Poster: Funk vs. Brisco in Greensboro (1972)

By Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us way back to early 1972, February 17th to be exact, and promotes a card held at the Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum.

The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was up for grabs as champion Dory Funk, Jr. defended against perennial foe Jack Brisco. Funk retained his title as this classic match-up ended in a one hour draw and I have no doubt these two men put on a professional wrestling clinic for the fans in Greensboro. 

Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson topped Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson (managed by Gary Hart) in the semi while the undercard featured familiar names like Missouri Mauler, Brute Bernard, Sandy Scott, Jerry Brisco, Jim Dillon, and The Kentuckian Luke Brown.

The poster features a horizontal layout with the two main events listed side by side, black and red print over a two-tone pink and yellow background, and six great wrestler images adorning the sides.

 NO. 46 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

Poster: Briscos battle Mauler/Brute in Greensboro

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us back to March 16th, 1972 and promotes a card held at the War Memorial Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. 

As was the norm for this time period in Jim Crockett Promotions, tag team action headlined the bill. The Atlantic Coast Tag Team titles were up for grabs as the brother team of Jack and Jerry Brisco collided with the reigning champions Missouri Mauler and Brute Bernard.

The semi main event pitted fan favorites Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson against Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson who were being managed by Gary Hart. Boxing great Archie Moore was brought in as a special referee to keep things in order, if at all possible.

The remainder of the card consisted of singles action including Paul Jones versus Ole Anderson, Les Thatcher versus Gene Anderson, Argentina Apollo versus Johnny Heidman, Sandy Scott versus Bobby Paul, and Nelson Royal versus Krusher Karlson.

The poster itself features a striking horizontal layout with a two-tone yellow over green background and the "Wrestling" splash, "War Memorial Coliseum", and main event names in high impact red. The remainder is printed in black along with images of the featured stars lining both sides.

All in all, another exciting night of professional wrestling for the fans in Greensboro almost 50 years ago.

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by Dick Bourne

The Brisco brothers were a key part of the main events in the Mid-Atlantic area in the early 1970s. They teamed here frequently (as in the main event this night in Greensboro), but also wrestled as top singles attractions. 

Jack Brisco was being groomed by Eddie Graham to become NWA World Heavyweight champion within the next year or so. Back in November of 1971, Brisco had defeated Missouri Mauler, one of his opponents this night in Greensboro, for the Eastern Heavyweight championship (the forerunner to the Mid-Atlantic title.)  He would feud with Rip Hawk over that title over the next several months. 

Jerry Brisco was on the cusp of the first big singles push of his career, something he would acknowledge and thank Jim Crockett, Sr. for during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech some three decades later. He and Rip Hawk traded the Eastern Heavyweight title back and forth several times over the rest of 1972. 

Interesting to see Paul Jones and Ole Anderson in singles competition. Ole usually teamed with his brother Gene, but would get his first big singles push as well over the next year, also centered around the Eastern title (and Jerry Brisco.) Paul Jones and Ole Anderson would butt heads off and on for the next 13 years in tag team feuds, most notably in the famous Wahoo McDaniel/Paul Jones vs. Anderson Brothers wars of 1975. 

Johnny Heidemann (sometimes spelled Heidman or Heidmann), who faced high flyer Argentina Apollo on this show, would soon retire from full-time ring competition and become one of Crockett Promotions' regular referees.   

NO. 23 IN A SERIES

Hart and Ringley on Charlotte TV Special (1972)

"Playboy" Gary Hart and JCP's John Ringley (1972)

In 1972, John Ringley hosted a special episode of "Championship Wrestling" that aired on WBTV-3 in Charlotte that focused on Rip "The Profile" Hawk. Ringley and Hawk's manager, "Playboy" Gary Hart were situated on a set in the WBTV studio. They reviewed 16mm film footage shot at the Charlotte Coliseum and Greensboro Coliseum featuring Hawk against various opponents including Jack Brisco in a battle over the Eastern Heavyweight Championship.

Matches included:

• Rip Hawk and Swede Hansen vs. Johnny Weaver and Argentina Apollo
• Rip Hawk and Swede Hansen vs. Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson (Greensboro)
• Rip Hawk vs. Jack Brisco (Hawk wins Eastern title) (Charlotte)
• Rip Hawk vs. Art Nelson (taped fists match) (Greensboro)

We recently had a conversation with Mr. Ringley about booking changes back during this very time period. That article can be found on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway by clicking this link.

