William Muldoon
Encyclopedia
William A. Muldoon was the Greco-Roman Wrestling
Champion
, physical culturist
and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission
. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours. Nicknamed "The Solid Man," Muldoon established himself as champion in Greco-Roman wrestling
in the 1880s and over the years gained a remarkable measure of public influence that would continue through his days as a health farm proprietor in Westchester County
and his service on NYSAC. Muldoon was a mainstay in New York sports for over 50 years.
, Muldoon was the son of Irish immigrants. His father was a farmer. Showing a knack for strength athletics at a young age, Muldoon gained a local reputation as a standout in caber-tossing, powerlifting, sprinting and amateur wrestling. His youth was otherwise characterized by a brutish, flash temper, and his desire to be treated with the respect of an adult despite being a child.
In April 1864, Muldoon joined the Sixth Cavalry, Company I and served in the Civil War
as a drummer boy
. He was at the Battle of Opequon
, when Union
General Russell
was killed as Confederate
General Early's forces were being pushed back. Muldoon would recall years later the impromptu wrestling bouts held by fellow soldiers as being among his fondest memories. He was dubbed by his comrades "The Colonel" for his audaciousness in spite of his youth. After the war he journeyed west with the Sixth and fought in the Indian Wars of the Great Plains, opening up Yellowstone National Park
.
Muldoon journeyed to Paris to serve as a volunteer in the French Army in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870-71, where he met publisher James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
, who told Muldoon he had the potential to be the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world if he concentrated on it.
By 1876, Muldoon was living in New York City, where he accepted appointment to the New York Police Department at the behest of Senator John Morrissey
, former bare-knuckle boxing champion. At the time of his resignation in 1881 Muldoon was a detective.
Greco-Roman
Champion
with a win over title claimant Thiebaud Bauer. His rise to prominence brought challengers from across the globe, including Edwin Bibby and Tom Cannon of England, Donald Dinnie
of Scotland, “Mat” Sorakichi
of Japan, Carl Abs
of Germany,William Miller of Australia, and John McMahon
and Clarence Whistler
, the latter being Muldoon's opponent in a titanic seven-hour match in 1881, where neither could gain a single fall.
Following the celebrated match with Whistler, Muldoon assembled an athletic combination and toured the country promoting athletic events and defending his title against all comers. Muldoon became involved in theater around this time, stemming from his fame in athletics. In 1883 he shared the bill with Maurice Barrymore
in Madame Modjeska's
production of Shakespeare's
"As You Like It
." In 1887, he appeared on Broadway
as "The Fighting Gaul" in "Spartacus."
Muldoon was one of a party of gentlemen entertained by Robert Emmet Odlum
, brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith
, on the morning of May 19, 1885, the day he jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge
and was killed. Muldoon assisted in unsuccessful resuscitation efforts and summoned an ambulance, which was too late to save Odlum.
In 1889 Muldoon trained John L. Sullivan for his famous 75-round fight against Jake Kilrain
for the world heavyweight bare-knuckle boxing championship. He had done so on a friendly wager and offered to absorb expenses if Sullivan lost. Sullivan won and Muldoon gained national notice for restoring the boxing champion to fighting form after Sullivan was dismissed by the press and sporting public as a hopelessly dissipated wreck. Muldoon's methods at accomplishing Sullivan's rejuvenation gained much public interest.
Muldoon was never defeated for his Greco-Roman Championship. He wrestled in his final championship match in 1890, defeating Evan Lewis in Philadelphia. Despite being implored by promoters and challengers to come out of retirement, Muldoon never wrestled another finish match or claimed any active championship. He symbolically passed his World's
Greco-Roman
Championship
to protégé Ernest Roeber
(whom Lewis later defeated). Muldoon would make his final public appearance as a wrestler in a charity exhibition match against Roeber at Madison Square Garden
in 1894.
That same year Muldoon moved his health farm from Belfast, New York
to White Plains. As he tapered off direct involvement in professional athletics he devoted more time to devising his system on restoring one's health. Muldoon continued to train boxers and wrestlers until boxing was banned in New York at the turn of the century.
. In subsequent years through the success of the Olympia Muldoon would again gain national notice as he treated such notables there as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph Hodges Choate
, publisher Ralph Pulitzer
, Senator Chauncey Depew
, Major General J. Franklin Bell
, essayist Elbert Hubbard
novelist Theodore Dreiser
and Secretary of State
Elihu Root
, who was sent to Muldoon by President Roosevelt. In 1907 there was talk that Muldoon would be appointed to the president's cabinet to oversee physical health. For his uncompromised methods at his health farm Muldoon was dubbed the "Professor." Journalist Nellie Bly
was the first woman to complete Muldoon's system.
