Kewanee Back When A Kewanee Man Wrestled a Bear and Won

Did you hear the one about a guy from Kewanee who wrestled a bear? It's not a joke, a guy from Kewanee actually wrestled a bear. And he won. In 1921 Fred Cook took part in exhibition in which local men were invited to try and wrestle a bear. After a few other men tapped out against the beast, Fred Cook climbed into the ring and, according to legend, Cook pinned the bears shoulders to the mat. Whether this was planned or a real wrestling event is lost to time, though you can likely imagine this was a staged competition. Fred was, for a time, a professional wrestler, an event which is legendarily staged for added drama. On this edition of Kewanee Back When we look back at Fred Cook, his bear fight, his wrestling career and other heroic moments in his unique life. Stick around until the end of the episode as Dave and Sean continue talking local sports history of the odd variety as Dave gives us the brief story of Ostrich Racing in Henry County.