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    • Renaissance Results >
      • A1 Russian Open Results (2012-2015)
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    • Contemporary Results >
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    • 1981: A Good Year!
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  • About
  • Home
  • History
    • Development of the Organized Sport >
      • Armwrestling Eras >
        • The Beginnings
        • The Golden Age
      • The Beginnings
    • Event Histories >
      • World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part 1: 1954-1961
      • World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part 2: 1962-1969
      • International Federation of Arm Wrestlers
      • World Armwrestling Federation (WAF)
      • Carling O'Keefe World Championships
      • World Professional Armwrestling Association
      • Arm Wrestling International
      • World Police and Fire Games
      • World Super Heavyweight Arm Wrestling Championship
      • Over the Top World Championship
      • Yukon Jack Arm Wrestling Championships
      • North American Armwrestling Championships (Amos)
      • Power Armwrestling
      • Monster Arm Wrestling
      • World National Wristwrestling Association
      • Can-Am Armwrestling Championships
      • Armwrestling Capital of the Midwest
      • World Arm Wrestling Council
    • Early Origins of Armwrestling
    • Armwrestling Matches in the Cradle of Strongmen
    • The Ancient Hawaiian Sport of Uma
    • Armwrestling Firsts
    • Inaugural State Championships
    • Biggest Prize Money Tournaments By Year
    • How Organized Armwrestling Was Introduced to Eastern Europe
    • Top 10 Las Vegas Tournaments of All Time
    • Canada's Toughest Tournaments
    • The Stories behind the Matches >
      • Armwrestling’s First Supermatch
      • John Brzenk vs. "John Doe"
      • Dean vs. Mason
      • The Biggest Supermatch of All Time
      • The John Brzenk Challenge
      • The Champion Armwrestler vs. the Champion Powerlifter
    • This Day in Armwrestling History >
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - April Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - May Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - June Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - July Dates
  • Top Pullers
    • History's Most Successful Armwrestler
    • Champion Armwrestlers of Yore
    • All-Time Top Male Puller from Each State
    • All-Time Top Female Puller from Each State
    • All-Time Top Male Puller from Each Province
    • All-Time Top Female Puller from Each Province
    • Best Pullers by Year
    • Best Pullers by Year of Birth
    • Historical Rankings >
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Men - Right Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Men - Left Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Women - Right Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Women - Left Hand)
    • Top 10 Pullers of the 1960s
    • Top 25 Pullers of the 1970s (Men)
    • Top 25 Pullers of the 1980s (Men)
    • Top 30 Pullers of the 1990s (Men)
    • Top 30 Pullers of the 2000s (Men)
    • Top 30 Pullers of the 2010s (Men)
    • Top 5 Pullers of the 1970s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 1980s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 1990s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 2000s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 2010s (Women)
    • Armwrestling's Best Generation?
    • Pullers Who Perfectly Peaked
    • Record Win Streaks
  • Event Results
    • Results from the Early Days >
      • IFAW Results (1966-1969)
      • USA Results (1969)
      • WWC Results (1955-1969)
    • Golden Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1978-1979)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1978-1979)
      • AWI Results (1978-1979)
      • Carling O'Keefe Worlds Results (1971-1979)
      • IFAW Results (1970)
      • NAWA Results (1977-1979)
      • WAWF World Results (1971-1979)
      • WPAA Results (1974-1979)
      • WWC Nationals Results (1974-1979)
      • WWC World Results (1970-1979)
      • Various US Nationals (1970-1979)
    • Silver Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1980-1989)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1980-1989)
      • AWI Results (1980-1989)
      • Carling O'Keefe Worlds Results (1980-1982)
      • Carling O'Keefe IAC Results (1989)
      • IWC Results (1980-1982)
      • NAWA Results (1980-1989)
      • Over the Top Results (1986)
      • Sands International Armwrestling Results (1980-1989)
      • WAWF World Results (1980-1989)
      • WPAA Results (1980-1989)
      • WPWA Results (1980-1981)
      • WWC Results (1980-1989)
      • Yukon Jack Results (1988-1989)
    • Bronze Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1990-1993)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1990-1999)
      • Arnold Classic Results (1998-1999)
      • AWI Results (1990-1999)
      • EAF European Championships Results (1991-1999)
      • Forsa Tropical Results (1998)
      • Golden Bear Results (1990-1999)
      • Main Event Results (1997-1998)
      • Reno Reunion Results (1999)
      • Super Bras-de-fer Results (1991)
      • USAA National Pro-Am Results (1995-1999)
      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (1998-1999)
      • WAF World Results (1990-1999)
      • WPAA Results (1990-1997)
      • WWC Results (1990-1999)
      • Yukon Jack Results (1990-1997)
    • Copper Age Results >
      • AAA Nationals Results (2000-2009)
      • All-Niagara Armwrestling Championships Results (2002)
      • Arm Wars Super Series Results (2008-2009)
      • Arnold Classic Results (2000-2009)
      • AWI Results (2000-2001)
      • Big Arm Classic Results (2004)
      • California State/West Coast Pro-Am Armwrestling Championship (2003-2006)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2000-2009)
      • GNC Results (2001-2004)
      • Harley Pull Results (2000-2009)
      • IAF Can-Am Championships Results (2000-2009)
      • Mike Gould Classic Results (2000-2009)
      • NAL Results (2006-2007)
      • Northeastern Armwrestling Challenge Results (2005-2009)
      • NYC Big Apple Grapple Results (2000-2009)
      • PAC World Championship Results (2005-2007)
      • PAL Results (2004-2009)
      • Reno Reunion Results (2000-2007)
      • Ruler of the Nation Results (2007-2009)
      • Sturgis Rally Professional Armwrestling Championship
      • Superstar Showdown Results (2004-2005)
      • Tournament of Champions Results (2001)
      • Ultimate Armwrestling (Las Vegas) Results (2004-2006)
      • Ultimate Armwrestling Championship (UAC) Results (2009)
      • USAA National Pro-Am Results (2000-2009)
      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (2000-2009)
      • US Open Results (2003)
      • World Armsport Federation Results (2000-2005)
      • World Armwrestling Federation Results (2000-2009)
      • WWC Results (2000-2005)
      • World Challenge (2009)
      • Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup Results (2000-2009)
    • Renaissance Results >
      • A1 Russian Open Results (2012-2015)
      • AAA Nationals Results (2010-2018)
      • Arm Wars Super Series Results (2010-2016)
      • Arnold Classic Results (2010-2019)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2010-2019)
      • IFA Results (2019)
      • Mike Gould Classic Results (2010-2015)
      • Moldova Open Results (2018)
      • NYC Big Apple Grapple Results (2010-2019)
      • PAL Results (2010-2019)
      • UAL Results (2010-2016)
      • USAA National Pro-Am Results (2010-2019)
      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (2010-2019)
      • WAL Results (2014-2019)
      • WAF Results (2010-2019)
      • World Challenge (2010-2012)
      • Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup Results (2010-2019)
    • Contemporary Results >
      • Arnold Classic Results (2022-Present)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2020-Present)
      • East vs. West Results (2021-Present)
      • IFA US Nationals Results (2021-Present)
      • IFA Worlds Results (2020-Present)
      • King of the Table Results (2021-Present)
      • Mr. Olympia Power Armwrestling Results (2021)
      • Over the Top Down Under Results (2022)
      • PAL Results (2021-Present)
      • Total Armwrestling League Results (2020-Present)
      • USAA International Pro-Am Results (2020-Present)
      • USAF Nationals Results (2022-Present)
      • WAF International Challenge Results (2021)
      • WAF World Championships Results (2020-Present)
  • YouTube
  • Miscellaneous
    • Armwrestling Amusement Devices
    • Armwrestling Matches in Professional Wrestling
    • 1975 NFLPA Arm Wrestling Championship
    • 1975 Esquire Gala Celebrity Tournament
    • A Legendary Tale
    • The Origin of the Wheelbarrow Contest
    • Legendary Powerlifters Who Could Also Pull
    • 1981: A Good Year!
    • The Bill Soberanes Wristwrestling Statue
  • About
THE ARMWRESTLING ARCHIVES

