George Larson

As a boy George Larson wrestled at the local YMCA, but took up swimming when about 13 years old. He won the 1932 Canadian 100 yard freestyle and was selected to the 1932 Olympic team. He also competed in 1936 at Berlin and in between won a gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games as part of Canada’s 4x200y freestyle relay team (with Robert Pirie, Robert Hooper, and the non-Olympian George Burleigh). In the 1934 British Empire Games he also won a silver medal in the 100 yards freestyle, finished fourth in the 440 yards freestyle, and sixth in the 1500 yards freestyle. In 1935 he anchored a Canadian 4x100 relay team to a world record.

Very big for his era, Larson also competed briefly in Canadian football for the Hamilton Tigers in the forerunner of the Canadian Football League, later changing to the Hamilton Wildcats (later to merge as the Tiger-Cats). During World War II he began a career as a police officer. But during that time he also began to supplement his income as a professional wrestler, eventually competing under the name “Irish Tom” Collins. He competed in that sport for 15 years, earning enough money to build a house for his wife and four children. His brother Herb Larson was also active as a pro wrestler in the southern US.