The son of Polish immigrants, Karbo graduated from De La Salle High School in 1934 and was offered a basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, but declined to go.
[1] After this, Karbo evolved into a promoter, attending the first meeting of the National Wrestling Alliance held by Stecher in 1948.
[3] In 1959, Dennis sold his majority stake in the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling club to Karbo and Gagne, becoming co-owners of the promotion from that point onward.
Breaking away from the National Wrestling Alliance, he and Gagne established the AWA in 1960 and together operated the promotion for over thirty years.
[2] On March 23, 1993, Karbo suffered a heart attack while eating lunch with a friend in Bloomington, Minnesota.