Carling O'Keefe World Championships

In the early '70s, Fred Salvador was the Director of Parks and Recreation for Timmins, a remote city in northern Ontario, Canada. One day he saw the Petaluma Worlds Wristwrestling Championships on TV and thought a similar event would be perfect for the city. The city got behind the idea and he organized the first Canadian Wristwrestling Championships in May 1971. Little did he know that this would later be referred to as the birth of organized armwrestling in Canada.

The event featured the same classes at Petaluma (0-175, 176-200, and 201+ lbs). It was a stand-up event, with a very rudimentary table. Non-competing hands were clasped in the centre of the table. There was no prize money, but the first place finishers were given an all expenses paid trip to the Petaluma World Championships. The event mainly drew regional competitors, but it was enough of a success to secure a major sponsorship from Carling, a large Canadian brewery.

The 1972 event was renamed the Carling World Wristwrestling Championships and televised on CTV under the Carling World of Sports banner. Improvements were made to the table, and there were cash prizes to the top two competitors in each class ($500 for the winner and $100 for the runner-up). By 1973, the event was being called the Carling O’Keefe World Armwrestling Championships, the name with which the event is most remembered.

In its first years the event mainly drew regional competitors, but the television coverage began to attract pullers from farther and farther away. As attendance grew, so did the prizes.

