Ski Hi Lee

{{Short description|Canadian professional wrestler}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|name = Ski Hi Lee

|image = SkiHiLeeCropped.png

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1921|2|9}}

|birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1974|5|31|1921|2|9}}

|birth_name = Robert E. Leedy

|death_place = London, England, United Kingdom

|names = Bob Lee
Hi Lee
Jack Lee
Robert E. Lee
Ski Hi Lee
Sky High Lee
Sky Hi Lee
Sky Hy Lee
Tiny Lee

|height = {{height|ft=6|in=7}} - {{height|ft=6|in=11}}

|weight = {{convert|280|lb|kg|abbr=on}} - {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

|billed = El Paso, Texas, United States
Houston, Texas, United States
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

|trainer =

|debut = 1944

|retired = c.1968

}}

Robert E. Leedy (9 February 1921 – 31 May 1974) was a Canadian professional wrestler, boxer and actor, better known by his ring name, Ski Hi Lee (also spelled Sky Hi Lee, Sky High Lee, and Sky Hy Lee). Known for his great height and strength, he was described as the tallest professional wrestler of his era and as "among the roughest in the business".

Early life

Leedy was born on 9 February 1921 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Professional wrestling career

Leedy began wrestling in 1944. During the late 1940s, he wrestled for various promotions in Canada and the United States. Midget wrestler Sky Low Low, who debuted in the late 1940s, adopted his ring name in reference to Lee.

By 1950, Lee was appearing with the Calgary, Alberta-based Big Time Wrestling promotion. On 26 February 1951, Lee defeated Al Mills for the promotion's NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Mills regained the championship from Lee the following month. Lee won the championship from Mills a second time on 29 January 1952, once again losing the championship to Mills in a rematch the following month. On 2 April 1955, Lee and Earl McCready defeated Fritz Von Erich and Lou Sjoberg for the Alberta Tag Team Championship. They lost the championship back to Von Erich and Sjoberg later that month. On 20 May 1955, Lee defeated Von Erich and Sjoberg for the championship a second time, this time with Don Lee as his partner. Lee continued to wrestle for Big Time Wrestling until at least 1956.

In 1957, Lee wrestled 30 matches in Australia - including two bouts against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz - followed by a single bout in New Zealand.

In late-1957, Lee began wrestling for the Honolulu, Hawaii-based promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling. He continued to wrestle for the promotion until early 1959. During his stint in Hawaii, Lee lived in Waikiki in Honolulu.

In late-1958, Lee toured Japan with the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance, participating in the "International Competitions of the Fall" series as one-half of a tag team with Don Leo Jonathan. While in East Asia, Lee visited Formosa during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, reportedly being introduced to Chiang Kai-shek.

In the early-1960s, Lee toured South Africa. In 1961, Jeremy Taylor recorded a satirical song entitled "Ag Pleez Deddy" ("Oh Please Daddy") in which reference is made to a scheduled bout between Lee and the South African wrestler Willie Liebenberg.

After finishing his tour, Lee flew to the United Kingdom in 1962 to exchange his pay, which he had been given in sterling. He ultimately settled in the UK, working for Joint Promotions and other companies. During his time in the UK, he faced Tiger Joe Robinson in a bout that promoter Atholl Oakeley described as "one of the finest fights ever seen in London".

Leedy's last recorded bouts were in mid-1968, when he toured Japan with International Wrestling Enterprise as part of its "Big Summer Series".

Professional wrestling persona

Lee in 1953 wearing his signature [[stetson.|thumb]]

Early in his career Lee wrestled as a face and was billed from his hometown of Toronto. He used various ring names before settling on "Ski Hi Lee". Later in his career, Lee wrestled as a heel and was billed as being a cowboy from El Paso, Texas (or, less commonly, Houston, Texas) in the United States, with his character described as a "country bumpkin version of Jaws" and a "roughneck" and supposedly being the son of the Texas Ranger "Hi Lee". Lee was described by Pat Barrett as "one of the most hated men in wrestling, on a par with Roddy Piper"; on at least one occasion he was attacked by multiple audience members while leaving the ring.

