Sunday, May 28, 2006

"Cowboy" Bob Yuma dies; tussled/fought/wrestled to preserve Phoenix's Madison Square Garden

[Source: Tim Hicks, Arizona Wrestling Legends] -- "Cowboy" Bob Yuma (pictured on the left in the photo) passed away May 23, 2006 at the age of 54 after suffering from lung disease for many years. He and his wife Alicia resided in Arizona. Yuma (Frankie Vaughn) was trained by Tito Montez and broke into the wrestling business in 1973/74, and after his tour of the Pacific Northwest ventured to Arizona where he held many regional championships.

Phoenix historic preservation advocates came to know "Cowboy" Bob and Tito during the 2005 campaign to save the Madison Square Garden, home to professional wrestling matches from the 1950s to 1970s. They wrote letters and e-mails, and spoke before City Council and the press in support of keeping the structure. [Note: The photo of "Cowboy" Bob, Tito, and Lumberjack #1 was taken in August 2005 during a tour of Madison Square Garden before its demolition.]