Chief Don Eagle

Chief Don Eagle
Born	Carl Donald Bell (1925-08-25)August 25, 1925 Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada
Died	March 17, 1966(1966-03-17) (aged 40) Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	American
Other names	Don Don "The Bon Bon" Eagle Chief - Hawk Chief Don Eagle
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 1.25 in (186 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	20
Wins	16
Wins by KO	10
Losses	4
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing United States Cleveland Golden Gloves 1945 Cleveland Heavyweight

Carl Donald Bell (August 25, 1925 – March 17, 1966), better known by his ring name Chief Don Eagle, was a Mohawk boxer and professional wrestler during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally from Kahnawake, Quebec, he became Boston's AWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1950.

Professional wrestling career

Eagle began a boxing career in 1945, after a brief time working in the steel and construction industry. He was trained solely by his father, Chief Joseph War Eagle, a former Junior Heavyweight Champion. In his first year, Eagle competed in 22 contests and won 17. He beat an already established Red Dawson using a pinfall in just under 16 minutes. During the peak of his career in the early 1950s, Eagle became the first person to throw World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Primo Carnera off his feet. He fought Antonino Rocca in a 60-minute draw on May 19, 1951, at the Chicago Stadium.

Controversy over AWA World Title (Boston)

On May 23, 1950, Eagle defeated Frank Sexton in a best-of-three falls. Sexton was just over a year into a near-four-year reign of the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Three days later, Eagle appeared on television without the championship belt to face Gorgeous George in another best-of-three falls match in the Chicago area. For the first fall, Eagle defeated George by Nipple Cripple submission. For the second, Eagle was counted out by referee Earl Mullihan. In the final fall, George managed to catch Eagle with a backyard cradle. Mullihan, who could clearly see that Eagle had a single shoulder off the mat, proceeded to administer another fast count and declared the match over. The crowd was furious and began to riot, throwing objects into the ring. Eagle punched Mullihan with considerable force while Mullihan hastened to leave the ring and the arena. As Mullihan ran up the aisle, Eagle hit him forcefully again between the shoulder blades. Eagle was suspended by the Illinois State Athletic Commission for putting his hands on a referee but managed to regain the title on August 31, 1950. The title was declared vacant in November 1950 due to Eagle's inactivity because of injury and was replaced by the AWA Eastern Heavyweight Title.

This controversy and success earned him the respect of one of the biggest attractions in the early progression of televised wrestling.

Later career

During a 1953 match with the faux-Nazi Hans Schmidt, Eagle was thrown over the top rope and into the ringside chairs, damaging several spinal discs and breaking two ribs. Eagle took a year off to recover from his injuries, during which time he began training a teenage Billy Two Rivers. Eagle gave Two Rivers a further year's training after he himself had returned to wrestling, occasionally tagging with the young wrestler. He would wrestle for American Wrestling Association (Minnesota) in 1960 when the promotion first started. Due to continuing back problems, Eagle became semi-retired and wrestled infrequently in various regions over the next three years. Eagle decided to retire permanently in 1965 at the age of 39.

Personal life

Wrestling Revue reported Eagle's death on March 17, 1966, stating that it appeared he died from a self-inflicted gun wound. Contemporaneous newspaper reports indicated that he had been despondent over some construction project setbacks: namely, a Logan County (Ohio) Indian village, an expansion program in the Zane Shawnee Caverns, and a $12 million Indian Center near Montreal. Those close to Eagle do not believe that his death was a suicide, Billy Two Rivers being one of those people. Skeptics of his death noted that it could have been a murder, connected to the death of his wife, Jean Eagle.

Championships and accomplishments

Boxing

• Cleveland Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (1945)

Professional wrestling

• American Wrestling Association (Boston)
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
• Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2016
• Fred Kohler Enterprises
  • World Heavyweight Championship (Illinois version)
• Midwest Wrestling Association (Ohio)
  • MWA World Heavyweight Championship (Ohio version) (1 time)

Professional boxing record

20 fights	16 wins	4 losses
By knockout	10	1
By decision	6	2
By disqualification	0	1
Draws	0

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
20	Loss	16–4	Richard Hagan	KO	4 (8)	9 Aug 1948	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
19	Win	16–3	Henry Jones	PTS	6	13 Jul 1948	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
18	Win	15–3	Johnny Flanagan	KO	2 (6)	10 May 1948	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
17	Win	14–3	Al Hunter	TKO	3 (6)	16 Apr 1948	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
16	Win	13–3	Lenny Johnson	TKO	2 (6)	19 Apr 1948	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
15	Loss	12–3	Ocie Talbert	PTS	6	29 Jan 1948	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
14	Win	12–2	Al Timmons	PTS	6	13 Jan 1948	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
13	Win	11–2	Lonnie Morris	PTS	4	6 Jan 1948	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
12	Win	10–2	James Turner	PTS	6	30 Dec 1947	Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
11	Win	9–2	George Brown	KO	2 (4), 1:18	25 Nov 1947	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
10	Loss	8–2	Jackie Thompson	DQ	1	21 Nov 1947	Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
9	Win	8–1	Bobby Marshall	TKO	2 (4)	31 Oct 1947	Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
8	Win	7–1	Chief War Cloud	PTS	4	28 Oct 1947	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
7	Win	6–1	Joe Connors	KO	2 (4)	22 Oct 1947	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
6	Win	5–1	Jacques Carter	KO	2 (4)	15 Oct 1947	Coliseum Annex, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
5	Loss	4–1	Gibbs Pike	TKO	5 (6), 0:54	29 Aug 1947	Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Al Small	PTS	4	25 Aug 1947	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Larry Chatman	KO	2 (4)	28 Jul 1947	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Len Billingsley	KO	1 (4)	21 Jul 1947	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Herb Jones	KO	2 (4)	27 Jan 1947	Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

See also

• List of premature professional wrestling deaths

External links

• The Way It Was -- Don Eagle by Percival A. Friend
• And Another Indian Bites The Dust by Bill McCormack
• Chief Don Eagle's profile at Cagematch.net