“Breathe!”
That’s what a random patron of Lawrenceville’s Moose establishment told a frazzled ring announcer as he splashed water on his face under the florescent lights of the restroom. The stranger dried his hands and tossed a crumbled paper towel into a trash cash without a second thought while the MC for the evening diligently straightened his tie in the mirror, making sure that all of his note cards were in order before he walked to the ring. One was there for a casual night of entertainment, the other was at the first day on the job.
That was April 16, 2005, and that jittery ring announcer was Thomas Leturgey, a Portage, Cambria County native that was just minutes away from taking the plunge into the world of professional wrestling, a decision that ultimately shaped the direction of the rest of his life.
“I have been blessed beyond words with the friendships and opportunities that I have made in professional wrestling. Bobby O and I would often say, ‘Not bad for a couple of kids from Cal U.’ These wrestlers aren’t just friends, they are family,” Leturgey explained.
“When thinking about the many friends who have played a huge part in my professional wrestling career, Trapper Tom must be counted near the top. Together, we have enjoyed the company of several wrestling legends, and have made many of our own wonderful memories together, added Mark Charles III, Pittsburgh area referee known as “The Count” for his studious approach to the officiating job.
For more than two decades, the brass-voiced Leturgey has been the vocal conductor of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, a league that has been a fixture of Pittsburgh, a city known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, for a quarter of a century. With the famous Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling program as a historical blue print, KSWA, since its inception, has aimed to recapture the classic pro wrestling style of the golden era of the steel city. With “Chilly” Billy Cardille as the host of the studio show, names like Bruno Sammartino, Bobby “Hurricane” Hunt, “The Fighting Cop From Carnegie” Frank Holtz, JJ Dillon, and “The Battman” Tony Marino provided a foundation for what pro wrestling was built on in the region. As a nod to the lineage of the area, those names were also recognized by KSWA with inductions into the promotion’s Hall of Fame over the years. With a focus on over-the-top family-friendly entertainment as a throwback to a bygone era, the “mega stars” of KSWA bring colorful characters and traditional clashes of heroes vs. villains to its loyal fan base, dubbed the “KSWA Krazies.”
Affectionately known as “Trapper” Tom by fans and peers alike, Leturgey is as much of a throwback as the promotion itself. He has made a career both inside and outside of media for the better part of four decades, spanning back to when he made his on-air debut at a 500-watt radio station behind his high school in Cambria County. When the 15-year-old hit the airwaves, the broadcasts emanated from a shack built of cinder blocks.
“I read directly from that morning’s Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. When the sports guy left, I read sports from the paper. When the DJ left, I did all three jobs before some of my fellow high school friends joined me. We were all volunteers,” Trapper said.
The domino effect that eventually led Leturgey to a life in pro wrestling, and media itself, began from there, prompting him to attend California University of Pennsylvania in 1986, a time when the Rock N’ Wrestling era was just beginning to peak. It was in the halls of higher education that not only did Leturgey get involved in every form of media available at the time, he also met a fellow wrestling fan, Bobby O, the future owner of the KSWA, with a friendship that has continued over the span of 40 years.
“That led to me going to California University of Pennsylvania in 1986. That’s where I met Bobby O. I did it all there. Morning, evening DJ, newscaster, covered sports with Bobby O and others. And, got involved in the campus TV station and more importantly, the campus newspaper,” Trapper Tom commented.
Post-graduation from Cal-U, Leturgey landed a long-tenured and very successful career outside of the media realm, but the echos of Myron Cope, Mike Lange, Greg Brown, Bill Hillgrove and Stan Savran, or the columns of the late, Dale Lolley embedded the pursuit of journalism in his mind. In fact, old school seems to be a part of Leturgey’s make up, as he was a natural at painting the verbal or literary picture for the audience. “Trapper” wouldn’t look out of place with a press pass tucked into a fedora if a DeLorean could hit 88 MPH to transport him back in time to cover the plays of Roberto Clemente or Rocky Bleier.
“As longtime voice of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, he harkens back to the golden era of Wrestling, and you will be hard pressed to find a more loyal friend,” said Mark Charles.
As with anything, he started out with scholastic newspapers before he began writing for the South Hills Community paper after his college tenure and then continued to freelance for various outlets over the years as often as possible. He had a knack for the written word that simply couldn’t be ignored. Eventually, he pitched stories to the Valley Manor, freelancing for them until he became a regular contributor for the publication in more recent years.
“I submitted things to the Valley Mirror newspaper and inquired when they were looking for freelancers. The rest is history,” Leturgey remarked.
It goes without saying that with the late, legendary Hulk Hogan as his favorite in-ring grappler of all time that Trapper Tom had to put pen to paper about his love for the squared circle as well. Freelancing again opened the door for Trapper, and when his work was viewed, he was asked to contribute, making him a valuable asset in another form of media. When Greg Oliver of Slam Wrestling, one of the most well-known pro wrestling outlets, offered him a place to contribute there as well, Trapper found himself as a stalwart of squared circle coverage.
“He would ask me to cover things, or I would pass along stories on my own. Unfortunately, I was writing a lot of obituaries for them. We lost a lot of Studio Wrestling and independent wrestlers and personalities there for a stretch of time. Before he passed, I wrote a feature on Virgil that cleared up a lot of rumors about Mike Jones. It was like the third most viewed feature on Slam that year that wasn’t an obituary. Slam Wrestling featured seasoned authors and journalists who wrote about sports,” Trapper Tom said.
Despite decades of his work in print in one form or another, Leturgey has no plans of slowing down on his keyboard, with the written word as his focus going forward.
“My present and future projects will be in writing. I will continue to write about wrestling, local news, features and in the world of art. In addition to Fine Art Auctioneers like Ray Taylor and Mitch Carter, I’ve interviewed great contemporary artists like Lisa Me and KeF!,” he added.
Just recently, Leturgey reached a milestone in his prose, contributing to the book “Behind The Mic: Pittsburgh’s Greatest Sports Broadcast Journalists.” When it comes to journalist excellent around the storied history of the steel city, specifically professional wrestling, Leturgey is top-notch so his contribution to the book speaks volumes to his reputation.
Over the past twenty years, Trapper Tom has provided the introductions for local legends like T. Rantula and Lord Zoltan, and national stars like The Rock N’ Roll Express. However, he has occasionally got in the ring when the situation called for it, competing in a few official bouts to stand up to the villains. His in-ring career proved just how wild the sports entertainment business can be for anyone involved in the production of live cards. His record isn’t as stellar as Andre’s run, but Trapper has been in a handful of battle royals, a tag match alongside KSWA icon, Lou Martin, and even a four-team “Captain’s match.”
“I was in my late 30’s then and worked out for that silly gimmick match. I got beat down by the dastardly Biker Al, who was then suspended through the summer. When he was to come back, I challenged him to a match, but Lou Martin stepped in to calm me down. He and I took on Biker Al and Del Douglas. Lou pinned Del, but I was able to hit Douglas with a Bionic Elbow. The Captain’s Series featured one non-wrestler on each team. It was a mishmash of talent, but I was snap-marred and pinned by Studio Wrestling great, Frank Durso, who was in his 70’s at the time. I loved all of it, but realized I was best served with a microphone in my hand,” Tom said.
“Trapper Tom is the definitive voice of the KSWA. He even gave me the moniker ‘Pride of Springdale’ during a local event. What I thought was a one time comment has turned into a ongoing introduction that has followed me throughout the region,” confirmed Shawn Patrick, a legendary western Pennsylvania referee with decades of experience that is beloved by fans and his peers.
Leturgey has lived dreams, built friendships, and made family all through the genre of pro wrestling. He didn’t know it when he attended his first KSWA event in 2004 with his son Taylor, but the local league that was woven into the fabric of Pittsburgh also became woven into the narrative of his life. He has only missed a handful of KSWA dates during his tenure as ring announcer, as his wife Marion insists on an annual vacation to unwind. Trapper passed off the mic to his “Vulcan brother” Luke Hixon on those occasions, but Tom still had to keep his reporter hat on even when he was supposed to be relaxing in the sun.
“I always bring my laptop. I’m not happy unless I am working or promoting something. I have written more than 800 pieces about the KSWA over the years. We helped enrich and promote the in-ring career of the likes of Lord Zoltan and T-Rantula and I couldn’t be prouder,” he explained.
“With his golden pen, Trapper Tom has helped to solidify the legend of The Count in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, through the many stories he’s published about my own personal journey in professional wrestling,” Mark Charles chimed in.
Radio broadcasts, ABA games, high school basketball, and of course, professional wrestling have all been sound tracked by Leturgey. Much like he hit a career milestone with the book publication of signature Pittsburgh broadcasters earlier this year, he will reach another benchmark to close the year. After 25 years of thrills and philanthropy, as the organization ran numerous fundraisers and charity events each year, the KSWA will have its final event in the Sheraden neighborhood at the American Legion Post 496, a home base for the company, on December 6th. In a shining examples of KSWA’s greater mission, the fan fest event will once again host a toy drive for those in need in Allegheny country this holiday season.
The organizers behind the scenes of the wrestling league cited the increased workload and exhausting process of promoting dozens of events each year as the reason behind the decision to promote a finale card, As bittersweet as it might be, the memories, friendships and impressions the KSWA made for the past 25 years will have a lasting effects on those that experienced it, it certainly did on Leturgey. Because of that, after more than a 20-year career as a ring announcer, he felt it was only right to take his final bow on the same night that the curtain closes on the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance.
“I couldn’t imagine frequently being on shows that didn’t feature Lou Martin, Shawn Blanchard, Del Douglas, Shane Starr, Mark Charles, and so many others,” he explained.
“Trapper” Tom didn’t know it that day in 2005 when he nervously proclaimed introductions in Lawrenceville for the first time, but he will be reminded of all of the thrills, friends and family he made throughout his journey in professional wrestling on December 6th in Sheraden.
For more information about Trapper Tom, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/tom.leturgey
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
