Ben Roller

{{Short description|American football player, professional wrestler and physician (1876 – 1933)}}

{{Infobox gridiron football person

| name = Ben Roller

| image = BenRoller.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Roller c. 1911

| birth_date = {{birth date|1876|07|01}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1933|04|19|1876|07|01}}{{cite web|title=Dr. Roller, Famed Wrestler, is Dead|url=https://classicwrestlingarticles.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/dr-roller-famed-wrestler-is-dead/|website=Classic Wrestling Articles|date=31 December 2013|accessdate=16 August 2015}}

| death_place =

| team =

| number =

| status =

| position1 = Guard

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 200

| college = Purdue, De Pauw

| coaching_years1 = 1902

| coaching_team1 = Philadelphia Phillies

| playing_years1 = 1898–1899

| playing_team1 = Pittsburgh Athletic Club

| playing_years2 = 1900

| playing_team2 = Duquesne C. & A. C.

| playing_years3 = 1901

| playing_team3 = Philadelphia Athletic Club

| playing_years4 = 1902

| playing_team4 = Philadelphia Phillies

| playing_years5 = 1902

| playing_team5 = "New York"

| playing_years6 = 1903

| playing_team6 = Syracuse Athletic Club

| playing_years7 = 1903

| playing_team7 = Franklin Athletic Club

| career_highlights = * World Series of Football champion (1903)

"U.S. Pro Football Title" (1903)

}}

Benjamin Franklin Roller (July 1, 1876 – April 19, 1933) was an American physician, a professional wrestler and a football player.

Biography

=Early life=

Roller was born in Newman, Illinois. where he grew up on his family's farm. As a boy on the farm, Roller dreamed of becoming a doctor. His mother encouraged him to attend college, while his father felt that every man should make his way, picking up his education by experience.

He attended college at De Pauw University after his mother, a former school teacher, helped him prepare for the entrance examination. Due to the family's lack of money, Ben worked at a dry goods store, pulling nails for 15 cents an hour. He used the money to buy new clothes for attending school. Upon arriving at De Pauw, Roller started a gym class that began his athletic career in football and wrestling. He was the runt in his family of six, at 6'0 and 200 pounds.{{cite news | title = Roller to Retire from Wrestling | work=The New York Times | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/07/04/104649629.pdf | date = July 4, 1915 | quote = An unusual niche in the world of professional wrestling is that occupied by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Roller, American heavyweight champion. This physician and college graduate will tell you he had two reasons for becoming a professional wrestler. First, he liked the sport; second, he saw in it the way to physical perfection.}} He soon became the captain of the school's football and track teams.{{cite web | title = Dr. B.F. Roller | url = http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_svinth_0700.htm | accessdate = April 2, 2012}}

File:Ben Roller sketch.jpeg

Upon graduation from De Pauw, Roller attended the University of Pennsylvania. With a lack of money for college, he soon began to play football in the professional ranks.

=Professional football career=

He played pro football for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club,{{cite web|title=Stars Over All-Stars |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |pages=2–3 |url=https://profootballresearchers.com/articles/Stars_Over_All_Stars.pdf |author=PFRA Research |access-date=2024-02-06}} Duquesne Country and Athletic Club, Philadelphia Athletic Club{{cite web|title=And Yet Again |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |page=1 |url=https://profootballresearchers.com/articles/And_Yet_Again.pdf |author=PFRA Research |access-date=2024-02-06 }} and was later a player-coach with the Philadelphia Phillies of the first National Football League.{{cite journal |title=Dave Berry and the Philadelphia Story |journal=Coffin Corner |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |volume=2 |issue=Annual |year=1980 |pages=1–9 |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-053.pdf |first=Bob |last=Carroll |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218220541/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-053.pdf |archivedate=2010-12-18 }} In December 1902, he played for the "New York" team during the World Series of Football.{{cite journal |title=The First Football World Series |journal=Coffin Corner |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |volume=2 |issue=Annual |year=1980 |pages=1–8 |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-054.pdf |author=Carroll, Bob |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218232146/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-054.pdf |archivedate=2010-12-18 }} In 1903, he played with the Franklin Athletic Club{{cite journal |title=Franklins Hired Guns: 1903 |journal=Coffin Corner |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |issue=Annual |pages=4–8 |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-054.pdf |author=PFRA Research |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218232146/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-054.pdf |archivedate=2010-12-18 }} and won his return trip to the World Series of Football with that team. He began the 1903 season with Syracuse Athletic Club.

He also played on several of the Penn college teams and won the "university championship" in his second and fourth years. However, he never played for the varsity because of a four-year rule.

=Post-college=

After graduating from Penn, Roller assisted Dr. Barton Cooke, a professor at the medical school, in writing a textbook. He accepted a position as a professor of physiology at the University of Washington. He also supervised the school's athletics and was an advisor to the Seattle Athletic Club. After two years with the school, he decided to open an office. He also worked as a land speculator and acquired wealth until the Panic of 1907.

=Wrestling career=

{{Infobox professional wrestler

| name = Ben Roller

| names = Doc Roller
Dr. Benjamin Roller
Dr. B.F. Roller
Dr. Roller

| image =

| caption=

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}

| weight = {{convert|200|lbs|kg|abbr=on}}

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| resides =

| billed =

| trainer =

| debut = 1906

| retired = 1918

}}

He later resigned from that position in 1906 to become a full-time wrestler. Roller’s first professional match was against Jack Carkeek. Roller won two falls in 17 minutes and received $1,600. After that, he started having matches around the Northwest under the names Dr. Roller, Dr. Benjamin Roller, and Dr. B.F. Roller, and Doc Roller. He next wrestled Frank Gotch in an exhibition match, for which he received $4,000. After the bout with Gotch, Roller decided to use wrestling as a tool for traveling the world and studying under the noted professors in both the United States and Europe. Throughout his career, Roller defeated many of the top wrestlers of his day. These wrestlers included Farmer Burns, Fred Beell, Ed Lewis, and Joe Stecher, who Gotch managed. From 1906–1918, Roller posted a record of 39 wins, 26 losses, and four draws in 69 matches.{{cite web | title = Benjamin Roller | url = http://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=10370&bild=1&details=4 | accessdate = April 2, 2012}}

=Death=

File:Benjamin Franklin Roller (1876 - April 19, 1933) was a physician, a professional wrestler and a football player.jpg

Roller died of pneumonia on April 19, 1933, at the age of 56.{{cite news | title = Famous Wrestler Dies | newspaper = Associated Press in the Lawrence Journal-World | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19330421&id=VghRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PL4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3650,3717031 | page = 3 | date = April 21, 1933}}

Championships and accomplishments

Independent
American Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2023{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/03/16/ipwhf-class-of-2023-both-great-and-gorgeous/|title=IPWHF Class of 2023 both 'Great' and 'Gorgeous'|work=Slam Wrestling|first=Greg|last=Oliver|date=March 16, 2023|accessdate=December 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507112606/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/03/16/ipwhf-class-of-2023-both-great-and-gorgeous/|archive-date=May 7, 2023|url-status=live}}