Penny Banner

August 11th, 1934 - May 12th, 2008

Real Name: Mary Ann Kostecki
Birthday: August 11, 1934
Hometown: ST. Louis, Missouri
Marital Status: Divorced Johnny Weaver after 35 yrs
Height & Weight: 5'8" - 165 lbs
Debut-Retire: July 1954-June 1977
Trained By: Marines in Judo Class
Signature Moves: Catch as Catch Can, Small Package, Sunset Flip, Dropkick
Notable Feuds: Betty Hawkins, Jo Mullinaux, June Byers, Judy Glover, June Byers, Vivian Vachon

Titles Held:
# Canadian & USA Women's Tag Team titles w/Betty Jo Hawkins (1955);
# Canadian & USA Women's Tag Team titles w/Bonnie Watson (1956-57);
# Canadian & USA Women's Tag Team titles w/Lorraine Johnson (1958-59);
# NWA Women's World Tag Team titles w/Lorraine Johnson (1957 thru 1959);
# AWA Woman's World title -first ever- (1961);
# Texas Women's title defeating Nell Stewart (1963);
# Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee in Amsterdam, NY (2005);
# St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee (2007);
# OnlineWorldofWrestling.com Hall of Fame Inductee (2007)

Career Highlights:
# August 11, 1934: Penny Banner (Mary Ann Kostecki) was born in St Louis, Missouri..
# Penny Banner was enrolled in St. Vincent DePauls orphanage when her parents divorced when she was just 11 yrs old..
# July 10, 1954: Benny Banner wrestled her first match at the age of 19 against Cathy Branch..
# 1957: Penny Banner & Lorraine Johnson won a tournament to win the NWA Women's Tag Team titles and held them until 1959..
# September 9, 1960 - Atlanta, GA: The Mighty Yankee d. Johnny Weaver with Penny Banner as special guest referee..
# September 30, 1960 - Atlanta, GA: Johnny Weaver & Penny Banner d. Dick Steinborn & Fran Gravette in a mixed tag match..
# August 26, 1961: Penny Banner wins a battle royal to become the first AWA World Women's title and vacated it in 1964..
# 1963: Penny Banner won the Texas Ladies Championship from Nell Stewart..
# Penny Banner dated Elvis Presley, who would attend her matches when she worked in the Memphis territory..
# 1977: Penny Banner retired from the sport of professional wrestling because of lack of women to wrestle..
# 1995: Penny Banner won a Silver Medel in the Senior Olympics in the 50 meter butterfly in San Antonio, Texas..
# 1997: Penny Banner won a Silver Medel in the Senior Olympics in the discus throw in Tucsan, Arizona..
# Penny Banner held the "weight Pentathalon Record" in the North Carolina Masters for "95-96-97..
# 2003: Penny Banner won the bronze medal in Newport News, Virginia for the 50yd Backstroke..
# Penny also placed 6th in the 50 Butterfly and an 8th in the 100 yd Backstroke!
# June 2005: Penny Banner entered the National Olympic Games in Pittsburgh, Pennylvania......
# She won a Bronze Medal in the 50yd BackStroke..and two 4th places -100 and 200 back strokes..
# Late 2005: Penny Banner was diagnosed with cancer which doctors believe started in her falopian tubes.......
# November 25, 2005: Penny Banner was operated on by Oncologist-Dr. Robert Higgins at the Carolinas Medical Center..
# December 21, 2005: The pathologist believes Penny's fallopian tubes are in the advanced stages, but is curable..
# January 2006: Penny Banner begins her six treatments of chemotherapy, which are three weeks apart.
# February 2006: Penny Banner learned that her tumor has shrunk considerably after a doctor's check-up...
# Penny Banner is the 'Champion Emeritus' and Commissioner of the Professional Girl Wrestling Association (PGWA).
# May 12, 2008: Penny Banner passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Thanks to onlineworldofwrestling for the above information.