The rules and table used for the Carling O'Keefe Worlds were regularly updated in an attempt to make matches better for the competitors, spectators, and officials. Until 1974, the tables that were used had "gotcha bars" (the equivalent of pin pads), but no hand pegs. Rather than pinning their opponent to their forearm, competitors had to lower their opponents wrist to or below the top of the gotcha bar -- in other words, parallel pins were allowed. The table used starting in 1975 was a pegged table, so in effect the switch was made from wristwrestling to armwrestling. Interestingly, the hand pegs weren't centered -- they were slightly past the halfway point of the table, making it more difficult for competitors to twist their bodies during the match. Rather than elbow pads, there were boxes for the elbows. Competitors were permitted to ride the rim of the box, but the elbows could not come out.

Picture
Top view of the table used for the 1975 event. Note the position of the hand pegs.
The Carling O'Keefe Worlds was the premier event in Canada during the 1970s. An increasing number of tournaments started springing up in different parts of the country, but many promoted themselves as qualifiers for the Timmins Worlds. Due in part to its location in the central part of the country, Timmins became a perfect meeting place for the best armwrestlers of eastern and western Canada. As the talent level of the competitors increased throughout the decade, the event started to be referred to by someone as "Petaluma North". Some American competitors started to come up to try to win both World titles - Petaluma and Timmins. This particularly started to happen once the Petaluma event was moved from May to October in 1974. The only pullers to win titles at both events are Dave Patton and Clay Rosencrans.
Picture
Fred Salvador on CTV Wide World of Sports (1974)
Picture
A promotional picture for the 1976 event, featuring Mr. Universe Lou Ferrigno and 1975 Heavyweight Champion Ron Bertin. Fred Salvador (centre) always made an effort to promote the tournament by inviting special guests.
Unfortunately, due to sponsorship troubles, a loss of television coverage, and increased competition from other large armwrestling tournaments, the Carling O'Keefe Worlds ended a 12 year run in 1982.

The tournament's role in the development of organized armwrestling in Canada cannot be understated. It is at these annual events that many of the pioneers of Canadian armwrestling first met. John Miazdzyk started attending in the mid '70s and was inspired to form the Canadian Armwrestling Association in 1976. Gene Tatti (the initial CAWA Director for Ontario), and Ken Taylor (the initial CAWA Director for Quebec), first met in Timmins. Working together, along with other provincial directors, they went on to make strides in standardizing the sport (e.g. rules, weight classes) across the country. Also, the first "true" WAWF World Championship held in Alberta in 1979 was possible in part because of Mr. Salvador's sponsor and media connections.

The Carling O'Keefe Worlds are fondly recalled by those who attended, and the event's spot in armwrestling history will never be lost.

Carling O'Keefe World Champions
Lightweight Champions (0-175 lbs)
1971 - Clayton Moss*
1972 - Jean Paul Larose
1973 - Wally Kapel
1974 - Wally Kapel
1975 - Wally Kapel
1976 - Wally Kapel
1977 - Brent Bocnuc
1978 - Clay Rosencrans
1979 - Harvey Frank
1980 - Dave Patton (FW - 0-150 lbs); Peter Roberge (LW - 151-175 lbs)
1981 - Dave Patton (FW - 0-150 lbs); Kenny Lewis (LW - 151-175 lbs)
1982 - Dave Patton (FW - 0-150 lbs); Mike Luchak (LW - 151-175 lbs)
*Wally Kapel won but was disqualified for being under age

Middleweight Champions (176-200 lbs)
1971 - Martin Buchar
1972 - Vern Plummer
1973 - Vern Plummer
1974 - Martin Buchar
1975 - Vern Plummer
1976 - Murray Muncaster
1977 - Steve Stanaway
1978 - Al Turner
1979 - Steve Stanaway
1980 - Robert Nelson
1981 - Guy Lasorsa
1982 - Tony Senger

Heavyweight Champions (201+ lbs)
1971 - Roland Belair
1972 - Roland Belair
1973 - Vern Plummer
1974 - Heinz Huesmann
1975 - Ron Bertin
1976 - Ron Bertin
1977 - Ken Taylor
1978 - Clay Rosencrans
1979 - Dan Mason
1980 - Richard Mallory (HW - 201-242 lbs); Dan Mason (SHW - 243+ lbs)
1981 - Richard Mallory (HW - 201-242 lbs); Dan Mason (SHW - 243+ lbs)
1982 - Al Turner (HW - 201-242 lbs); Ron Bertin (SHW - 243+ lbs)


Picture
Front view of the stage at the 1975 event
Picture
Wally Kapel - 4-time Lightweight Champion
Picture
John Miazdzyk in an action shot
Picture
A piece of rolled-out foam that could be put on top of a regular table to simulate actual table dimensions. The rules are also described. This would be from the early '70s, when the non-competing hands were still being clasped. The Petaluma World's Wristwrestling Championship also had a similar promotional piece.


Researched and Written by Eric Roussin
Copyright Eric Roussin and The Armwrestling Archives. Original content found on The Armwrestling Archives may not be reproduced without written consent.