• Ken Jugan as Lord Zoltan

Long-time local professional wrestler Ken Jugan, aka Lord Zoltan, has been given the 2013 “Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Award” by the nationally-known Cauliflower Alley Club.

The CAC was established in 1965 as a benevolent, non-profit fraternal organization made up of both current and former professional wrestlers. The group offers scholarships, administers a benevolent fund for former wrestlers who have fallen on hard times and honors its members and industries with annual awards.

Jugan has been a fixture in pro wrestling for more than three decades. He got his wrestling start by shooting news photos of the matches in the 1980s, right before pro wrestling became a pop-culture phenomenon.

In a profile City Paper did of Jugan in 2009 he said, "I started messing around in the ring and the promoters started inviting me back." Jugan never made it big, but he did square off against the likes of Andre the Giant and the Iron Sheik. (In fact, on YouTube you can still can watch him face off against the Iron Sheik in a February 1984 match.)

The award Jugan will receive, according to the CAC website, “will recognize a CAC member in good standing who, through his or her efforts or resources, has endeavored to improve their community and the lives of others, thus elevating the perception of the professional wrestling industry and its participants.”

Jugan fits into all the above categories. Jugan wrestles almost weekly under the name “Lord Zoltan” for area promotions including the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance. http://www.kswa.net/In addition, Jugan has for years run an event to benefit the Western Pennsylvania School of the Deaf called “Deaf Wrestlefest.” Jugan’s two sons attended the school and he runs the event as its main fund-raiser.

Jugan will receive the award at the CAC’s annual reunion held April 15-17 in Las Vegas.