Sam Muchnick - Early Life

Early Life

Jeshua Muchnick was born in the Ukraine to a Jewish family on August 22, 1905, but moved to the United States in 1911. He grew up in St. Louis, and his name was changed to Samuel when his father decided that Jeshua (Jesus, or Joshua) was an inappropriate name for a Jewish child. While attending school, he worked various jobs to help out his family before earning his high school degree (though he ditched his graduation to attend a live wrestling event at the Odeon Theatre, where he watched the great Wladek Zbyszko in action). In 1924, he took a job with the U.S. Postal Service; and in 1926, he joined the sports staff at the St. Louis Times newspaper, where he covered the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team while developing many influential acquaintances (including Babe Ruth, Al Capone, and others). Muchnick also covered professional wrestling, where he formed a friendship with Tom Packs, who was the Midwest’s top sports promoter. In 1932, the Times merged with the rival St. Louis Star, and Muchnick left the paper for a position as Packs’ publicist, where he handled public relations, finances, and even booking duties.