Bobby Shane was born as Robert Lee Schoenberger in St. Louis, Missouri on August 25, 1945. When he was just five years old, his parents took him to see a wrestling card at the Kiel Auditorium and he knew right then and there that he wanted to be a wrestler when he grew up.

When he was eight, his father took him to the local YMCA and signed him up for the wrestling program. He wrestled there for several years, learning the basics of amateur wrestling. When he was a teenager, he started going downtown to Harry Cook’s Gym where the local pros would work out. Bobby told them of his love for the sport, and asked them to train him. Initially, the men were unimpressed. Schoenberger was small and skinny and the pros hardly took him seriously. Bobby was persistent and some of the men agreed to work with him – but it was mainly to get rid of him by showing him how rough wrestling could be.
Bobby took all they dished out and came back the next day for more, and he proved to them that he was serious about joining their ranks. His main trainers now were Wild Bill Longson and Bobby Bruns, but Lou Thesz, Dick the Bruiser, and Rip Hawk all pitched in and helped him as well.

After graduating from high school in 1963, Bobby was sent to Portland, OR to start his pro career (under the name Bobby Schoen). He gained valuable experience in the ring with such greats as Pampero Firpo, Pat Patterson, and Tony Borne. From there he jour-neyed to the Central States territory. Appearing now as Bobby Shane, he hit main event status, feuding with such notables as Mongolian Stomper, Bob Geigel, and Bulldog Bob Brown. He earned the nickname “Wonder Boy,” and the fans were quite taken with the talented young wrestler.

He then went on to Georgia where he and Mario Galento held the Southern Tag Team title and had a major feud with the Infernos. This was followed by stints in Nebraska, Hawaii, California, the Eastern States (Mid Atlantic), as well as tours of Europe, Canada, and Mexico.

By 1971 Bobby yearned to move from his mid-card/semi main event status up to the main events. He needed something that would take him to the next level, and he accom-plished that in the Gulf Coast as he entered that territory as a heel. With his hair bleached blond, wearing flashy ring attire, puffing a now ever-present cigar, and with pretty valet (and real life wife) Miss Sherri at his side, Bobby christened himself the King of Wres-tling, and the once soft spoken Shane now would rant on interviews, extolling his own greatness, while berating everyone from the wrestlers to the fans. He had a major feud with Cowboy Bob Kelly and a memorable angle with promoter Lee Fields. Within months, he had transformed himself into one of wrestling’s greatest villains.

In late 1971, Bobby entered Florida and his great success continued. He won the South-ern title, the television title (twice), and the tag team championship on three occasions. His major feuds were with Tim Woods, Jack Brisco, and Eddie and Mike Graham. On the list of most loved-to-hate villains, Bobby name was at or near the top.

He proved to be a popular heel, though, and the Tampanella Cigar Factory even named a cigar after him (“Shane – a truly fine cigar” was the ad slogan). .

In 1973, Shane was among several Florida grapplers who sent to Georgia as a result of a promotional war between Paul Jones’ NWA Georgia territory and Ann Gunkel’s All South Championship Wrestling. While in that territory, he worked behind the scenes as an assistant writer for the Ringsider (the Georgia wrestling program), and he served as an assistant to booker Jerry Jarrett.

In early 1974, a booking position opened up in Australia, and Jerry Jarrett recommended Bobby for the job. Bobby spent what would be the last full year of his life there, booking behind the scenes, and appearing as a wrestler/manager was well.

In late 1974 Shane’s stint there came to a close and headed back to the site of his greatest fame – Florida – where he would wrestle as well as do some booking for Eddie Graham. Sadly, fate would dictate a tragic turn. On February 19, 1975 after a card in Miami, Shane, Gary Hart, and Mike McCord (Austin Idol) joined Buddy Colt for a flight to Tampa on his engine Cessna 173 aircraft. As they approached Tampa International Airpotr, a front was moving in, and was re-directed to Peter O’Knight Airport on Davis Is-land in Hillsboro Bay. As they approached the runway, the thick clouds made it almost impossible to see, and at approximately 1:30 A. M. on the morning of February 20, the plane crashed into the pitch-black water of Hillsboro Bay just off the runway. Colt, Hart, and McCord survived the crash, but Shane was killed at the young as of 29 – just six months short of his 30th birthday.

Bobby Shane came a long way from that five-year-old boy who sat in an arena, mesmer-ized by the action in the ring. He faced a long, hard road to the top, but he made it, and he always gave the fans their money’s worth in the ring. He accomplished more in eleven years than many wrestlers did in twenty, and he was rightfully proud of his accomplishments, but sadly, it ended much too soon. As many of his colleagues have stated, wrestling suffered a tremendous loss the day that Bobby died.

Career Titles Held

Central States United States title

Southern Tag Team titles with Mario Galento

United States Junior Heavyweight title

Southern Junior Heavyweight title

Nebraska State title

Hawaiian Tag Team title with Nick Bockwinkel

Georgia Television title

Georgia Tag Team titles with Doug Gilbert

City Of Mobile Alabama title

Southern Heavyweight title

Florida Television title

Florida Tag Team titles with Bearcat Wright

Florida Tag Team titles with Chris Markoff

Florida Tag Team titles with Gorgeous George Jr.

Georgia Tag Team titles with Gorgeous George Jr.

United States Brass Knuckles title (In Australia)

Australian Tag Team titles with George Barnes