Lee had a distinctive appearance, with Bob Leonard describing him as "this great big, raw-boned guy who had the look of a corpse that had been left hanging around for a couple of days [who had] long, shaggy hair [and was] always unshaven". His hair was described as a "lion-like mane". One writer described his "large head, long curly locks, sideburns, walrus moustache and 'mutton-chop' whiskers". Lee was referred to by one audience member as "the first person I ever saw who was a lean 292 pounds". He was known to wear a stetson.

Lee wrestled in a brawling style that emphasised his height and strength, with frequent choking and gouging. His finishers included a backbreaker, a knee drop, and a right-handed punch.

Boxing career

{{Infobox boxer

| name = Robin Lee

| image = Robin Lee 1946.jpg

| realname = Robert E. Leedy

| nickname = "Tiny"

| reach = 87 in

| height = 6 ft 7 in

| weight = Heavyweight

| style = Orthodox

| total = 17

| wins = 11

| KO = 5

| losses = 1

}}

Leedy boxed from 1945 to 1946 as a heavyweight under the ring name Robin "Tiny" Lee (sometimes referred to as simply "Tiny Lee"). Fighting out of San Francisco, California, he was billed as {{convert|6|ft|7|in|cm}} with an {{convert|87|in|cm}} reach. He is recorded by BoxRec as having fought 17 bouts between July 11, 1945, and June 25, 1946, of which he won 11, lost five, and drew one. In September 1945, he reportedly defeated Billy Gilbert by knockout in 14 seconds.

{{BoxingRecordSummary

|ko-wins=10

|ko-losses=4

|dec-wins=1

|dec-losses=1

|draws=1

}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
{{abbr|No.|Number}}

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Date

!Location

17

|{{no2}}Loss

|11–5–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Johnny Haynes

|KO

|25 June 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.}}

16

|{{no2}}Loss

|11–4–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Tex Boddie

|TKO

|13 May 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack and Coliseum, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.}}

15

|{{yes2}}Win

|11–3–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Charley Johnson

|KO

|30 April 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California U.S.}}

14

|{{no2}}Loss

|10–3–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Doug Ellison

|PTS

|23 April 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California U.S.}}

13

|{{yes2}}Win

|10–2–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Lowell Strong

|TKO

|28 March 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

12

|{{no2}}Loss

|9–2–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Argentina}} Abel Cestac

|KO

|28 February 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota U.S.}}

11

|{{yes2}}Win

|9–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Lindy Elliott

|TKO

|15 February 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.}}

10

|{{yes2}}Win

|8–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Tiger Sullivan

|KO

|4 February 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.}}

9

|{{yes2}}Win

|7–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Bill McClure

|KO

|31 January 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.}}

8

|{{yes2}}Win

|6–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Charley Johnson

|PTS

|21 December 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

7

|{{yes2}}Win

|5–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Johnny Ebarb

|TKO

|23 November 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

6

|{{no2}}Loss

|4–1–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Doug Ellison

|{{abbr|TKO|Technical knockout}}

|5 October 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

5

|{{yes2}}Win

|4–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Billy Gilbert

|KO

|14 September 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

4

|{{yes2}}Win

|3–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Frankie Estrada

|KO

|3 August 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|National Hall, San Francisco, California, U.S.}}

3

|{{yes2}}Win

|2–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Joe Hudson

|KO

|24 July 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.}}

2

|{{yes2}}Win

|1–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Battling Moore

|{{abbr|KO|Knockout}}

|14 July 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Palo Alto, California, U.S.}}

1

|{{draw}}Draw

|0–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Charley Johnson

|{{abbr|PTS|Points}}

|11 July 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} {{small|Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.}}

Acting career

Leedy acted in three films: the French comedies L'Empire de la Nuit and Les Bricoleurs in 1962 and 1963 respectively, and the Indian mystery Nasihat in 1967.

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Filmography

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1962

| L'Empire de la Nuit ("The Empire of the Night")

| Le géant ("The giant")

|

1963

| Les Bricoleurs ("The DIYers")

| Le voleur de la banque ("the bank robber")

|

1967

| Nasihat ("Advice")

| Henchman

|

Personal life

Leedy suffered from acromegaly. He had a high pain tolerance and would engage in geek show feats including chewing glass and allowing people to throw darts into his bare back.

