Harvard Boxing Club
Encyclopedia
The Harvard Boxing Club (Est. 1961) is a student organization at Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
has been a popular campus activity since the late 19th century. In the intramural tournament of 1879, future President Theodore Roosevelt
faced C.S. Hanks in the lightweight championship and lost, after a controversial late-hit by Hanks. According to historian Edmund Morris, the crowd started booing Hanks prompting Roosevelt to put up his hands and shout “It's alright, he didn’t hear [the bell]”. When Roosevelt campaigned for the Presidency, his supporters would frequently recall this anecdote as an early example of his extraordinary character.
Boxing became an official varsity sport in 1922, as per recommendation of the Harvard Athletic Committee, and Harvard boxers performed well against their Ivy League
opponents (amassing a 25:11:4 record from 1930 to 1937). The team expanded during World War II
, when all undergraduates were required to participate in intercollegiate boxing training as a way of improving wartime fitness.
In 1961, the NCAA decided to discontinue boxing as an intercollegiate sport and the Harvard Boxing Team was replaced by the Harvard Boxing Club. Intramural tournaments continued until 1976 when Harvard banned them due to riotous crowd attendance, leaving the Harvard Boxing Club (in its current form) as the last remnant of the college’s proud boxing tradition.
) and includes both undergraduates and graduates.
The Harvard Boxing Club is managed by one undergraduate President and four undergraduate Captains. The Harvard Boxing Club is coached by former title-holding amateur fighter, Doug Yoffe, who assumed the position in 2001. Yoffe replaced Tommy Rawson—former national amateur lightweight champion (with an 223-4 amateur record), former chairman of the Massachusetts Boxing Commission, and one-time trainer of boxing legend Rocky Marciano
. Rawson had been “Coach” since 1941.
The Club practices two hours per day, six days per week. Skill days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) are typically led by the Coach, while conditioning days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) are typically led by the Captains.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
History
BoxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
has been a popular campus activity since the late 19th century. In the intramural tournament of 1879, future President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
faced C.S. Hanks in the lightweight championship and lost, after a controversial late-hit by Hanks. According to historian Edmund Morris, the crowd started booing Hanks prompting Roosevelt to put up his hands and shout “It's alright, he didn’t hear [the bell]”. When Roosevelt campaigned for the Presidency, his supporters would frequently recall this anecdote as an early example of his extraordinary character.
Boxing became an official varsity sport in 1922, as per recommendation of the Harvard Athletic Committee, and Harvard boxers performed well against their Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
opponents (amassing a 25:11:4 record from 1930 to 1937). The team expanded during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when all undergraduates were required to participate in intercollegiate boxing training as a way of improving wartime fitness.
In 1961, the NCAA decided to discontinue boxing as an intercollegiate sport and the Harvard Boxing Team was replaced by the Harvard Boxing Club. Intramural tournaments continued until 1976 when Harvard banned them due to riotous crowd attendance, leaving the Harvard Boxing Club (in its current form) as the last remnant of the college’s proud boxing tradition.
Today
The Harvard Boxing Club currently includes several dozen members, many of whom participate in the annual Harvard Boxing Club Exhibition Night (a tradition that was revived in 2009). The Club is now co-ed (since the merging of Harvard and Radcliffe CollegeRadcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
) and includes both undergraduates and graduates.
The Harvard Boxing Club is managed by one undergraduate President and four undergraduate Captains. The Harvard Boxing Club is coached by former title-holding amateur fighter, Doug Yoffe, who assumed the position in 2001. Yoffe replaced Tommy Rawson—former national amateur lightweight champion (with an 223-4 amateur record), former chairman of the Massachusetts Boxing Commission, and one-time trainer of boxing legend Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
. Rawson had been “Coach” since 1941.
The Club practices two hours per day, six days per week. Skill days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) are typically led by the Coach, while conditioning days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) are typically led by the Captains.
Notable members
- Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, 26th President of the United States, Medal of Honor, Nobel Peace Prize
- John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, 35th President of the United States
- Thomas MesereauThomas MesereauThomas Arthur Mesereau, Jr. is an American attorney best known for defending Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial.-The Robert Blake murder trial:...
, legal counsel for Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
in 2005 Child Molestation Trial
- Fred Joseph, CEO of Drexel Burnham LambertDrexel Burnham LambertDrexel Burnham Lambert was a major Wall Street investment banking firm, which first rose to prominence and then was forced into bankruptcy in February 1990 by its involvement in illegal activities in the junk bond market, driven by Drexel employee Michael Milken. At its height, it was the...
(HBC 1959)
- Alan Jay LernerAlan Jay LernerAlan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
, lyricist, winner of three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards
- Alex Angarita, contestant on Survivor: Fiji(HBC 2003)
- Rosalie Parker, US Amateur Women's Flyweight Champion
- Joy Liu, winner of the New England Golden Gloves (Women’s Lightweight Novice Division)(HBC 1999)
- Patrick Rettig, winner of the Greater Lowell Golden Gloves (Men’s Heavyweight Novice Division)(HBC 2000)
- Sam Sheridan, author of A Fighter’s Heart—One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting
- Matt Saha, actor and author.
- Norman MailerNorman MailerNorman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Armies of the Night and The Executioner's SongThe Executioner's SongThe Executioner's Song is a 1980 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Norman Mailer that depicts the events surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore by the state of Utah for murder. The title of the book may be a play on "The Lord High Executioner's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado...
- Anthony Braga, Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
(HBC 1999)
- Michelle RheeMichelle RheeMichelle A. Rhee is a public figure involved in the American education system. She was chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010...
, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, Founder of StudentsFirstStudentsFirst- External links :* , Big Rapids Daily Press, May 23, 2011....
(HBC 1999)
- Tamsin Jones, Lecturer on Religion at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(HBC 1999)
See also
- Oxford University Amateur Boxing ClubOxford University Amateur Boxing ClubThe Oxford University Amateur Boxing Club is the boxing club of the University of Oxford, England, located in Oxford. The club was founded in 1881. It is the second oldest active amateur boxing club in the UK...
- Cambridge University Amateur Boxing ClubCambridge University Amateur Boxing ClubCambridge University Amateur Boxing Club is the boxing club of the University of Cambridge, England. The club was founded in 1896 after the King's College Boxing Club amalgamated with Fordham's School of Arms to form the Cambridge University Boxing & Fencing Club .The club has competed against...