This post was originally published on the Studio Wrestling website, a sister-website of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Originally published on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.  

Wrestling and Election Returns on the bill at Dorton Arena (1972)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

I recently came across this little Raleigh newspaper clipping for a November 1972 card at Dorton Arena. I was struck by the mention that election returns would be announced during the event.

Promoter Joe Murnick assured fans they would be made
aware of local election results at his Dorton Arena show.
__________________________________________

This got me thinking about that presidential election year of 1972 and how differently we follow things like that today with our smart phones, Twitter, and cable news networks. In 1972, there were only three broadcast networks and unless you were glued to the TV in your living room or perhaps to your local AM radio station, you had no idea of how the election was playing out.

But savvy promoter Joe Murnick wanted fans to know that they didn't need to sit around the television at home and wait for local WRAL news anchor Charlie Gaddy to give them election results - - - election results would be announced in the arena!

That's an unusual pitch for a wrestling show. Politics have always been an ugly business, but can you imagine election results being announced at a wrestling event today? The fights in the ring would likely pale in comparison to the brawls that would break out in the stands.

I'm guessing that the local races were what were really of interest to the local crowd. There wasn't much drama in the presidential race that year as Richard Nixon wound up putting a 520-17 electoral college smackdown on George McGovern. But in North Carolina, Republican Jesse Helms was in a tough battle with Democrat Congressman Nick Galifianakis for the open U.S. Senate seat. Galifianakis led early in the race by 20 points, but Helms wound up winning on election night by a solid 8-point margin. It was the first time a Republican had won a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina in the 20th century and began a long tenure for Helms in the U.S. Senate.

Helms had several connections to wrestling. In the 1980s, Mid-Atlantic Wrestling announcer Bob Caudle, who was a longtime WRAL news personality, worked for Helms in his constituent office. Several wrestlers, including area stalwart Johnny Weaver, did political ads for Helms that aired during the wrestling programs in Helms' re-election bid in 1978. In the 1990 election, Ric Flair campaigned for Helms. 

Here are the match-ups in the three top bouts which all featured members or affiliates of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew:

Ole Anderson vs. Johnny Weaver
The winner of this bout would go on to meet NWA World Champion Dory Funk, Jr. on a future show. The stipulations were that there would be a $1,000 fine to anyone who interferes in the event. We're assuming that was targeted to other wrestlers and not angry fans because their candidate lost.

Gene Anderson vs. Art Nelson
This was billed as "brass knuckles" match.

The Menace vs. Sandy Scott
The Menace was a masked associate of the Anderson Brothers. He wore a maroon colored mask (Anderson colors) and often accompanied Gene and Ole in matches and would occasionally interfere on their behalf. I'm guessing that tendency to  interfere was one of the reasons there was the $1,000 fine stipulation in the Anderson/Weaver main event. 

Late edit: Results of the show - -

• Johnny Weaver defeated Ole Anderson
• Gene Anderson defeated Art Nelson
• Sandy Scott won by DQ over The Menace
• Freedy Sweetan & Mike "The Judge" Dubois defeated David Finley (Crockett) and Frank Hester
• Terry Kay defeated George "Two Ton" Harris
• Bobby Kay defeated Tinker Todd

There were two other Mid-Atlantic cards that evening, one each in the other two states of the territory, as Jim Crockett Promotions often ran three shows a night:

• In Columbia, SC, Eastern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Brisco defended his title against Rip Hawk, who was being managed for the first time by Homer O'Dell. O'Dell had recently taken over the managerial duties for Hawk and partner Swede Hanson from Gary Hart.
• In Danville, VA, Thunderbolt Patterson and Ronnie Garvin battled The Royal Kangaroos in a tag team main event. 

I earlier mentioned Charlie Gaddy, who wound up a broadcasting legend in the Raleigh market, hosting the local news anchor desk at WRAL into the 1990s. The national network anchors at that time were John Chancellor on NBC, Walter Cronkite on CBS, and Harry Reasoner on ABC.

***

Special thanks to Mark Eastridge as always for access to his newspaper clippings archive.
Updated with results from the Raleigh show provided by Carroll Hall of the All Star Championship Wrestling website.