In the spring of 1909 Muldoon made a final return to the stage in a theatrical tour organized in benefit of The Lambs
. Muldoon dedicated a Civil War monument to the town of Belfast, New York
, listing the names of local veterans in 1915, including that of his older brother John.
In 1921 Muldoon was personally tapped by Governor Nathan Lewis Miller as the inaugural Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission
, when professional boxing's status was legally restored in New York
. While on NYSAC, Muldoon's czarish decrees characterized his inflexible sense of integrity to the press and sporting public. He was dubbed in the papers the "Iron Duke."
In 1927 Muldoon was profiled by “The New Yorker
” magazine and in 1929 by “The Saturday Evening Post
”. A biography was published in 1928, with a foreword by Jack Dempsey
.
In 1996, Muldoon was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum under the "Pioneer Era" category.
, a disciple of Muldoon, remarked to the Times at the time of Muldoon's death, “All I know about training I learned from him…. His patience, intellectual courage and wisdom were inspirational.” William Muldoon was interred at Kensico Cemetery
, Valhalla
, NY.
Muldoon was a strong advocate of compulsory military service, equestrianism
, physical culture
and the Boy Scouts of America
, citing the latter as the only organization left devoted to leadership-building for young men.
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
, physical culturist
Physical culture
Physical culture is a term applied to health and strength training regimens, particularly those that originated during the 19th century. During the mid-late 20th century, the term "physical culture" became largely outmoded in most English-speaking countries, being replaced by terms such as...
and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission
New York State Athletic Commission
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, professional wrestlers, seconds, ring officials,...
. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours. Nicknamed "The Solid Man," Muldoon established himself as champion in Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
in the 1880s and over the years gained a remarkable measure of public influence that would continue through his days as a health farm proprietor in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and his service on NYSAC. Muldoon was a mainstay in New York sports for over 50 years.
Early life
Born in Allegany County, New YorkAllegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
, Muldoon was the son of Irish immigrants. His father was a farmer. Showing a knack for strength athletics at a young age, Muldoon gained a local reputation as a standout in caber-tossing, powerlifting, sprinting and amateur wrestling. His youth was otherwise characterized by a brutish, flash temper, and his desire to be treated with the respect of an adult despite being a child.
In April 1864, Muldoon joined the Sixth Cavalry, Company I and served in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as a drummer boy
Drummer boy (military)
Drummer boys were children recruited as military drummers for use on the battlefield.Armies regularly recruited young boys for this service, well into the nineteenth century...
. He was at the Battle of Opequon
Battle of Opequon
The Battle of Opequon, more commonly known as the Third Battle of Winchester, was fought in Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War....
, when Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
General Russell
David Allen Russell
David Allen Russell was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He was killed in action as a brigadier general in the Union Army.-Early life:...
was killed as Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
General Early's forces were being pushed back. Muldoon would recall years later the impromptu wrestling bouts held by fellow soldiers as being among his fondest memories. He was dubbed by his comrades "The Colonel" for his audaciousness in spite of his youth. After the war he journeyed west with the Sixth and fought in the Indian Wars of the Great Plains, opening up Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
.
Muldoon journeyed to Paris to serve as a volunteer in the French Army in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71, where he met publisher James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr. was publisher of the New York Herald, founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett, Sr., who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish him from his father....
, who told Muldoon he had the potential to be the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world if he concentrated on it.
By 1876, Muldoon was living in New York City, where he accepted appointment to the New York Police Department at the behest of Senator John Morrissey
John Morrissey
John Morrissey , also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish bare-knuckle boxer and a gang member in New York in the 1850s and later became a Democratic State Senator and U.S. Congressman from New York, backed by Tammany Hall...
, former bare-knuckle boxing champion. At the time of his resignation in 1881 Muldoon was a detective.
The Solid Man
In 1880, Muldoon gained recognition as World'sWorld championship
A world championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best nation, team, individual in the world in a particular field. Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead...
Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
with a win over title claimant Thiebaud Bauer. His rise to prominence brought challengers from across the globe, including Edwin Bibby and Tom Cannon of England, Donald Dinnie
Donald Dinnie
Donald Dinnie was a Scottish strongman, born at Balnacraig, Birse, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. He has been recognized as "The Nineteenth Century's Greatest Athlete"...
of Scotland, “Mat” Sorakichi
Sorakichi Matsuda
Matsuda Sorakichi was a Japanese professional wrestler of the 19th century of some national fame. While his name is largely unknown today, he remains the lone pioneer as a Japanese wrestler who became a feature attraction in America, competing in a distinctly western sport, long before it was...
of Japan, Carl Abs
Karl Abs
Karl Abs was a German professional wrestler. He won the European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship in 1894, a year before his death at the age of 44. His cause of death is unknown.Also known as "The German Oak"....
of Germany,William Miller of Australia, and John McMahon
John McMahon (wrestler)
John McMahon was an American professional wrestler who specialized in collar-and-elbow wrestling. He competed from 1861 to 1891, traveling throughout the United States and Canada to face the top wrestlers of the day. He competed in several styles of wrestling, and his biggest rivalry was with...
and Clarence Whistler
Clarence Whistler
Clarence Whistler was a professional athlete and champion Greco-Roman wrestler of the 1880s. As the main rival to William Muldoon in wrestling of the early 80s, he was best remembered for his unusual strength, indifference to pain and tragic death...
, the latter being Muldoon's opponent in a titanic seven-hour match in 1881, where neither could gain a single fall.
Following the celebrated match with Whistler, Muldoon assembled an athletic combination and toured the country promoting athletic events and defending his title against all comers. Muldoon became involved in theater around this time, stemming from his fame in athletics. In 1883 he shared the bill with Maurice Barrymore
Maurice Barrymore
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe —stage name Maurice Barrymore — was the patriarch of the Barrymore acting family and great-grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore.-Early life:...
in Madame Modjeska's
Helena Modjeska
Helena Modjeska Helena Modjeska Helena Modjeska (October 12, 1840 – April 8, 1909, whose actual Polish surname was Modrzejewska , was a renowned actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles.Modjeska was the mother of Polish-American bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski....
production of Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
"As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
." In 1887, he appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as "The Fighting Gaul" in "Spartacus."
Muldoon was one of a party of gentlemen entertained by Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum was an American swimming instructor. He was the brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith. Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, and was killed doing so.- Early life :...
, brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith
Charlotte odlum smith
Charlotte Odlum Smith was a reformer, magazine editor, champion of women inventors, and lobbyist for working women, public health, and safety in the nineteenth-century United States.-Birth and Early Life:...
, on the morning of May 19, 1885, the day he jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
and was killed. Muldoon assisted in unsuccessful resuscitation efforts and summoned an ambulance, which was too late to save Odlum.
Jake Kilrain
Jake Kilrain was the popular name of John Joseph Killion, a famous bare knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s.- Early life :...
for the world heavyweight bare-knuckle boxing championship. He had done so on a friendly wager and offered to absorb expenses if Sullivan lost. Sullivan won and Muldoon gained national notice for restoring the boxing champion to fighting form after Sullivan was dismissed by the press and sporting public as a hopelessly dissipated wreck. Muldoon's methods at accomplishing Sullivan's rejuvenation gained much public interest.
Muldoon was never defeated for his Greco-Roman Championship. He wrestled in his final championship match in 1890, defeating Evan Lewis in Philadelphia. Despite being implored by promoters and challengers to come out of retirement, Muldoon never wrestled another finish match or claimed any active championship. He symbolically passed his World's
World championship
A world championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best nation, team, individual in the world in a particular field. Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead...
Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
to protégé Ernest Roeber
Ernest Roeber
Ernest Roeber was a German-American professional wrestler who held the European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship in 1894 to 1900 and again in 1900 to 1901. It is believed that the newsreel of his 1901 match against August Faust at the old Madison Square Garden is shown briefly in the current...
(whom Lewis later defeated). Muldoon would make his final public appearance as a wrestler in a charity exhibition match against Roeber at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in 1894.
That same year Muldoon moved his health farm from Belfast, New York
Belfast, New York
Belfast is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,714 at the 2000 census. It was named after the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland.- History :The first settlers had arrived by 1804....
to White Plains. As he tapered off direct involvement in professional athletics he devoted more time to devising his system on restoring one's health. Muldoon continued to train boxers and wrestlers until boxing was banned in New York at the turn of the century.
