PAUL GERJEVIC

Class of 1933
​Inducted in 2013

Paul was inducted into the Packer Sports Greats in 2013.

Paul Gerjevic was an All-City and All-State wrestler, winning State three times, at 114, 130 and 135 lbs.  He never lost a match and would have won State four times if freshmen had been allowed to participate.  He ran five miles every day to maintain his conditioning. 

After graduation he tried out for the Olympics, but he lost his final match 0-1.  Paul won many trophies after that for motorcycle racing, and he usually gave those trophies to South Omaha kids. 

He was inducted into the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame in 1993, and was named one of the top 12 Nebraska wrestlers of all time.  A plaque honoring the top 12 includes Paul wrestling at 130 lbs.   Paul volunteered for the Army during WWII as a mechanic in Europe where he received a Purple Heart.  He was honorably discharged in 1945. 

After his service, he purchased surplus motorcycles and bicycles from the government at Offutt.  He thus began a 62-year career of selling, repairing and trading all types of bikes in metro Omaha.  He owned Paul’s Motorcycle Shop on South 13th Street, and on Broadway in Council Bluffs, which at one time boasted the largest parts inventory in America.  Early in his career, he sold Harleys, and later sold Yamahas from his Paul's West Broadway dealership in the Bluffs.  Paul became the top motorcycle dealer in the Midwest at that time.