Lee owned a 200-acre dude ranch in Bolton, Ontario (the "Rocking H"), as well as a restaurant in Toronto and 1,200 acres in Alberta.

Lee was a heavy drinker, reportedly drinking a forty of whisky for breakfast. Fellow wrestler Orig Williams described him as a "world-class drinker" who would drink three bottles of whisky daily. Fellow wrestler Al Oeming quoted Lee's aunt as bemoaning him having on one occasion drunk "a 26er of King's Straight for breakfast, a 26er at noon, and a 26er at night".

Death

Leedy died on 31 May 1974 in his adopted home of London. His death has variously been ascribed to complications from acromegaly, alcohol intoxication, and health complications caused by a cook lacing a meal he had eaten with rat poison.

Championships and accomplishments

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/onsdeath93/?name=_Leedy&death=1974-6|title=All England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 results for Leedy|work=Ancestry.co.uk|access-date=21 July 2019}}

{{cite book|first=Pat |last=Barrett|author-link=Pat Barrett (wrestler)|title=Everybody Down Here Hates Me: The Traumas and Dramas Inside the Incredible World of Professional Wrestling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFS6KiyGBNcC|year=1990|publisher=Fleur-de-Lis Press|isbn=978-0-9626593-0-0|quote=[Lee] at that time was one of the most hated men in wrestling, on a par with Roddy Piper today. [...] In the end the cook made a meal for him, but laced it with rat poison. Why he didn't die at that time was a miracle, but he never totally recovered. [...] I'm sure it hastened his early death a few years later in London.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6014877/the_san_bernardino_county_sun/|title='Crippler Karl' born to play the heavy|first=Bob|last=Jacobs|work=The San Bernardino Sun (via Newspapers.com)|location=San Bernardino, California|date=13 August 1961|access-date=8 June 2019|page=27|quote=Who's the tallest? Ski Hi Lee.}}

{{cite news|title=Omaha|work=Biddeford Daily Journal (via NewspaperArchive.com|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/biddeford-daily-journal-feb-05-1946-p-6/|location=Biddeford, Maine|date=February 5, 1946|access-date=22 July 2019|page=6|quote=Robin (Tiny) Lee, 264½, San Francisco, knocked out Tiger Sullivan.}}

{{cite web|url=http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/63630|title=Robin Tiny Lee|work=BoxRec|access-date=22 July 2019}}{{cite news|title=Tiny Lee - biggest man in ring|url=https://sep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-13159482790260_2272_869295|work=The Knockout|date=29 June 1946|access-date=22 July 2019|volume=20}}

{{cite book|author=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|title=Symposium on Television Violence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eM1kAAAAMAAJ|year=1976|page=126|publisher=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission |isbn=9780660005171|quote=One day a wrestler called Sky High Lee came in with his head covered with bandages, sores, and burns all over his face...It seems that going from the ring to the dressing room, an old lady smashed a bottle on his head and five people stubbed out their cigarettes in his face.}}