Jesus, Elvis, and All Star Wrestling (Revisited)

With the passing of the Reverend Billy Graham on 2/21/18, I thought I'd re-post a link to a story I originally wrote in 2010 taking an in-depth look at an amazing week of events at the Charlotte Coliseum in 1972, which (along with wrestling, hockey, and and Elvis concert) included several nights of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade.  - D. Bourne

* * * * *

Click this link to go to the original article:

Jesus, Elvis, and All Star Wrestling

One Amazing Week at the Charlotte Coliseum (1972)

by Dick Bourne, Mid-Atlantic Gateway

 * * * * *

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Crazy Bloopers in Hub City!

File this one high up on the list of "How in the heck do these things happen?"

It was the regular Saturday night card at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on a cool October night. The main event was one of the hottest matches currently making the rounds in the Mid-Atlantic area: Ole Anderson vs. Thunderbolt Patterson.

The ad for the show ran in that morning's paper. All looked good until you started looking closely at the names wrestling on the mid-card. Heck, you didn't have to actually look all that closely, these odd name jumped right off the page to any fan familiar with the current stars of Jim Crockett Promotions.

In the semi-main event tag match (oddly called the "sub main event" here) the exciting babyface tag team of Jim Dillon and The Avenger (Reggie Parks) were scheduled to meet - - - JEAN Anderson and MASK Marvel.

Not "The Masked Marvel" - - just MASK Marvel.

In the scheduled third match of the night, ROMMIE ARVIN is scheduled to face PONCHO BALDER.

Poncho BALDER?? What the heck?

Lots of odd things about all this - -  

First of all, the fact that whoever put together the ad for the paper would spell Gene Anderson's name JEAN had to suggest that the local promoter called the scheduled line-up in to the paper and the person taking it down just spelled it like his mama's name was spelled. No one in the wrestling office would have spelled Gene's name JEAN. That might also explain ROMMIE ARVIN. Maybe a bad connection and the kid at the advertising desk couldn't hear the person calling it in real well. Although you'd think someone would pick up on the fact that ROMMIE ARVIN doesn't even much sound like a name.

But nothing explains PONCHO BALDER!

The wrestler scheduled to face Ronnie Garvin that night was Pancho Valdez. Actually, depending on the source and the territory, his first name was spelled both Pancho and Poncho. But Balder? How in the world the paper wound up with PONCHO BALDER is one of the great mysteries of these newspaper bloopers. Nothing explains that one. It certainly doesn't sound like Valdez that someone simply misunderstood. Even trying to decipher the worst handwriting in the world it's hard to see how you would get BALDER out of Valdez.

Maybe it was a rib.

One other little mystery is Gene Anderson's partner being billed as the MASK Marvel. While there had been a Masked Marvels tag team in the area before, there was no Masked Marvel in the area at present. Gene Anderson's partner this night was actually a masked wrestler named The Menace, who wore a maroon colored mask and was affiliated with the Anderson Brothers in a big angle at that time. The Andersons and their henchman The Menace were often teamed in 6-man bouts around the area at the time.

So just how did The Menace get billed as the MASK Marvel?

All of these things added together make this one of the strangest newspaper ad bloopers we've come across in some time.

The answers to these questions, if there are any, aren't really worth the time it took to wonder and write about them. This stuff just really puzzles me, how an ad department at a newspaper can get something so wrong. What could possibly explain these crazy errors?


There are other misspellings in names, including Jim GRAGMIRE. Given all these crazy mistakes, it's a wonder they got Mike Paidousis' name correctly. That's often a tough one.

The following day, the newspaper had no problem in getting the names of the wrestlers right, although the results show some changes in the card:

• Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Ole Anderson
• Jim Dillon and The Avenger topped Gene Anderson and The Menace
• Peggy Patterson defeated Paula Kay
• Ronnie Garvin defeated Pancho Valdez
• Billy Hines beat Terry Sawyer
• Johnny Heidman downed Jim Grabmire

For more Bloopers, visit the Blooper Directory.

Crockett Foundation: J.J. Dillon's Early Days for JCP

CrockettFoundation.com

The Crockett Foundation has posted an interview that the Mid-Atlantic Gateway conducted with James J. Dillon exclusively for their Foundation website.

