Angle, Kurt (Steven) 1968-

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ANGLE, Kurt (Steven) 1968-

PERSONAL: Born December 9, 1968, in Pittsburgh, PA; son of Dave Angle (a crane operator); married, December 1998; wife's name, Karen. Education: Clarion University, graduated, 1992.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—c/o Hawk & Co., P.O. Box 97007, Pittsburgh, PA 15229; c/o WWF Titan Tower, 1241 Main St., Box 3857, Stamford, CT 06902.

CAREER: Professional wrestler. Appeared as himself in television series, including WWF Metal (also known as WWE Metal), United Paramount Network (UPN), 1998-2002; WWF Raw Is War (also known as Ric Flair's RAW, WWF Raw, WWE Raw, and WWF Warzone), The National Network (TNN) (now Spike TV), 1999-2002; WWF Sunday Night Heat, TNN, 1999-2002; WWF Smackdown! (also known as Smackdown! Xtreme and Vince MacMahon's SmackDown!), UPN, 1999—; and WWF Excess, TNN, 2001-2002. Guest starred as himself on television programs, including The Big Breakfast, 7 Network, 2000; Tough Enough, Music Television (MTV), 2001; "WWF Superstars Edition," Weakest Link, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 2001; Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, and The Conan O'Brien Show, NBC. Appeared as himself in annual video series, including WWF Survivor Series, 1999-2002; WWF Armageddon, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., 1999-2002; Royal Rumble, 2000-02; WWF No Way Out, 2000, 2003; WWF Wrestlemania (also known as Wrestlemania XVI), 2000; WWF Backlash, 2000-02; WWF Insurrextion, 2000-01; WWF Judgment Day, 2000-02; King of the Ring, 2000-02; WWF Fully Loaded, 2000; Summerslam, 2000-03; WWF Unforgiven, 2000-02; WWF No Mercy, 2000-02; WWF Rebellion, 2000-01; Wrestlemania X-Seven, 2001; WWF Lita: It Just Feels Right, 2001; WWF Invasion (also known as WWF vs the Alliance: Invasion), 2001; WWF Wrestlemania X-8, 2002; Before They Were WWF Superstars, 2002; Wrestlemania XIX, 2003; and Before They Were WWE Superstars 2, 2003. Appeared as himself in video game WWF Wrestlemania X-8, THQ, 2002. Sportscaster for Pittsburgh television station, c. 1997.

WRITINGS:

(With John Harper) It's True! It's True! (autobiography), Regan Books (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Pittsburgh-based wrestler Kurt Angle first achieved national recognition as a wrestler for Clarion University in the early 1990s, when he twice won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) heavyweight championship. After graduating in 1992, Angle began training for the 1996 Olympics with Team Foxcatchers, a Philadelphia-area wrestling club sponsored by chemical fortune heir John E. duPont. The club burst into the news shortly before the 1996 Olympics when duPont allegedly murdered thirty-six-year-old club member Dave Schultz, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and Angle's mentor. This was not the first time Angle had lost someone close to him to a sudden death—his father, a construction worker, was killed by a crane accident in 1985—but the athlete was able to put aside his grief and continue his training. When he won the Olympic gold medal in a controversial judge's decision over the Iranian competitor Abbas Jadidi, he broke down in tears and dedicated the gold to Schultz.

After the Olympics, Angle tried his hand at sportscasting and motivational speaking, but in 1998 he signed on to become a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Amateur wrestling purists were appalled, but Angle, who had at one point considered becoming an actor, viewed professional wrestling not as a continuation of his athletic career but as the start of a career as an entertainer. Still, he hoped that with his professional fame, he could help to bring new exposure to amateur wrestling, which has come under increasing financial pressure in recent years. "One reason the sport of amateur wrestling suffers is because it gets no exposure," he explained to Ron Bracken of the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. "But if I'm on television two or three times a week and people understand that I came from amateur wrestling, that's promoting the sport." Angle's 2002 autobiography It's True! It's True! also promotes amateur wrestling: the first 175 pages of the just-over-300-page book are dedicated to his pre-WWF career.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 29, 2001, Phil Kloer, review of It's True! It's True!, p. C1.

Australian, August 2, 1996, "Schultz's Memory Inspires," p. 34.

Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY), August 1, 1996, Michael Dobie, "Angle, Cross Wrestle away Golds for U.S.," p. D1, "Decision Is Right for Angle: U.S. Wrestler Captures Gold through Ballot of Officials," p. D7.

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), August 1, 1996, Alan Robinson, "U.S. Takes down Double Dose of Gold: Medalists Overcome by Emotions," p. S3; October 20, 1996, Alan Robinson, "Angle Finally Gets His Due: Olympic Wrestling Champion to Bask in the Limelight," p. SB7.

Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO), September 13, 2002, Jen Mulson, interview with Angle, p. GO27.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, July 31, 1996, Mark Maloney, "U.S. Wrestlers Claim Two Golds," p. 731K1125, Gary Long, "Americans Take Two Golds in Wrestling," p. 731K1247, David Teel, "Angle Uses Schultz as Inspiration," p. 731K1280, Bob Ford, "Kurt Angle Wins the Gold in 220-Pound Class after Judge's Decision," p. 731K1290; August 1, 1996, Luke Cyphers, "Kurt Angle Writes a Hollywood Script in Winning Wrestling Gold," p. 801K1413; August 2, 1996, Luke Cyphers, "Kurt Angle's Gold-Medal Wrestling Victory Might Lead to Bigger and Better Things," p. 802K2168; August 3, 1999, Ron Bracken, "Olympic Gold Medalist Jumps to WWF: It's Entertainment," p. K6585.

Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1996, "Angle on Stage with Comeback Win," p. 5; August 1, 1996, Chris Dufresne, "With Teammate in Mind, American Defeats Iranian on Judges' Decision," p. 3.

New York Times, August 1, 1996, Richard Sandomir, "Wrestling Referee Decides Gold Belongs to Angle," pp. B6-B7.

Sports Illustrated, March 30, 1992, Richard O'Brien, "A Super Heavyweight," pp. 46-47; August, 1996, Richard Hoffer, "Wrestling with His Emotions," pp. 90-94.