Tony Altomare
Tony Altomare | |
---|---|
Birth name | Anthony C. Altomare |
Born | Stamford, Connecticut, US | July 24, 1928
Died | February 18, 2003 Stamford, Connecticut, US | (aged 74)
Children | 2 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Tony Altomare The Stamford Stomper[1] |
Debut | 1960[1] |
Retired | 1983 |
Anthony C. Altomare
Early life
Altomare was born on July 24, 1928, in Stamford, Connecticut, to Frank and Pauline Altomare (née Vescio). He was the oldest of four children: brothers Peter and Robert and sister Madeline. At the age of 18, Altomare enlisted in the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division, where he served for two years. It was during this time that his mother died, and he became something of a parent to his youngest brother Robert, who was only three at the time. Anthony and Peter, later joined by Robert, became lifeguards for Stamford's West Beach, where he would eventually rise to become the city's chief lifeguard for a 25-year tenure. During this time, he instituted free swimming lessons to the public and saved at least several lives. He married Mollie Gawitt of Stamford, and had two children.
Altomare's work as a lifeguard led to a career in entertainment. He appeared in 1964's The Horror of Party Beach, which was shot at West Beach. More importantly, he was recruited into the world of professional wrestling by a promoter who noted his impressive physique.[2]
Professional wrestling career
As a wrestler, Altomare was paired with Lou Albano, another Italian, in a stereotypical Italian gangster duo known as "The Sicilians." The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the June 30, 1961 Comiskey Park event starring Pat O'Connor and Buddy Rogers that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual mafiosi in 1961. In Chicago, Tony Accardo and two associates "requested" that Albano and Altomare cease using the word "mafia." During their run as Midwest tag team champions, personal differences with bookers and other wrestlers resulted in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving.[3] In July 1967, they won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship from Arnold Skaaland and Spiros Arion.[4] Albano and Altomare held the championship for two weeks.
After Albano became a
In 1980, Altomare filled in for
Later, Altomare was promoted to a low-level executive position within Vince McMahon, Jr.'s new WWF promotion. He was responsible for ensuring the arrival and sale of WWF-branded merchandise at wrestling shows. In 1984, he opened a wrestling school in Orange, Connecticut, called "The Factory," where he trained later superstars such as Ted Arcidi, Paul Roma, Rita Chatterton, and Doc Butler and established a training relationship with Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels.[7]
Death
Tony Altomare died in Stamford of heart failure on February 18, 2003, at the age of 74. He was buried in Spring Grove cemetery in Darien, Connecticut.[8]
Championships and accomplishments
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Captain Lou Albano[9]
- Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
- World Wide Wrestling Federation
- Captain Lou Albano
Notes
- ^ Surname is occasionally misspelled Altimore, Altomore, or Altomaro.
References
- ^ a b Online World of Wrestling - Wrestler Profiles - Tony Altomare
- ^ Carella, Angela (2010). Guards shaped life at West Beach. GreenwichTime.com [1]
- ISBN 978-0-615-18998-7.
- ^ Ellison, Lillian. First Goddess of the Squared Circle, pp. 166–167.
- ^ Albano, 2008, p. 104
- ISBN 978-0312588892.
- ^ Albano, 2008, pp. 104-105
- ^ Cribbs, Bill. "Miscellaneous Obituaries, Fairfield Co., Connecticut". www.genealogybuff.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- ^ "Midwest Tag Team Title (Illinois & Wisconsin)".