Ever heard about Joseph Smith's wrestling matches against local champions? Or the time he pulled up the strongest man in town with just one hand in stick-pull? The founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wasn't just a spiritual leader—he was quite the athlete in his day.

Imagine meeting a six-foot-tall, two-hundred-pound man with a competitive streak and a love for games, the kind of guy who'd challenge ministers to jumping contests right after debating theology with them. That was Joseph Smith—prophet, revelator, and apparently, the guy you'd want on your team for pickup games in 1840s Nauvoo.

More Than Just a Spiritual Giant

Joseph Smith wasn't just impressive because of his spiritual insights. He stood over six feet tall, weighed around two hundred pounds, and was noted for his strength. Those who knew him described him as “large in stature... well built,” “a hearty, athletic fellow,” and that he had a “very formidable appearance.” One author remarked that Joseph had a “tall, well-built form, with the carriage of an Apollo.”

Joseph's strength came from chopping wood, farming, and building settlements across the American frontier. And even as Joseph's responsibilities grew with the expanding Church, he still found time for physical activity. According to Historian Alexander Baugh, Joseph frequently joined children in their games, from ball games to sliding on ice with his kids.

You might be picturing a dignified church leader in a formal suit contemplating deep theological matters all day. But Joseph was just as likely to be found challenging someone to a feat of strength or organizing an impromptu competition. On one occasion, as recorded by Wilford Woodruff, after responding to some theological questions from visiting ministers, Joseph walked outside and performed a standing long jump (or "jumping the mark" as they called it). Then, like any good competitor, he turned to the ministers and essentially said, "Your turn."

The Wrestling and Stick-Pulling Champion

Joseph's favorite athletic pursuits, though, were wrestling and stick-pulling.

The nineteenth-century wrestling Joseph loved isn't the same as we know today. "Catch-as-catch-can," as it was called, allowed any grip on your opponent—except strangling. It was a way to test strength and skill, and Joseph excelled at it.

While in Missouri, Joseph defeated John Brassfield, who was known as "the champion wrestler of the country," according to Joseph McGee. On another occasion, a Missouri guard bragged about his wrestling abilities and wanted to "try strength with the 'Mormon Prophet.'" Joseph beat him—and threw him into a pool of water. A historical draft based on Joseph's journal records that he "wrestled with W[illia]m Wall the bully <​most expert wrestler​> of Ramus, & threw him." Clearly, Joseph was a force to be reckoned with.

This reputation came in handy during his imprisonment in Missouri. When William McLellin requested to fight Joseph, it was agreed that Joseph would not be restrained by his shackles during the confrontation. McLellin promptly backed off—apparently, challenging a shackled prophet was one thing, but facing an unrestrained Joseph Smith was another.

If wrestling wasn't enough, Joseph may have been even more dominant at stick-pulling. Never heard of it? Imagine two men sitting on the ground, feet pressed against each other's, both gripping a stick between them. The goal was to pull your opponent off the ground. His prowess even made its way into the History of the Church, where it reads:

Saturday, [March 11], 1843. . . . In the evening, when pulling sticks, I pulled up Justus A. Morse, the strongest man in Ramus, with one hand. (HC 5:302) [Upon] my arrival at this city [Nauvoo] . . . I pulled sticks with the men [who were] coming along, and I pulled up with one hand the strongest man that could be found. Then two men tried, but they could not pull me up. (HC 5:465–66)

The Match That Never Was: Lincoln vs. Smith

Abraham Lincoln, before becoming president of the United States, was one of Joseph's Illinois contemporaries. Like Joseph, Lincoln was known for his wrestling prowess—standing six-foot-four and reportedly winning three hundred matches over twelve years with only one loss.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Joseph Smith and Abraham Lincoln ever met, but can you imagine if they had? The Future President versus the Latter-day Prophet would have been the ultimate 1840s showdown. Two frontier legends, both tall and strong, both skilled, both with faithful followers, squaring off in a friendly match of catch-as-catch-can.

Surely, the Future President versus the Latter-day Prophet would have been the match of the century.

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