Marva Scott | |
---|---|
Birth name | Marva Aniece Wingo |
Born | (1937-11-21)November 21, 1937 Decatur, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | August 15, 2003(2003-08-15) (aged 65) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
Cause of death | Cancer |
Spouse(s) | Clesson H. Goodwin |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | Babs Wingo Ethel Johnson |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Marva Scott Marva Wingo Martha Scott Marva Johnson Mary Scott African Black Cat |
Billed from | Detroit, Michigan |
Debut | 1954 |
Retired | 1979 |
Marva Aniece Goodwin (née Wingo; November 21, 1937 - August 15, 2003), better known by the ring name Marva Scott, was among the first Black female professional wrestlers in the United States. She began wrestling in the early 1950s and her first reported match happened in 1954. With her older sisters, Babs Wingo and Ethel Johnson, she was part of the first Black trio sister team. Marva Scott was posthumously inducted into the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2023.
Professional wrestling career
Scott began her career in the early 1950s at the age of 16. She was promoted as Babs Wingo's sister, often in tag team bouts against Ethel Johnson.
At one point, Scott became a bleach blonde while wrestling as "The African Black Cat". Scott also tag-teamed with her sister Ethel, and together, they became tag team champions.
Wrestling historian Jim Melby called Scott one of the great "teenage sensations" during the "Golden Age of Wrestling" ranking her among the top six female wrestlers of the era.
Scott retired in 1979. WWE named Marva 51 of the best wrestlers of all time in April 2021.
Personal life
Scott was born Marva Aniece Wingo in Decatur, Georgia, to Gladys Chase and Clifford Wingo on November 21, 1937. Scott’s sisters, Babs Wingo and Ethel Johnson, were also professional wrestlers.
Scott was married to Clesson H. Goodwin and had four children. Following her retirement, Scott was employed at the Training Institute of Central Ohio.
Scott died of cancer on August 15, 2003, in Columbus, Ohio.
Championships and accomplishments
- Clete Kaufman Promotions
- Ohio Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ethel Johnson
- Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2023
References
General
- Bournea, Chris (director) (March 29, 2018). Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring (Documentary). United States: Amazon Prime Video.
- Jake Manning, Tyler Wood and Nick Alexander (February 7, 2019). "Episode 16: Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, & Marva Scott". Spotify.com (Podcast). 10 Bell Pod. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
Specific
- ^ Nash, Ebony (September 27, 2022). "Babs Wingo, Marva Scott, and Ethel Johnson: Wrestling's Unsung". Pro Wrestling Stories. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Marva Goodwin". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. August 20, 2003. p. 06C.
- ^ Laparde, Pat; Murphy, Dan (2017). Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-1773050140.
- ^ CageMatch.net
- Erdman, Corey (March 23, 2018). "The Forgotten Story of the First Black Female Wrestlers". Vice. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- Genzlinger, Neil (November 25, 2019). "Ethel Johnson, Early Black Wrestling Star, Is Dead at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- Lindsey, Philip (February 12, 2019). "WWE's bewildering exclusion of first black women wrestlers". Diva Dirt. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- Internet Wrestling Database
- Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. August 20, 2003. p. 06C.
- "Ohio Women's Tag Team Title". wrestling-titles.com.
- "FIRST INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED FOR WOMEN'S WRESTLING HALL OF FAME | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
External links
- Marva Scott at Cagematch.net
- Professional wrestling record for Marva Scott from The Internet Wrestling Database
- Marva Scott at Oklafan.com
- Marva Scott at Wrestlingdata.com
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