When most fans today think of James J. Dillon, they think Four Horsemen. "J. J.'s Early Days" is a short discussion with Dillon about his early career stint as a wrestler with Jim Crockett Promotions in the early 1970s, before the passing of patriarch Jim Crockett, Sr.

Topics discussed include his memories of Jim Sr., the old Crockett office on Morehead Street in Charlotte, his first match for JCP, thoughts and memories on guys that helped 'Jim Dillon' along the way, and what his time in the 'Charlotte territory' meant for his career moving forward.

Dillon had a hall-of-fame career (he's now in three different pro wrestling halls of fame) and was involved in many aspects of the business as a wrestler, manager, and in management behind the scenes for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and the WWE. He is now a "tag team partner" of the Crockett Foundation.

Check out the interview with J.J. on the Crockett Foundation website.

"Tag in; help out!" 
Support the Crockett Foundation with your purchase of their classic "Four Horsemen" t-shirts, as well as caps and other goodies, all available on the Crockett Foundation online store.

The Crockett Foundations is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. 

Hart and Ringley on a "Championship Wrestling" Special

"Playboy" Gary Hart and JCP's John Ringley (1972)

In 1972, John Ringley hosted a special episode of "Championship Wrestling" that aired on WBTV-3 in Charlotte that focused on Rip "The Profile" Hawk. Ringley and Hawk's manager, "Playboy" Gary Hart were situated on a set in the WBTV studio. They reviewed 16mm film footage shot at the Charlotte Coliseum and Greensboro Coliseum featuring Hawk against various opponents including Jack Brisco in a battle over the Eastern Heavyweight Championship.

Matches included:

• Rip Hawk and Swede Hansen vs. Johnny Weaver and Argentina Apollo
• Rip Hawk and Swede Hansen vs. Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson (Greensboro)
• Rip Hawk vs. Jack Brisco (Hawk wins Eastern title) (Charlotte)
• Rip Hawk vs. Art Nelson (taped fists match) (Greensboro)

We recently had a conversation with Mr. Ringley about booking changes back during this very time period. That article can be found on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway by clicking this link.


This post was originally published on the Studio Wrestling website, a sister-website of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.
Republished on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway 11/7/19.

Jesus, Elvis, and All-Star Wrestling

One Amazing Week at the Charlotte Coliseum (1972)
by Dick Bourne, Mid-Atlantic Gateway
from the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives (originally published July 2010)

The evolution of sports venues is often a sad state of affairs in many U.S. cities. Mid-size cities in particular struggle to maintain financially viable arenas and stadiums, with sports franchises often holding up fans, voters, and city governments for better facilities, usually at the tax-payer’s expense.

Such has certainly been the case in Charlotte, North Carolina. But while most venues are torn down when they become obsolete, the old Charlotte Coliseum has somehow survived while its immediate successor has already been destroyed now years ago.

The original Charlotte Coliseum, now the Bojangles Coliseum

It has seen several name changes, becoming Independence Arena in 1988 (named for its location on Independence Boulevard) after a larger coliseum was built to accommodate an NBA basketball franchise. It later became Cricket Arena and now Bojangles Coliseum through different naming rights agreements.


Back in the day, the Charlotte Coliseum was the center of sports and entertainment activity in the city, hosting all variety of sporting events, concerts, and assorted other gatherings. It was also one of the main venues for regular pro wrestling events for Jim Crockett Promotions.

My friend Kyra Quinn was visiting Charlotte and attending the NWA Legends Fanfest in the summer of 2009, and while there spent a day or so visiting some of the other local attractions, including the Billy Graham Library. No, wrestling fans, not that Billy Graham – but the Reverend Billy Graham, perhaps the most famous Christian evangelist in the world.

In the lobby of the Library was a photograph that caught Kyra’s eye – the famed Charlotte Coliseum, back in its heyday, its marquee showcasing events taking place over the upcoming week. The photo, in the context of the Graham library, features the dates of one of Graham’s large multi-day evangelical crusades in 1972. But what caught Kyra’s eye further was what else was on that marquee – Elvis Presley, hockey, and wrestling - all in one week! Could it get any better than that?

