(Wrestler) Jimmy Sarandos: A Lost Golden Greek by Steve Frangos

 

Historical Commentary on wrestler "Jimmy Sarandos:  A Lost Golden Greek" written by Steve Frangos and published in The National Herald, July 8, 2023.

Several years ago, we were lucky enough to get permission from The National Herald to repost articles that are of interest to our group.

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Even a preliminary review of the Greek immigrant amateur and professional athletes clearly documents the presence of literally dozens of individuals beginning in the mid-to-late 1800s. Undoubtedly each and every one expected success in their future. Yet, as one might imagine, not all achieved the kind of fame and fortune they expected once they reached American shores. 

A nineteen-year-old Demetrios Sarandopoulos arrived in Boston harbor in early April, 1936. Young Sarandopoulos was brought here by Dr. George Cyrus of Boston, who had traveled through Greece and Turkey looking for a young Greek wrestler he could promote. Sarandopoulos was his discovery. 

Upon his arrival Sarandos immediately went into training. While already a well-established Greco-Roman wrestler in Europe Sarandopoulos began training in the American catch-as-catch-can style of wrestling. At that moment in time Sarandopoulos stood 5-foot, 101/2-inches tall and weighed 238-pounds. The young Greek was no novice, having defeated 153 journeymen wrestlers “winning the Graeco-Roman and Balkan State titles in Europe” (Evening Star (Washington DC) November 29, 1936). At the moment Sarandopoulos stepped onto American shores the young wrestler had never lost a match.

With hardly a lost moment Sarandopoulos debuted in Boston Gardens on Friday April 15 against Hermie Olson, a well-respected wrestler of the day (Boston Globe May 12, 1936). Sarantos easily won his first match. Sports writers immediately dubbed Sarandopoulos as a ‘Golden Greek’ and within no time predicted the young good-looking Greek would be ‘the next Londos.’ 

Events moved quickly around the young wrestler. At some point, and not long after his arrival, Sarandopoulos parted company with Dr. Cyrus and sometime in late November, 1936 had a new manager, Freddie Morandos. One of the points that may have caused a rift between Cyrus and Sarandopoulos was the young wrestler’s surname. Dr. Cyrus wanted to change it: “Sarandos (is) not a good professional name, you’ll be Jimmy Poulos in America” (Boston Globe 12 May 1936). 

This was around the same time period that another Greek immigrant boxer – and one also then found in the Boston area – Fanis Tzanetopoulos refused to change his name because American sports writers as well as newspaper type-setters did not like it. Sarandopoulos ignored the negative press and like Tzanetopoulos kept his name, just a shortened version for the public press.

Whatever else may have been occupying the sportswriters and typesetters, Jimmy Sarandos was an immediate wrestling success. In 1936, young Sarandos won 14 matches with 2 matches judged a draw out of total of 16 to 18 matches (c.f. wrestlingdata.com). In 1937, Sarandos won 21 matches and 5 draws out of 26 matches, so the young Greek was clearly on the fast track to success. The daily press had a field day with the new champion, bestowing a jumble of honorific nicknames upon him such as: the ‘Golden Greek’, the ‘Greek Hercules’ and my personal favorite: the ‘Greek Tarzan’. 

To be sure, Sarandos was not the only Greek wrestler who has ever been given a ring-side nickname. John Maxos was also known as a ‘Greek Hercules’. John Kostos, John Tolos, and even Jim Londos were all referred to in the daily press, now and again, as the ‘Greek Tarzan’. Individual-specific nicknames also followed specific athletes. 

But the issue of acceptable names never went away. Instead it got racist. One example is typical of these public press slurs, “Jim Wallis, the husky former Holy Cross football player who is to tackle ‘Chimney’ Sarandos, the ‘Greek Tarzan,’ in one of the 30-min” (Hartford Courant 31 March 1937). 

Just as with the dialect-comedians of this same era, it was a commonplace to make fun of Greek-Americans via public forums such as the daily press by including in the text or so called humorous radio or theater stage performances grossly mispronounced words the way American’s heard (or maintained they heard) them, in the manner of a Greek immigrant’s typical mispronunciation. 

In 1936, Sarandos had 14 wrestling bout wins, 2 draws and no defeats. Next year, in 1937, Sarandos won 21 wrestling matches and 5 draws. Then, in 1938, young Sarandos had 17 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats. While all these matches were taking place sports writers were touting young Sarandos as ‘the next Londos.’ But then in 1939, as far as the record books show, Sarandos had only 4 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat and one tragic life changing experience. 

Sports writer Al Williams devoted his entire May 9, 1939 column to the events that soon engulfed Demetrios Sarandos’ life (Santa Barbara NewsPress May 9, 1939). Here are just fragments from that longer, much more detailed account. Sarandos "was motoring to Bakersfield with Millard Rauh (a wrestling manager) … and Jumbo Kennedy, 475-pound grappler. They were traveling by night … They were only a few miles from Bakersfield when disaster struck. A lone driver … swerved to pass a truck and crashed into the wrestler’s car. Kennedy and Rauh were hurt, but not seriously, and they went over to the other car… [only to find the other driver dead] … ”

The account continues: “Where’s the Greek? Asked Kennedy, looking back at [their] wrecked car, still standing on the highway. Kennedy and Rauh started back toward their own car, but before they could [get there yet another car] roared down the highway and smacked into the wreck ... When they pulled Sarandos out he was discovered to be seriously hurt and lay for weeks in a Bakersfield hospital. Finally he seemed to have recovered, left the hospital, and resumed his trade, wrestling.” 

And here is where everything began to unravel for Sarandos. In a match with Jack Washburn (d 1958) Sarandos was so weakened Washburn “finally jumped through the ropes” and basically refused to continue. “Once everyone was back stage Washburn gave the athletic commission inspector an earful saying in part, “don’t let that gut wrestler anymore, he’ll kill himself. He’s paralyzed in one side and can hardly retain his balance in there.” The inspector lost little time recommending that Sarandos be denied a license.

As an added blow the State Department informed Sarandos his visa had expired and that he had to go back to Greece. Sarandos managed to stall them off for a while by getting a job in Salt Lake City. In his off-hours Sarandos began riding a bicycle to strengthen his injured left leg. But misfortune seems to have singled the young Greek out, for one day a car hit Sarandos while he was on his bicycle, breaking, once again, his already injured leg. Sarandos was subsequently deported. So ends Al Williams’ report on the ill-fated Sarandos. 

As if to add insult to injury Sarandos, was not just deported but he was sent to Istanbul, the port from which he and Dr. Cyrus had originally departed from for Ameriki (Salt Lake Tribune January 22, 1940). 

As the public record documents, Demetrios Sarandopoulos was without a doubt among the most outstanding Golden Greek wrestlers of his era. This fine athlete should be remembered for what he accomplished and not for the injustice Fate bestowed upon him.