Donald Dinnie
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Born in Scotland during 1838 at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire. Dinnie was one of the most notable all-round athletes of the 19th century. He is often forgotten as a wrestler as it was not his preferred sport, but he did compete on an irregular basis. His main sports were; sprint, hurdles, long and high jump, pole vault, putting the stone, hammer and tossing the caber.
Dinnie took up being a stonemason early in life as his father had been before him. It's said he was the winner of the Scotland Games twenty years running 1857-1877, I haven't researched this part of his career in particular depth, but as far as I know that is not one of them claims that has been exaggerated and is actually accurate.
He didn't travel to America frequently, but they were well aware of who he was. In August 1870 he traveled there for what is thought to be the first time. At the time it was reported he'd won:
"1,500 prizes, 1,000 of them being for throwing the hammer, putting the stone, tossing the caber, running, leaping, wrestling, etc.. He has also gained sixty-two silver medals and the champion gold medal, awarded by the Glasgow Celtic Society, for throwing the hammer in 1866. Forty of these medals are champion medals, and had to be held three successive years before becoming his property. It is claimed that he has performed a great number of unequaled feats, among the best of which, on level ground, are the following:
Putting the stone, 22 pounds, 39 feet 6 inches; 16 pounds, 47 feet 6 inches; throwing the hammer, 22 pounds, 97 feet; of 16 pounds, 122 feet, fair stand. Turning the body with the hammer, he has sent a 22-pound hammer 120 feet, and with one has thrown a hammer weighing 13 pounds 130 feet. At both feats (stone and hammer,) he excels anything that has ever been recorded in Scotland. At high leap he has cleared 5 feet 11 inches; long leap, 19 feet 4 inches; hop, step and jump, 43 feet. he also gained the champion silver cup at Dublin in 1865, for performing feats with the fifty-six pound weight, for throwing which he challenges any man in the world."
At the Caledonian games that took place from Jones' club in New York was won by Dinnie with him winning nearly every single event he competed in. 15,000 people were their to witness the athletics on September 2. This was one of his last appearances of this tour. Although I don't have information on everywhere he appeared it's likely he stopped off in at least one more city before leaving. He had been in the country since the beginning of August touring major cities in Canada and America at the different Caledonian athletic clubs that were holding such games. He left the country on September 24 on the steam-ship Columbia for Liverpool, England.
His second trip to America was in 1872 when he arrived on the steam-ship Scotia on June 4, after setting sail from Liverpool, England. Again it appears he was only here for the Scotch games, I don't have a good description of the events this time, but it appears again that Dinnie won overall. He returned to Scotland shortly after, mostly like he did a tour similar to the first.
During the 1870's his name became to mean the pinnacle of something across the English speaking world. One such example was for a horse that was thought to be a stallion: "I've got myself a real 'Donald Dinnie.'" His name was used in popular language throughout Scotland well into the 20th century with regiments in the Scottish army shouting "Donald Dinnie" whenever a mortar shell flew over their heads.
He traveled to American on three occasions from 1882-1883. Most of the time he was performing for Caledonian clubs, but he did partake in a few plain old wrestling matches. The one that everyone wanted to see, versus Duncan C. Ross, doesn't appear to have ever come off though. It was announced they wanted to team together to face any two men in the world in July of 1882, but nothing ever came of that either. Nothing much else of note is knowing during that time, although it is said he was awarded a mixed wrestling medal by Richard K. Fox of the Police Gazette during this period.
When he left America in the summer of 1883 he traveled to Australia where he spent the following fourteen years of his life. There he had two very important matches. As I haven't already noted it, it's worth mentioning that Dinnie's preferred style of wrestling was the Scotch style, which bore resemblance to the Cornish Hugg-Wrestling.
The first of the big matches was billed as an International Wrestling Tournament which featured a match that consisted of three falls Graeco-Roman and three falls Scotch, the man who won the most falls was declared the winner. It got to the fifth fall, which was Graeco-Roman, and the men were at two falls a piece. Miller won it, but fractured his ankle in doing so. The match was then called a draw. This took place in front of an "immense" crowd on April 20, 1884.
Clarence Whistler the young champion wrestler was his other major match. It took place on August 29, 1885 and went across an afternoon and evening show. All together they were to wrestle the best five out of seven falls, with three falls held in the morning and the rest in the evening. Whistler walked out the winner in the afternoon with two falls to Dinnie's one. In the evening show Dinnie managed to score two falls, but Whistler got three. They had been wrestling in mixed styles of Graeco-Roman, Catch-as-Catch-Can and Scotch. The winner was to go on to face Miller for the Graeco-Roman Championship, it was natural Dinnie lost, he was now in the twilight of his career.
It just turned out that he had a long twilight as Dinnie kept on competing in various athletic events and putting on exhibitions for as long as his body would allow him to. He returned back to Scotland just before the end of the century and it's said he had spent his fortunes and so he had to resort to running a fish and chip shop and running a tea room. Eventually he moved to London where he passed away in early April 1919, possibly on the 4th.
Donald Dinnie's importance to professional wrestling on a whole may not be that great, in reality is rather a footnote, but, he did offer a shade of legitimacy to anyone he faced and he was a name who it was believed just could beat anyone, especially at a mixed style. As far as athletes go, he was the man. Through the 1860's and up to the mid-'70's it's arguable there was no better all-round athlete in the world.