What a wild and busy 10 days in April 1972 it must have been for the staff and management of the building, hosting events that would draw such huge crowds, if not sellout crowds, each night. A closer look at each event illustrates just how important a center of activity the Coliseum was for the surrounding community. These events weren't just average stops on a tour. They had a special significance of their own, making for an amazing week in Charlotte.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Billy Graham Crusade: Wednesday April 5 – Sunday April 9, 1972

Billy Graham is thought to have preached to more people than anyone else in the world. The 5-day crusade in Charlotte would not only sell out the Coliseum (including thousands watching on closed circuit in the adjacent Ovens Auditorium), but was taped for broadcast and shown via syndication at various times over the following weeks in TV markets across the United States and around the world. The fifth night of this 1972 crusade, even though listed on the Coliseum’s marquee, actually took place at nearby Memorial Stadium.

Charlotte was Graham’s hometown. Born on a small dairy farm in 1918, he held his first crusade at a church in Charlotte in 1947 and had major crusades there in 1958 and this one in 1972. After this April 72 crusade, Graham would not hold another in the Queen City until September of 1996, drawing capacity crowds four straight nights at the brand new Carolina Panther’s NFL football stadium.

Charlotte Coliseum staff and crew barely had time to catch their breath after four nights of capacity crowds for Billy Graham in their building; Jim Crockett’s pro-wrestling event would take center stage two nights later.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Pro-Wrestling (Jim Crockett Promotions): Monday April 10, 1972

In 1972, Jim Crockett Sr. was running weekly events every Monday night at the Charlotte Park Center consisting of 4 to 5 matches. But about every other month or so, he held a larger event at the larger Charlotte Coliseum, often when the NWA world champion came to town.

Such was the case on April 10, 1972 when NWA champion Dory Funk, Jr. returned to the Queen City to face top contender Johnny Weaver in the culmination of a series of five major matches in Charlotte over a 14-month period of time between the two. The feud had angles and diversions that spilled over into the Florida and Amarillo territories as well. (That whole 14 month run was chronicled in Mike Cline’s 2008 article on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.)

Weaver began this particular chase for the NWA title in February of 1971 going to a one hour time limit draw with the champ at the Park Center. They went to a second time limit draw five months later in the rematch, this time in front of a capacity crowd at the Coliseum on Independence Day weekend. Dory’s father, who carefully controlled the bookings of his son, refused to allow Weaver any other title matches, but the NWA ordered a third match between the two in September. In advance of that match, Funk Sr. put a bounty on Weaver’s head, hoping someone might injure him before the September match with Funk Jr. Weaver made it through the bounty matches, but may have suffered the brutal consequences of those matches as Funk beat him cleanly two out of three falls in their third match. Weaver would not give up, though and relentlessly pursued Funk. On Valentine’s Day night in 1972, Funk agreed to meet Weaver in a Texas death match and if Weaver won that, he would earn another title shot. Weaver defeated the champ in the Funk family’s own specialty match, earning another shot at the NWA belt. That final title match between the two for the time being took place on the April 10 show, and is the event featured on the marquee in this photograph. Funk defeated Weaver in the first and third falls, ending this classic series of matches that Weaver himself called the most important series of matches of his career.

NWA Champion Dory Funk Jr. hands the world championship belt to referee Ron West before a title defense against Johnny Weaver, 
April 10, 1972 at the Charlotte Coliseum.

On that same card, Jack Brisco regained the Eastern States heavyweight title (which would later become the Mid-Atlantic title) defeating Rip Hawk in a rematch from the previous super show at the Coliseum two months earlier.

Charlotte Coliseum staff still didn’t have a chance for a break. The Charlotte Checkers returned to the dome the next night.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Charlotte Checkers Hockey: Tuesday April 11 and Friday April 14, 1972

The Charlotte professional ice hockey franchise was the Charlotte Checkers, a member of the Southern Division of the 12-team Eastern Hockey League (EHL).

The Charlotte Checkers were on a roll in April of 1972, tearing through the EHL play-offs after having won their 4th consecutive regular season championship. They defeated the Suncoast Suns (St. Petersburg) and Greensboro Generals in the quarter and semi final rounds to win the Southern Division and then swept the Syracuse Blazers of the Northern Division to win their second straight Walker Cup and EHL Playoff Championship. The Checker's Gaye Cooley won the Davis Trophy as the EHL's leading goaltender.

The Checkers were only the sixth team in EHL history to win back-to-back championships in a league that went back to the 1940s. The team drew huge crowds at the Charlotte Coliseum during the early 1970s.

