Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Joe Lynam
Joe Lynam was born on November 17, 1916 and was a native of Culver, Oregon. Lynam began his wrestling career in 1939 around the age of 22. Lynam stood 5 ft 9 in tall and weighed 180 pounds. He was a two time Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Champion. With his good looks, Lynam became very popular among female fans.
When World War II started, Lynam enlisted in the United States Army. He became a Staff Sergeant and was stationed in Australia. While still a member of the U.S. Army, Lynam continued his wrestling career on his off days. Whatever money he made wrestling, Lynam donated all of it to the Red Cross.
After the war ended, Lynam continued to wrestle on a full time basis. After a show in Boise, Idaho…Lynam (who was licensed pilot) chartered a plane to Redmond, Oregon. He had a scheduled match in Eugene, Oregon later that night. His plane took off from Boise and when he reached Oregon ran into rain and heavy fog. His plane crashed at approximately 3:07pm 20 miles east of Bend, Oregon.
A few hours later, a search party was sent out to locate the plane. Joe Lynam’s body was discovered in the plane wreckage. He was just 31 years old at the time of his death. Joe Lynam left behind a wife and a daughter.