The Jim Mitchell Collection

Jim Mitchell (1908 – 1996) grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and began wrestling at a young age. He began training with Louisville wrestler Jack Reynolds in the late 1920s and became a regular opener for local venues like the Savoy Theater, home of the historic Allen Athletic Club. From there, Mitchell wrestled in cities such as Indianapolis and Toledo, rising through the ranks of the Midwest to the wrestling rings of Boston and Southern California.

The Frazier Museum’s permanent collection contains several artifacts that belonged to Jim Mitchell as well as an archive of pamphlets, books, and memorabilia from his forty-year wrestling career. This Jim Mitchell toy figurine depicts a cartoonish version of the Black Panther wrestling himself into a tangle while his travel case below reflects the years his career took him around the world to countries like Italy, Greece, and Australia.

From the mid-1930s until his return to Louisville in 1954, Mitchell’s career skyrocketed. He gained immense popularity, becoming one of the first African Americans to wrestle in what was considered the “big league.” While he experienced the unjust barriers of segregation as a Black wrestler, he was so successful in matches against other minorities that he achieved spots against the top white stars of the day. Despite his popularity against rivals like Martino Angelo with promoters casting Mitchell as the “hero”, it did not become safe for Black wrestlers to fight at the “heel”, or villain, until the 1960s.

Jim Mitchell’s recognition and achievements during the span of his career are significant, especially considering they occurred prior to the civil rights movement and included a short break to serve in World War II.