{{cite book|first1=Guy|first2=Butler|last1=Chris|last2=Mann|title=A New Book of South African Verse in English|url=https://archive.org/details/newbookofsouthaf00butl_1|url-access=registration|year=1979|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-570141-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newbookofsouthaf00butl_1/page/223 223]}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26070038/calgary_herald/|title=Villains capture tag match|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=10 December 1955|access-date=5 June 2019|page=33|quote=Lee would soften Kameroff with backbreakers and apply a press...}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29522154/calgary_herald/|title=Wrestling Thursday Mar 15|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=2 March 1951|access-date=8 June 2019|page=32}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27711446/calgary_herald/|title=Wild scenes feature local wrestle card|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=28 January 1956|access-date=5 June 2019|page=36|quote=First fall went to Ski Hi Lee with a knee drop...|first=Harvey|last=Gay}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28990691/calgary_herald/|title=Sky-Hi Lee 'tramples' Marconi in mat test|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=2 March 1951|access-date=5 June 2019|page=23|quote=Sky-Hi Lee found his power and size to a great advantage [...] Slug and kick - then kick and slug, and maybe even choke.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29030590/calgary_herald/|title=Heroes win mat feature|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=3 March 1956|access-date=5 June 2019|page=41|quote=Lee [hit] him with a right to the jaw as he bounced off and then [applied] a press for the three count.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30371846/calgary_herald/|title=McCready, Hi-Lee win main event|work=Calgary Herald (via Newspapers.com)|location=Calgary, Alberta|date=9 April 1955|access-date=5 June 2019|page=36|quote=Lee...uncorked a short right and [Von Erich] went face first to the canvas.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9886503/democrat_and_chronicle/|title=Curfew lifted for tilt of Lee, Sexton tonight|work=Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com)|location=Rochester, New York|date=14 October 1954|access-date=10 June 2019|page=35}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10217147/sky_hi_lee4161950/|title=Sky Hy Lee vies with War Cloud in mat feature|work=Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com)|location=Rochester, New York|date=16 April 1950|access-date=5 June 2019|page=56}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9350866/sky_hi_lee/|title=Sky-Hy Lee|work=Democrat and Chronicle (via Newspapers.com)|location=Rochester, New York|date=5 January 1958|access-date=5 June 2019|page=11}}

{{cite news|title=Wrestling Tuesday night - 8:30 PM|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31094416/edmonton_journal/|work=Edmonton Journal (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Edmonton, Alberta|date=2 May 1955|access-date=5 June 2019|page=16}}

{{cite news|title=World's strongest man will stage exhibition on mat during Lions mat show|work=Eureka Humboldt Standard (via NewspaperArchive.com|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-humboldt-standard-mar-18-1958-p-15/|location=Eureka, California|date=18 March 1958|access-date=22 July 2019|page=15|quote=Sky High Lee, a six-foot seven-inch former boxer named Tiny Lee, tips the scales at 290 pounds.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15933763/19560905_kingston_daily_freeman/|title=595-pound bout backs midgets on Sept. 10 card|work=Daily Freeman (via Newspapers.com)|location=Kingston, New York|date=5 September 1956|access-date=8 June 2019|page=16|quote=Both [Lee and McKenzie] are regarded as among the roughest in the business.}}

{{cite news|title=Yukon Eric wins over Reggie Lisowski at East Main Arena|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34047/galesburg_registermail/|page=22|work=The Register-Mail (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Galesburg, Illinois|date=3 June 1953|access-date=5 June 2019|quote=...Sky Hi Lee, 290 pounds from El Paso, Tex...}}

{{cite book|first=Superstar Billy|last=Graham|author-link=Superstar Billy Graham|title=Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T9AEDADI4_IC&pg=PT19|date=2010|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4391-2179-5|pages=19}}

{{cite book|first=John|last=Grasso|title=Historical Dictionary of Wrestling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KUsJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA175|date=2014|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7926-3|pages=175–176}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/ab-can-h.html|title=Canadian Heavyweight Title [Alberta & Saskatchewan]| access-date=29 May 2019|date=7 June 2017|publisher=Wrestling-Titles.com}}

{{Cite episode |title=Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990 |access-date= |series=Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart |series-link=Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show |first=Ed |last=Whalen |network=Shaw Cable |station=Calgary 7 |date=December 15, 1995 |time=15:38}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/stampede/hof.html|title=Official Stampede Wrestling Hall Of Fame (1948-1990)|first=Paul |last=Banik|access-date=29 May 2019|publisher=Wrestling-Titles.com}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19830287/the_honolulu_advertiser/|title=Wrestling: Civil Auditorium - tonight, 8:00 PM|work=The Honolulu Advertiser (via Newspapers.com)|location=Honolulu, Hawaii|date=11 May 1958|access-date=5 June 2019|page=29}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19830606/the_honolulu_advertiser/|title=Ski Hi Lee beats Endo|work=The Honolulu Advertiser (via Newspapers.com)|location=Honolulu, Hawaii|date=2 June 1958|access-date=5 June 2019|page=9|quote=The tall Texan, who is 6 ft. 7 in., used a back-breaker to gain the first fall in 8:30.}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/l-leduc|title=Ski Hi Lee|access-date=29 May 2019|publisher=WrestlingHeritage.co.uk}}

