The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-02-07
ROLLER BECAME
STAR IN HURRY
SEATTLE DOCTOR AROSE IN FOUR
YEARS TO ONE OF THE BEST
OF THE WORLDS MAT
ARTISTS.

DIR. II. +. Roller is perhaps the most
unique figure on the wrestling mat, on
account of his early training in life.
DIR. Roller is a practicing physician,
n graduate Of the University of Penn
sylvania Medical school, but has aban-
doned his profession temporarily on
account of the wonderful success
which has has attained on the mat
success that accompanies his career as
a successful wrestler.
DR.. Roller is a marvel. II is only
four years ago this fall that he took
such a high place in the profession is
wonderful to students OF the wrestling
game, who have maintained that a
wrestler does not, begin to get real
good until he has been on the mat for
years. But when he wrestled a draw
in Kansas City with Zbyszko for two
hours and twenty-five minutes. they
were all willing to acknowledge that
he may be the exception that proves
the rule That contest was stopped by
the police, because both men We're so
tired at the finish that the police
thought it would be downright cruelty
to permit them to continue.
His success i'm the wrestling game
in such comparatively brief career
is explained by his wonderful athletic
ability along other lines. He played
football at college and later on pro-
fessional teams, of which there are
many in big cities of the west He
was a member of the professional foot
ball team that won the championship
of the world in Madison Square Gar
den i'm 1902.
DIR. Roller was born on a farm not
far from Newman, ILL.,. July l. 1876.
He worked on the farm until he was
II years of age. He was the athlete
of his vicinity and could defeat any
of the other boys i'm every form of ath-
letics i'm which they were interested.
He had confidence that through his
athletic ability he could get himself an
education, and started from home with
seven cents i'm his pocket to enter the
preparatory department Of Depauw
University. Previous to entering De-
paw he had attended the public
schools and passed the county examin-
alton with an average of 9S per cent
i'm ten branches He was graduated
from DePauw with the degree of h. 5.
i'm 1898
In September of that year he en-
tered the medical department of Uni
versity of Pennsylvania from which
he was graduated in June. 1902 He
won the Saunders prize of 500 in
gold for excellence in scholarship.
He was president of his class i'm
Pennsylvania twoi years member of
the college glee club three years and
member of the Phi Beta Theta and
the Skulls fraterhities.
In the fall of 1906. when he took the
position of physical director for the
Seattle Athletic club. wrestling had
begun to take firm hold on the sports
of the coast due largely TO the big
match in that vicinity between Gotch
and Tom Jenkins, who had been cham
pion of America before Gotch. Dr.
Roller devoted himself to wrestling
and developed wonderfully fast.
He has thus far only lost to Frank
Gotcs, who secured two pinfalls on
him. and to Henry ordemann at Seat
tie and at Minneapolis last Monday.
He was made unconscious in the Sc
attic contest and unable To continue,
thus losing the decision.
He got decision over Gotch in n
handicap match. Gotch being unable
to throw him twice in an hour. and
he also got decision over zbyszko In
a similar match. the Polish wrestler
being unable Co throw him. He then
made n match on even terms with
Zbyszko. which took place i'm Kansas
City March %. They wrestled 2 hours
and 22 minutes without either getting
a fall, and the police then stopped the