football followers who have never attended a wrestling contest plan to be present at the encounters to see how their gridiron idols make out in their wrestling ventures. Sonnenberg defeated Spellman in two out of three falls.
In 1938, Spellman and his wrestling team arrived in Africa, where he remained for the rest of his life. He later became a mining engineer in Zimbabwe and remained there until he died at age 67 in 1966.
John Spellman was inducted into The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1968 and the Brown University Hall of Fame in 1971.