Mildred Burke Champion Girl Wrestler

Mildred Burke was a diminutive powerhouse wrestling men and women over a career that spanned some twenty years. Only 5'2", her shoulders were likened by an observer to those of a coal heaver. Her legs were compared to small redwood trees. Born in Kansas and raised for part of her teenage years in California, she joined promoter Billy Wolfe who took Mildred on, albeit reluctantly, and became her mentor and manager. The two traveled exhaustively with Mildred winning tournaments and accumulating wrestling titles all along. She once told a reporter that she had to buy new cars each year because of a relentless touring schedule that saw her on the road for four months each year. During these months she accumulated approximately 100,000 miles of driving annually. From the earliest years Wolfe and Burke advertised for male opponents since there were seldom enough women wrestlers to meet Mildred, especially in the beginning. I have used references from the 1940s and 1950s, years when Mildred Burke dominated her sport, to compile my e-book.