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Price captain lou albano8/1/2023 In Chicago, Tony Accardo and two associates "requested" that Albano and Altomare cease using the word "mafia." During their run as Midwest tag team champions, personal differences with bookers and other wrestlers resulted in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual mafiosi in 1961. The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the JComiskey Park event starring Pat O'Connor and Buddy Rogers that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Dubbed The Sicilians, Altomare and Albano competed as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo in the mode of the then-popular television series The Untouchables. He made little impact as a solo wrestler, working prelims in various circuits, but he achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altomare. Albano worked for Capitol Wrestling and its successors, under Vince McMahon and his son, for the rest of his career. At this point, Gilzenberg introduced Albano to Vince McMahon, Sr., promoter of the new Capitol Wrestling Corporation in Washington, DC-the first predecessor to what is today WWE. Now billed as the "Mount Vernon Mauler," and occasionally a pirate, he began establishing himself in the New York professional wrestling community. Gilzenberg asked Soldier Barry to help train Albano, and in 1952, the two began doing house shows in the New York area.Īlbano was originally seen as a "pretty boy," and wrestled as the babyface "Leaping Lou Albano." After a non-wrestling injury caused a gash on his forehead, he purposefully did not allow the scar to heal, and the minor disfigurement allowed him to turn heel. A distant cousin and family friend, Lou Duva, introduced Albano to Willie Gilzenberg, a boxing promoter who later became the first titular president of the Albano's father had himself been an amateur wrestler, and Albano himself had been introduced to professional wrestling at an event held at Fort Dix during his tenure in the Army, where he had seen the likes of Gorgeous George, Arnold Skaaland, Soldier Barry, and Lenny Montana - all of whom Albano later worked with. Early careerĪlthough Albano's father, retired from medicine, wanted to open an insurance agency with his son, Lou instead began training as a boxer. Albano has been noted by several others for his faithfulness to his wife, a rare characteristic in the on-the-road world of 1970s and 1980s professional wrestling. The marriage lasted 56 years, until his death. In 1953, Albano married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Tango. He then joined the United States Army, but due to a childhood injury exacerbated by his football days, Albano was honorably discharged after only eight months. Albano had conflicts with the dean due to poor behavior and was expelled after attempting to cheat on a final exam. Here, Albano was teammates with the likes of Darris McCord, Doug Atkins, and his roommate, Sam Rutigliano. His skills were such that he received 32 offers of full scholarship from universities around the country, and he chose the University of Tennessee on the strength of their football team. It was this rank that later inspired his wrestling moniker, "Captain" Lou Albano. Lou attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, where he competed in track and field, and finally rose to the position of captain of the football team. The family settled in the Mount Vernon area. Lou was one of nine children, of whom five lived to adulthood. He was baptized in the Vatican, and his parents shortly thereafter returned to the New York City area. Louis Albano was born in Italy when his father had three months remaining at the university. He later co-patented a forceps instrument to assist in breech birth deliveries. After marrying, they temporarily relocated to Italy while Carmen pursued his medical degree at the University of Bari. Her brother, a physician, introduced her to Carmen in the 1930s, who was training to be an obstetrician. Eleanor was a classical concert pianist who had performed at Carnegie Hall and later became a registered nurse. Albano's parents, Carmen Louis Albano and Eleanor Albano née Morrone, were of Italian heritage but both born in the United States.
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