Later years
In 1900, Muldoon opened what would become the work of his life, the well-known health institute "The Olympia," at Purchase, New YorkPurchase, New York
Purchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
. In subsequent years through the success of the Olympia Muldoon would again gain national notice as he treated such notables there as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph Hodges Choate
Joseph Hodges Choate
Joseph Hodges Choate , was an American lawyer and diplomat.-Biography:He was born in Salem, Massachusetts on January 24, 1832. He was the son of physician George Choate and the brother of George C. S. Choate. His father's first cousin was Rufus Choate...
, publisher Ralph Pulitzer
Ralph Pulitzer
Influential publisher and socialite Ralph Pulitzer was the son of newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer and upon Pulitzer's death acquired control of the New York World, an influential American newspaper...
, Senator Chauncey Depew
Chauncey Depew
Chauncey Mitchell Depew was an attorney for Cornelius Vanderbilt's railroad interests, president of the New York Central Railroad System, and a United States Senator from New York from 1899 to 1911.- Biography:...
, Major General J. Franklin Bell
J. Franklin Bell
James Franklin Bell was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1906 to 1910.Bell was a major-general in the Regular United States Army, commanding the Department of the East, with headquarters at Governors Island, New York at the time of his death in 1919...
, essayist Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an...
novelist Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
and Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Elihu Root
Elihu Root
Elihu Root was an American lawyer and statesman and the 1912 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the prototype of the 20th century "wise man", who shuttled between high-level government positions in Washington, D.C...
, who was sent to Muldoon by President Roosevelt. In 1907 there was talk that Muldoon would be appointed to the president's cabinet to oversee physical health. For his uncompromised methods at his health farm Muldoon was dubbed the "Professor." Journalist Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly was the pen name of American pioneer female journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from...
was the first woman to complete Muldoon's system.
In the spring of 1909 Muldoon made a final return to the stage in a theatrical tour organized in benefit of The Lambs
The Lambs
The Lambs, Inc., is one of America's oldest theatrical organizations and is based in New York City.-History:The Lambs was originally founded in 1868 in London by actors, led by John Hare, the first Shepherd, looking to socialize with like-minded people...
. Muldoon dedicated a Civil War monument to the town of Belfast, New York
Belfast, New York
Belfast is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,714 at the 2000 census. It was named after the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland.- History :The first settlers had arrived by 1804....
, listing the names of local veterans in 1915, including that of his older brother John.
In 1921 Muldoon was personally tapped by Governor Nathan Lewis Miller as the inaugural Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission
New York State Athletic Commission
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, professional wrestlers, seconds, ring officials,...
, when professional boxing's status was legally restored in New York
Walker Law
The Walker Law passed in 1920 was an early New York state law regulating boxing. The law reestablished legal boxing in the state following the three-year ban created by the repeal of the Frawley Law. The law instituted rules that better ensured the safety of combatants and reduced the roughness...
. While on NYSAC, Muldoon's czarish decrees characterized his inflexible sense of integrity to the press and sporting public. He was dubbed in the papers the "Iron Duke."
In 1927 Muldoon was profiled by “The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
” magazine and in 1929 by “The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
”. A biography was published in 1928, with a foreword by Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
.
In 1996, Muldoon was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum under the "Pioneer Era" category.
Personal
Muldoon claimed to be a lifelong bachelor. However, he was married twice; the first marriage ended in divorce, the other in separation. His housekeeper of 30 years Leonie Lutringer left her entire estate to Muldoon in 1922. It was revealed later in his life that he had adopted his longtime secretary Margaret Farrell – she received his entire estate at his death. Muldoon was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1931, though his doctors did not reveal the nature of his illness to him. Muldoon died two years later. Retired boxing champion Gene TunneyGene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
, a disciple of Muldoon, remarked to the Times at the time of Muldoon's death, “All I know about training I learned from him…. His patience, intellectual courage and wisdom were inspirational.” William Muldoon was interred at Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads which served the city...
, Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
, NY.
Muldoon was a strong advocate of compulsory military service, equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, physical culture
Physical culture
Physical culture is a term applied to health and strength training regimens, particularly those that originated during the 19th century. During the mid-late 20th century, the term "physical culture" became largely outmoded in most English-speaking countries, being replaced by terms such as...
and the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, citing the latter as the only organization left devoted to leadership-building for young men.
Championships and accomplishments
- Other titles
- Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Hall of Fame Inductee
- International Boxing Hall of FameInternational Boxing Hall of FameThe modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
, 1996 (Non-Participant) - Professional Wrestling Hall of FameProfessional Wrestling Hall of FameThe Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Amsterdam, New York. It was previously located in Schenectady, New York...
, 2004 (Pioneer Era)