Doc Sarpolis

Karl Sarpolis (born August 31, 1897 in Newport, Pennsylvania) was a wrestling promoter in Texas. Born to Polish-Russian immigrants, Karl started working as a coal miner.

Sarpolis made Houston his wrestling home and was married on February 3, 1936. Wrestler Ellis Bashara was his best man. He would marry a second time and had a daughter named Betty Jane on July 23, 1944.

Early Life
Sarpolis had a love for music and could play several instruments. During enrolment at the University of Chicago, he earned cash performing in a band. He also played football for coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.

After service in World War One, he attended medical school at Rush College. In 1926, he earned a medical degree from Loyola, becoming the second member of the family to become a doctor.

Wrestling
He was lured into wrestling by Jack Pfefer in 1926, who recommended that he play up his Lithuanian background. One of the early highlights in his career, was wrestling Jim Londos in San Francisco on July 12, 1932. The match had an attendance of over 10,000. In 1933, he claimed the undisputed championship of Lithuania by winning a tournament in Cleveland.

During the Great Depression, Sarpolis would book in Dallas for Ed McLemore. He occasiolanny refereed and filled in for injured wrestlers and filled in for wrestelrs who missed bookings. His nickname was “Doc”, and he purchased one-third of the Texas Wrestling Agency with Sigel and Burke. The group would book grapplers into Dallas, San Antonio, and other cities in Texas. In April 1953, he sold his stake and jumped to McLemore’s anti-NWA outfit.

Amarillo
In 1955, Sarpolis and Dory Funk Sr. bought out Dory Detton in Amarillo for approximately $75,000. The West Texas territory had the Funk family as its headliners. Once known for junior heavyweights, the new ownership transformed Amarillo into an area featuring grapplers of all shapes and sizes.

Although Funk was considered as a potential replacement for Pat O’Connor as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Sarpolis bit his tongue when the decision was made to go with Buddy Rogers. Rogers was not popular in West Texas, and in the first nine months of his reign as champion, he snubbed Amarillo. In March 1962, Amarillo recognized Gene Kiniski as World Champion.

Despite being disenfranchised with the NWA over the selection of Capitol Wrestling’s Buddy Rogers as NWA Heavyweight Champion, Sarpolis continued to pay membership dues. In August 1962, Sarpolis was elected to head the NWA as president. He would be the first sitting president in NWA history to recognize a champion other than the official titleholder. Sarpolis recognized Gene Kiniski rather than Buddy Rogers. Although Lou Thesz would strip the title from Rogers in Toronto, and Dory Funk, Jr. would defeat Kiniski, Funk was recognized over Thesz as Sarpolis’ champion.

At the August 1963 convention in St. Louis, members labored to reach a solution. Thesz appeared in Amarillo and any rumours of tension or animosity between Thesz, Funk and Sarpolis were quelled. Losses to The Shiek and Lou Thesz led to the eventual phasing out of Dory’s championship.

Throughout the 1960’s, Sarpolis and Dory Funk, Sr. had working agreements with Sam Muchnick, Verne Gagne, Bob Geigel and Jim Barnett. The Amarillo production had Stanley Blackburn as its kayfabe commissioner, Shelton Key as the ring announcer, and the weekly TV shows were taped on Saturday afternoons from the studio of KVII-TV (Channel 7 in Amarillo).

Sarpolis died of a heart attack on May 28, 1967 after a boating accident. The Sarpolis family would sell his shares in the Amarillo promotion to Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk.