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34 | NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE As far as we have been able to ascertain, Fred Narganes, who was born in Havana, Cuba in March of 1884, is the first grappler of Latino background to compete for an American university (Columbia) and to win US amateur national championships. The story of the Narganes family is, in many ways, tied to the close relations between the elites of the island nation and economic interests of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As noted in many works, such as On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality and Culture by historian Louis A. Perez, Jr., the business element from Cuba had quite regularly, since the early part of the 1800s, sent sons to the United States for education and training in various elements of commercial relations. While we do not have specific information as to what Fred studied at Columbia, we do know that he represented both the University as well as the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) in wrestling competitions during the second half of the first decade of the new century. Research conducted by Don Sayenga does provide a bit of background as to Narganes' family and his wrestling career. One of the principal properties of the Narganes business empire was the Central Niquero (a central is a sugar cane processing plant) starting in the early 1900s. In addition to his sugar interests, Fred's father, Ricardo Narganes Osma, was involved in other enterprises: including an electric and gas company and various engineering endeavors. Sayenga's research indicates that when Ricardo died in October of 1917, he left an estate valued at over $1 million, a sizeable sum at that time. The family's wealth and commercial ties to the United States helped to bring Fred to New York, and to Columbia. In 2003, at a celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of wrestling at the institution, Narganes was recognized for his contributions to the earliest years of the program. Among his achievements were: winning the National AAU title at 158 pounds three times and claiming a title for the NYAC and Columbia in the Intercollegiate Wrestling Association in 1907. The 1907 title was the result of Narganes' decision over Frank Lynch of the St. George's Athletic Club. He next won titles in 1909 and 1910, with victories over Charles Firsland (unattached) and Emil Schalk of the Davis Square Athletic Club of Chicago. In addition to competing at the collegiate level, Narganes also holds the distinction of being one of the first Latinos to compete for the United States in Olympic competition, having been part of the squad that participated in the London Games of 1908. Narganes finished fifth in the freestyle middleweight classification, losing to a British grappler in the quarterfinals. After finishing his wrestling career, Narganes continued to work for some of his father's interests, but little specific information is available. Fred Narganes died in Havana, Cuba in 1957. While he may not be well remembered today, this wrestler set the stage for the participation and excellence of the many hundreds of competitors in this sport who have followed his pioneering path over the past 100- plus years. FRED NARGANES Wrestled 1907-1910 Columbia University & N.Y. Athletic Club 158lbs // 161lbs