{{cite book|first=Edward|last=Joffe|title=Before Mandela's Rainbow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rgzdAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|date=2013|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=978-1-4918-9208-4|pages=189}}

{{cite web|url=https://millyjohnson.co.uk/the-books/an-autumn-crush/|title=An Autumn Crush|website=MillyJohnson.co.uk|first=Milly|last=Johnson|author-link=Milly Johnson|access-date=2 June 2019}}

{{cite book|first=Ted|last=Korcheff|title=First Looks and Beyond: The Collected Poems of Ted Kotcheff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7sODAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA35|date=2013|publisher=Xlibris|isbn=978-1-4931-2883-9|pages=35–40}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=9304&page=20|title=Sky High Lee - Career|website=Cagematch.net|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|access-date=21 July 2019}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29142573/the_leaderpost/|title=Sky-Hi too big for swamp man|work=Regina Leader-Post (via Newspapers.com)|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|date=6 March 1951|access-date=8 June 2019|page=12|quote=The mountain was Sky-Hi Lee, a six-foot, eight-inch grappler from Texas whom one awed fan among the 700 described as "the first person I ever saw who was a lean 292 pounds". [...] using Lee's lion-like mane as a lever...}}

{{cite news|title=Wrestling City Hall Auditorium 8.30 tonite|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28274555/the_leaderpost/|work=Regina Leader-Post (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|date=11 February 1952|access-date=5 June 2019|page=14}}

{{cite news|title=Sky-Hi's size means nothing to Roy McLarty|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29653768/the_leaderpost/|page=16|work=Regina Leader-Post (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|date=20 March 1951|access-date=5 June 2019|quote=...Ski Hi-Lee of El Paso, Texas...}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26053170/the_leaderpost/|title=Ring floor survives match but takes terrific battering|work=Regina Leader-Post (via Newspapers.com)|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|date=9 December 1955|access-date=5 June 2019|page=34|quote=[Lee] choked, gouged, punched and occasionally took a fancy for Hepburn's fine mop of hair.}}

{{cite news|title=Sky High Lee|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/lethbridge-herald-jan-20-1956-p-6/|page=6|work=Lethbridge Herald (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|date=20 January 1956|access-date=30 May 2019}}

{{cite news|date=27 February 1959|title=Torres Stockton Wrestling Winner|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19590227&id=OQo0AAAAIBAJ&pg=2173,4439939&hl=en|work=Lodi News-Sentinel (via Google News) |location=Lodi, California|access-date=29 May 2019|quote=Sky High Lee took one fall from George Drake in the preliminary.}}

{{cite book|first=James Morris|last=MacKenzie|title=Black, Black, Black!|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l4BYAAAAYAAJ|year=1969|publisher=Minerva|page=15}}

{{cite book|first=Misty|last=May-Treanor|author-link=Misty May-Treanor|title=Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J8aa1PGXkFEC&pg=PA12|date=2010|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4391-5577-6|pages=12}}

{{cite book|first=Heath|last=McCoy|title=Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fz2MnEdOhOoC&pg=PA63|year=2005|publisher=Canwest|isbn=978-0-9736719-8-8|pages=63–64}}

{{cite book|title=Wrestling Observer Newsletter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jDtaAAAAYAAJ|date=July 2004|first=Dave |last=Meltzer|author-link=Dave Meltzer|page=23|quote=With the exception of Killer Kowalski, who was their size, and Sky Hi Lee, who was a few inches taller, they were the biggest headliners in wrestling of the era.}}

{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Van der Merwe|title=Ek sien 'n nuwe aarde kom--: 'n outobiografie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16MPAQAAMAAJ|date=1996|page=40|publisher=P. van der Merwe |isbn=978-99916-30-66-3|language=Afrikaans}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/03/paul-lincoln-obituary|title=Paul Lincoln obituary|work=The Guardian|first=James|last=Morton|access-date=21 July 2019|quote=Lincoln introduced a number of exotic creatures, such as the giant Ski Hi Lee.|date=3 March 2011}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.kayfabia.com/Article/Details/937|first=Half|last=Nelson|title=The boys who rob the barber|work=New Zealand Sports Digest|date=September 1970|pages=25–27|access-date=22 July 2019}}