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Elvis Presley in Concert: Thursday April 13, 1972

Nestled in between the EHL play-off games on the 11th and the 14th was a concert by “the King”, Elvis Presley, on the 13th.

Following a two month stand at the Las Vegas Hilton in January and February of 1972, and a March recording session that yielded the no. 1 smash hit “Burning Love”, Elvis hit the road in April of 1972 for a 15-city tour that included the April 13 show in Charlotte. Many of those shows were filmed by MGM. The footage was used in the Golden-Globe winning documentary feature “Elvis On Tour”, which wound up being the final film in his prolific movie career which began in 1956.

Elvis was hurting emotionally during this time following his estrangement from wife Priscilla Presley four months earlier. The two would legally separate a few months later.

The show in Charlotte was a great success, as was the entire string of shows shot for the movie.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

What a 10 day run for the Coliseum, captured forever in a small black and white photograph hanging in the lobby of a library in Charlotte. Billy Graham brought together a community in revival in 1972. Jack Brisco regained his Eastern title belt while Elvis Presley sported a nice belt of his own, adorning his famous white fireworks jumpsuit. They came no tougher than NWA world champ Dory Funk or Checker’s goaltender Gaye Cooley.

The pulpit, ice rink, concert stage, and squared circle all featured names not soon forgotten in one amazing week at the Charlotte Coliseum. It didn’t get any more main event than that.

- Dick Bourne

Mid-Atlantic Gateway, July 2010

2017 Edit - The Bojangles Coliseum is alive and well in 2017! Since this article was written and originally published in 2010, some amazing things have been happening at the old Charlotte Coliseum/Independence Arena. It's the new home of the Charlotte Checkers hockey team and soon home to the new AAL arena football team the Carolina Energy. Now, if only Jim Crockett Promotions cold resurrect and bring Mid-Atlantic Wrestling back to the building! Some significant capital investments and renovations have made the Bojangles Coliseum a special place again. Support events at this historic venue.

Credits and Resources

Photographs and graphics:

• Photograph of the picture displayed in the Billy Graham Library taken by Kyra Quinn on her visit there August 2009.
• Billy Graham photo from Wikipedia, listed as public domain from US News & World Report magazine.
• Wrestling clipping from Charlotte 4/10/72 courtesy the collection of Mark Eastridge.
• Charlotte Checkers logo from The Internet Hockey Database (HockeyDB.com.)
• Elvis Presley photo in concert in Charlotte Coliseum 4/13/72 from ElvisConcerts.com.
• Photo of Dory Funk vs. Johnny Weaver in the Charlotte Coliseum 4/10/72 taken by Gene Gordon © Scooter Lesley / Ditchcat Photography. Used with permission.

Research:

• Billy Graham Center Archives: Charlotte Evangelistic Campaigns Research Project, http://www.wheaton.edu/
• Billy's Team: Keeping Graham by Jim Schlosser, Greensboro News & Record September 28, 1996
• Graham: Society Needs Its Heroes, Associated Press, Sumpter Daily Item April 6, 1972, Sumter, SC (Thanks to Carroll Hall)
• Graham Opens Crusade, Associated Press, Spartanburg Herald Journal April 5, 1972, Spartanburg SC (Thanks to Carroll Hall)
• Elvis Presley Biography website. www.elvispresleymusic.com.au Specifically: Elvis Aaron Presley 1970-1972: The Way It Is
• ElvisConcerts.com www.elvisconcerts.com, Tours 1972
• Eastern Hockey League Standings 1971-1972, Sun Coast Suns http://www.suncoastsuns.com
• The Internet Hockey Database www.hockeydb.com , Charlotte Checkers (EHL)
• Hockey in Charlotte by Jim Mancuso and Pat Kelly, Arcadia Publishing © 2006 ISBN-13: 978-0738542300
• The Johnny Weaver Interview (Chappell & Bourne), Mid-Atlantic Gateway, Nov. 2007
• Johnny Weaver's Title Chase by Mike Cline, Mid-Atlantic Gateway, March 2008

Special thanks to Kyra Quinn and Guy Depasquale. 

Article originally published on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway July 7, 2010.
Updated and edited with new information on the state of the Coliseum 7/12/15.
Featured again on 2/25/18 following Billy Graham's death.

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