Sandy Barr

Infobox Wrestler
name=Ferrin Charles Barr
names=Sandy Barr

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caption=
height =
nmweight =
birth_date=January 21, 1938
birth_place=
death_date=death date and age|2007|06|02|1938|01|21
death_place=Portland, Oregon
resided = Portland, Oregon flagicon|Oregon
billed =
trainer=
debut=March 5, 1957
retired=
website= |

Ferrin Charles Barr (January 21, 1938 - June 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, referee, promotercite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=4th Edition 2006 | id=ISBN 0-9698161-5-4 ] and trainer who spent his career mostly in the Western United States and Canada. Under the name as Sandy Barr, he was best known for his presence in the Portland, Oregon wrestling scene.

Career

Barr got his start in wrestling working with Cliff Thiede from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He wrestled his first match on March 5 1957 in Hot Springs, Idaho against Treacherous Phillips to a time limit draw.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/02/4229912.html|title=Northwest mainstay Sandy Barr dies|accessdate=2007-06-03|date=2007-06-02] cite web|url=http://www.dutchsavage.com/wrestlinginterviews.html|title=Interview with Sandy Barr |accessdate=2007-05-11|month=June | year=2006] He spent his time wrestling Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Canada.

Barr began refereeing matches for Pacific Northwest Wrestling promoter Don Owen in the 1960s because it allowed him to spend more time at home with his family.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/02/4229912.html|title=Northwest mainstay Sandy Barr dies|accessdate=2007-06-03|date=2007-06-02] cite web|url=http://www.dutchsavage.com/wrestlinginterviews.html|title=Interview with Sandy Barr |accessdate=2007-05-11|month=June | year=2006] As a promoter, Barr was known as a person who would take care of the wrestlers. Tom "The Dynamite Kid" Billington said of Barr, "The only time he made anything was once a year when all the big names came in, like Harley Race and André the Giant, and then they'd do great business. Sold out every night. Sandy would be so excited about making all this money, after he'd paid the big names, he gave the rest of it to us, the wrestlers who were there every week. All year long he'd be scraping by, and, when he did make some money, he gave it away. But he was a very good, kindhearted man, a great man—especially for a promoter."cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/03/4231164.html|title=Promoter Sandy Barr loved the business
accessdate=2007-06-04|date=2007-06-04]

Barr spent much of his later life as a referee, promoter, and trainer, training wrestlers such as Jimmy Jack Funk (Jesse Barr), Matt Borne (the first Doink the Clown), Art Barr, Velvet McIntyrecite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/03/26/51393.html|title=Velvet's WrestleMania memories |accessdate=2007-06-04|date=2003-03-26] cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/mcintyre-velvet.html|title=Velvet McIntyre
accessdate=2007-06-04|date=2005-06-30] and Princess Victoria.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/02/4229912.html|title=Northwest mainstay Sandy Barr dies|accessdate=2007-06-03|date=2007-06-02] cite web|url=http://www.dutchsavage.com/wrestlinginterviews.html|title=Interview with Sandy Barr |accessdate=2007-05-11|month=June | year=2006] While largely retired from being an active wrestling performer, Barr continued to get back into the ring on occasion, wrestling his last match just a few weeks prior to his death.cite news
last = Beaven
first = Stephen
coauthors =
title = Portland wrestler, promoter Sandy Barr dies at 69
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = "The Oregonian"
date = June 5 2007
url = http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/06/portland_wrestler_promoter_san.html
accessdate = 2007-06-06 ]

Personal life

After Don Owen bought an old bowling alley and converted it into the Portland Sports Arena, Barr worked out a deal with Owen where he would hold a flea market (that would become renowned in the Northwest)Fact|date=June 2007 in the arena when it was not being used for wrestling.

He is the father of Art Barr, who would go on to fame in Mexico as American Love Machine, and Jesse Barr,cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/WrestlingStarBios/barr_art.html|title=Art Barr: What could have been, Looking back at Love Machine's career|accessdate=2007-06-04|date=1999-11-29] who gained some level of fame teaming with Dory and Terry Funk as Jimmy Jack Funk.

On June 2 2007 he died of a heart attack at his flea market.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/02/4229912.html|title=Northwest mainstay Sandy Barr dies|accessdate=2007-06-03|date=2007-06-02] Following his death, his son Josh Barr continued running the promotion. [cite web|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=119126107612443400|title=Josh Barr keeps St. Johns bouts going after dad’s death|accessdate=2007-06-04|date=2007-10-02|publisher=Portland Tribune]

References

External links

* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/s/sandy-barr.html Barr at Online World of Wrestling]
* [http://www.barrtime.com/ Sandy Barr Memorial]