{{cite book|first=Geoffrey|last=Nicholson|title=The Professionals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ce4NAQAAIAAJ|year=1964|publisher=André Deutsch|page=12}}

{{cite book|first=Atholl|last=Oakeley|author-link=Atholl Oakeley|title=Blue Blood on the Mat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gH70CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|date=1996|publisher=Summersdale Publishers|isbn=978-1-84024-933-0|pages=154}}

{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/04/13/21600351.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180118012017/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/04/13/21600351.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 18, 2018|title=The wrestlers Al Oeming knew|work=Canoe.com|publisher=Postmedia Network|access-date=29 May 2019|date=13 April 2014|first=Greg|last=Oliver}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19830287/the_honolulu_advertiser/|title=Promoter signs two main events for wrestle card|work=El Paso Herald-Post (via Newspapers.com)|location=El Paso, Texas|date=12 August 1953|access-date=5 June 2019|page=16|quote=...two of the ring's toughest roughnecks in Sky Hi Lee and Plechas...}}

{{cite book|first=Dale|last=Pierce|title=Wrestling in Akron|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jMHemMdh8X0C&pg=PA45|year=2013|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-1017-4|pages=45}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresu.com/jwa/results/jwa195809fall.html|title=JWA: 1958 International Competitions of the Fall|work=Puroresu.com|access-date=21 July 2019}}

{{cite book|first=Mike|last=Silver|title=The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mo0eAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139|date=2012|publisher=McFarland & Co|isbn=978-1-4766-0218-9|pages=139}}

{{cite book|first=Donald G.|last=Smith|title=Fritz Von Erich: Triumph and Tragedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3X5SDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT43|publisher=Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media|date=2012|pages=41, 43|isbn=978-1-93616-823-1}}

{{cite book|first=Wilbur|last=Smith|author-link=Wilbur Smith|title=On Leopard Rock: A Life of Adventures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXs5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT65|date=17 May 2018|publisher=Bonnier|isbn=978-1-78576-531-5|pages=65–66}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12269895/the_star_press/|title=The Star Press|work=The Star Press (via Newspapers.com)|location=Muncie, Indiana|date=15 October 1953|access-date=5 June 2019|page=21|quote=Lee, at 6-9, is the tallest man in the wrestling business.}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29818400/starphoenix/|title=Sjoberg and Von Erich victors in wild match|work=The StarPhoenix (via Newspapers.com)|location=Saskatoon, Saskatchewan|date=24 March 1955|access-date=5 June 2019|page=14|quote=Lee went after Sjoberg and it took him less than five minutes to subdue his rival with a series of knee slams climaxed by a back-breaker.}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/stampede/ab-t.html | title= Alberta Tag Team Title|access-date=29 May 2019|date=4 April 2011|publisher=Wrestling-Titles.com}}

{{cite web|url=http://wrestlingarchive.net/PDFs/TheWrestler-1962-02-Tiny.pdf|title=Editorial Comment|work=The Wrestler|publisher=Kappa Publishing Group|access-date=30 May 2019|date=February 1962|page=2}}

{{cite web|url=http://wrestlingarchive.net/PDFs/TheWrestler-1961-06-Full.pdf|title=Ski Hi Lee of Texas|work=The Wrestler|publisher=Kappa Publishing Group|access-date=21 July 2019|date=June 1961|pages=18–19}}

{{cite news|title=Big boys join midgets at Saratoga|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15935451/19560905_troy_record/|work=Troy Record (via NewspaperArchive.com)|location=Troy, New York|date=5 September 1956|access-date=5 June 2019|page=19|quote=Ski Hi Lee of Toronto, a favorite around these parts for several years...}}

{{cite book|first1=Orig|last1=Williams|author-link=Orig Williams|first2=Martyn|last2=Williams|title=El Bandito - The Autobiography of Orig Williams|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f2g3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT96|date=2013|publisher=Y Lolfa|isbn=978-1-84771-778-8|pages=96}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=1915&bild=0&details=7|title=Ski Hi Lee|work=WrestlingData.com|access-date=21 July 2019}}

}}