Born in Scotland during 1838 at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire. Dinnie was one of the most notable all-round athletes of the 19th century. He is often forgotten as a wrestler as it was not his preferred sport, but he did compete on an irregular basis. His main sports were; sprint, hurdles, long and high jump, pole vault, putting the stone, hammer and tossing the caber.
Dinnie took up being a stonemason early in life as his father had been before him. It's said he was the winner of the Scotland Games twenty years running 1857-1877, I haven't researched this part of his career in particular depth, but as far as I know that is not one of them claims that has been exaggerated and is actually accurate.
He didn't travel to America frequently, but they were well aware of who he was. In August 1870 he traveled there for what is thought to be the first time. At the time it was reported he'd won:
"1,500 prizes, 1,000 of them being for throwing the hammer, putting the stone, tossing the caber, running, leaping, wrestling, etc.. He has also gained sixty-two silver medals and the champion gold medal, awarded by the Glasgow Celtic Society, for throwing the hammer in 1866. Forty of these medals are champion medals, and had to be held three successive years before becoming his property. It is claimed that he has performed a great number of unequaled feats, among the best of which, on level ground, are the following:
Putting the stone, 22 pounds, 39 feet 6 inches; 16 pounds, 47 feet 6 inches; throwing the hammer, 22 pounds, 97 feet; of 16 pounds, 122 feet, fair stand. Turning the body with the hammer, he has sent a 22-pound hammer 120 feet, and with one has thrown a hammer weighing 13 pounds 130 feet. At both feats (stone and hammer,) he excels anything that has ever been recorded in Scotland. At high leap he has cleared 5 feet 11 inches; long leap, 19 feet 4 inches; hop, step and jump, 43 feet. he also gained the champion silver cup at Dublin in 1865, for performing feats with the fifty-six pound weight, for throwing which he challenges any man in the world."
At the Caledonian games that took place from Jones' club in New York was won by Dinnie with him winning nearly every single event he competed in. 15,000 people were their to witness the athletics on September 2. This was one of his last appearances of this tour. Although I don't have information on everywhere he appeared it's likely he stopped off in at least one more city before leaving. He had been in the country since the beginning of August touring major cities in Canada and America at the different Caledonian athletic clubs that were holding such games. He left the country on September 24 on the steam-ship Columbia for Liverpool, England.
His second trip to America was in 1872 when he arrived on the steam-ship Scotia on June 4, after setting sail from Liverpool, England. Again it appears he was only here for the Scotch games, I don't have a good description of the events this time, but it appears again that Dinnie won overall. He returned to Scotland shortly after, mostly like he did a tour similar to the first.
During the 1870's his name became to mean the pinnacle of something across the English speaking world. One such example was for a horse that was thought to be a stallion: "I've got myself a real 'Donald Dinnie.'" His name was used in popular language throughout Scotland well into the 20th century with regiments in the Scottish army shouting "Donald Dinnie" whenever a mortar shell flew over their heads.
He traveled to American on three occasions from 1882-1883. Most of the time he was performing for Caledonian clubs, but he did partake in a few plain old wrestling matches. The one that everyone wanted to see, versus Duncan C. Ross, doesn't appear to have ever come off though. It was announced they wanted to team together to face any two men in the world in July of 1882, but nothing ever came of that either. Nothing much else of note is knowing during that time, although it is said he was awarded a mixed wrestling medal by Richard K. Fox of the Police Gazette during this period.
When he left America in the summer of 1883 he traveled to Australia where he spent the following fourteen years of his life. There he had two very important matches. As I haven't already noted it, it's worth mentioning that Dinnie's preferred style of wrestling was the Scotch style, which bore resemblance to the Cornish Hugg-Wrestling.
The first of the big matches was billed as an International Wrestling Tournament which featured a match that consisted of three falls Graeco-Roman and three falls Scotch, the man who won the most falls was declared the winner. It got to the fifth fall, which was Graeco-Roman, and the men were at two falls a piece. Miller won it, but fractured his ankle in doing so. The match was then called a draw. This took place in front of an "immense" crowd on April 20, 1884.
Clarence Whistler the young champion wrestler was his other major match. It took place on August 29, 1885 and went across an afternoon and evening show. All together they were to wrestle the best five out of seven falls, with three falls held in the morning and the rest in the evening. Whistler walked out the winner in the afternoon with two falls to Dinnie's one. In the evening show Dinnie managed to score two falls, but Whistler got three. They had been wrestling in mixed styles of Graeco-Roman, Catch-as-Catch-Can and Scotch. The winner was to go on to face Miller for the Graeco-Roman Championship, it was natural Dinnie lost, he was now in the twilight of his career.
It just turned out that he had a long twilight as Dinnie kept on competing in various athletic events and putting on exhibitions for as long as his body would allow him to. He returned back to Scotland just before the end of the century and it's said he had spent his fortunes and so he had to resort to running a fish and chip shop and running a tea room. Eventually he moved to London where he passed away in early April 1919, possibly on the 4th.
Donald Dinnie's importance to professional wrestling on a whole may not be that great, in reality is rather a footnote, but, he did offer a shade of legitimacy to anyone he faced and he was a name who it was believed just could beat anyone, especially at a mixed style. As far as athletes go, he was the man. Through the 1860's and up to the mid-'70's it's arguable there was no better all-round athlete in the world.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Donald Dinnie.
Authors: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: July 2014.
Biography: #42.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: May 1, 2019.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Donald Dinnie.
Authors: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: July 2014.
Biography: #42.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: May 1, 2019.