Wrestler.
Born at Winnipeg on 24 April 1933 to Stanley Koncur (1903-1980) and Michaelina Krisa (?-1973), he grew up in Winnipeg’s north end and lived there all his life. In his early years he was active in sports, excelling in soccer and football at Isaac Newton High School in the 1950s. He was employed with the Canadian National Railway from 1951 to 1996 as a machinist, and retired following 45 years of service.
His boyhood idol, wrestler George Gordienko, was an inspiration and prompted him to become a wrestler, bodybuilder, and weightlifter. Gordienko and Ole Olsen trained him, and he made his wrestling debut at Winnipeg’s Brooklands Wrestling Club in 1956 against Bulldog Bob Brown. It was the first of seven matches that he had with Brown over the years, winning six, plus a seventh when the Bulldog was disqualified. Koncur considered his greatest match to be against Buddy Sprott, a former “Mr. Manitoba” bodybuilder whom he defeated in 1957.
Known as “Iron Mike,” he set a Manitoba weightlifting record by shattering the mark previously set by Gordienko in the two-hand military press. He held the Manitoba Heavyweight Lifting Championship in the Olympic three lifts from 1956 to 1960. He also held the Western Canadian Heavyweight Lifting Championship in the same three Olympic lifts during 1958. Along with Wally Hewak, he was instrumental in the opening and operation of the Atlas Wrestling Club that existed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Together, they held the Atlas Tag Team Championship in 1958. Koncur was inducted into the Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000.
He also performed strongman feats occasionally at YMCA annual shows and at the Red River Exhibition. He was invited on two occasions to put on a demonstration for inmates at the Headingly Correctional Institute. A unique lifting feat of his that was interesting for spectators to observe, was two girls sitting in specially constructed cradles attached to either end of a lifting bar that was mounted at shoulder height on a stand. From that position, he performed an overhead lift in very strict form to minimize any chance of a mishap occurring. The combined weight of the girls and apparatus was estimated to be in the 270 to 280 pound range. Another show of strength that he executed was tearing a telephone book in half with his hands. Spectators from the audience were invited to attempt to duplicate this feat and many tried, but none ever succeeded.
In 1959, he married Olivia Mudry and they went on to have two children. One of his pleasures in retirement was meeting his friends for breakfast at Eddy’s Place, Salisbury House, and Thunder Bird Restaurant, discussing sports, politics and old-time movies. Another passion was shopping and buying gifts for his many friends. He was also interested in and knowledgeable about the history of north-end Winnipeg.
He died at Winnipeg on 20 March 2006 and was buried in the All Saints Cemetery.
Obituary [Stanley Koncur], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 August 1980, page 73.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 23 March 2006.
“Iron Mike Komcur stayed home near Winnipeg” by Greg Oliver, Slam Wrestling, 24 October 2000.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 30 January 2024
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