Wall of Champions
What is a champion? Could it be an individual that works ceaselessly to achieve their desired goal?
On the wall above the stairs that lead to the to the football field at Notre Dame University Stadium is a sign that says, “Play Like a Champion Today.” Each player touches it before the game to motivate them to give their best effort. Do you think it works?
The figures on display on our wall certainly meet the definition given by Hall of Fame Football coach Vince Lombardi of the National Football League Green Bay Packers when asked to describe a champion: “To play as hard as one can until, at the end of the game, they lay on the field exhausted…. and victorious.”
Jack Dempsey was the premier fighter of the “Golden Age of Sports” in the 1920’s. One of the most fearsome punchers of all time, he won a unanimous, 15 round decision in an Heavyweight Title fight against Challenger Tommy Gibbons on July 4, 1923, in Shelby, Montana.
Jack Sharkey became Heavyweight Champion of the World on June 21, 1932 when he won the title from Max Schmeling. He lost the title on June 29, 1933 to Primo Canera. Jack was known as the “Boston Gob” from his time in the Navy and could hit with power, box well and take a punch. He fought all the top fighters of his day from Jack Dempsey and Harry Wills to Tommy Loughran and Joe Louis. This is a 31” x 42” poster, Signed by Jack.
Jimmy Braddock, known as “The Cinderella Man” for his merurial career, won the Heavyweight Title on June 13, 1935 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. A 10-1 underdog, he defeated Max Baer in a 15 round decision. Despite cronic injuries to his hands, he fought all the top fighters of his day including Tommy Loughran and John Henry Lewis before losing his title on June 22, 1937 to Joe Louis. This is a 10” x 12” Photo of Jimmy in his prime.
A contempletive photo of the man many boxing historians feel is the most feared slugger ever to enter the boxing ring, Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.
0006 1920’s Circa Jimmy McLarnin Welterweight Champion Signed Photo
This looks to be an early 1920’s photo of Jack with a bunch of Sportswriters. Jack was always popular with sports pundits because he was what they called “good copy”, which meant he was always an easy figure to write about for an article or story.
“John L.” as his friends called him was the last of the major bare knuckle fighters and is recognized as the first Heavyweight Champion. Known as “The Boston Strongboy”, he was the idol of the American Irish community and held the title for ten years. He fought all the contenders from Paddy Ryan and Charley Mitchell to Jake Kilrain before losing to “Gentleman Jim” Corbett in 1892.
Tommy was born in Philadelphia, Pa and won the Light-Heavyweight Title in 1927, defeating Mike McTigue. He fought almost every important fighter in several divisions including Heavyweight Champs Gene Tunney, Max Baer, Primo Canera and Jimmy Braddock. He was a tremendously skilled boxer with a hard punch.
Born John Gutenko in Denmark, the “Kid” was considered one of the greatest Bantamweights of all time. After defeating Johnny Coulon for the Title in Vernon, California in 1914, he fought every major fighter around including Pete Herman, Joe Dundee and Johnny Kilbane.
Tommy fought all the great ones in his division during the 1920’s and 1930’s, defeating former Light Heavy-Weight Champions Jack Delaney and Georges Carpentier as well as former Middleweight Champions Harry Greb, Mickey Walker and Pete Latzo.
Jimmy was an American-Irish fighter, a great boxer with a sneaky right hand. Probably his greatest talent was the ability to take a punch. His life story was so interesting that Hollywood made a movie, “Cinderella Man” staring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger in 2005.
Tommy fought all the great ones in his division during the 1920’s and 1930’s, defeating former Light Heavy-Weight Champions Jack Delaney and Georges Carpentier as well as former Middleweight Champions Harry Greb, Mickey Walker and Pete Latzo.
immy was an American-Irish fighter, a great boxer with a sneaky right hand. Probably his greatest talent was the ability to take a punch. His life story was so interesting that Hollywood made a movie, “Cinderella Man” staring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger in 2005.
Jack liked to train in Atlantic City, NJ during the 1920’s when he prepared for his Title fights. Both in 1921 when he fought Georges Carpentier and 1926 when he fought Gene Tunney, Jack had his camps in “The World’s Playground” and who could blame him?
The Olympic Club was established in San Francisco, CA in 1860 and is the oldest athletic club in the United States. James J. Corbett, Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1892-1897, was a member and trained there. Pictured are tickets from various fights or boxing exhibitions staged there around the turn of the 20th century. It was featured in the 1942 film, “Gentleman Jim”, staring Errol Flynn as Corbett.
One of the most beautiful movie stars of the “Silent Era” of the 1920’s, Estelle Taylor was married to Jack from 1925 until 1931.
Another photo from the 1920’s of Jack training for one of his fights when he was defending his Heavyweight Title. An interesting note is that Jack usually fought at a weight of 180-185 pounds and many times fought men 10-40 pounds heavier than him, like Jess Willard and Luis Firpo, and usually won, most times by knockout.
The 1922 New York Yankees won the pennant by one game over the St. Louis Browns before losing the World Series to the New York Giants 4 games to none with 1 tie. Led by Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Frank “Home Run Baker” Waite Hoyt and manager Miller Huggins, the Yanks were just beginning their baseball dynasty.
The “Curse of the Bambino” is the myth that the Boston Red Sox Baseball team would never win a World Series again after trading Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920. After winning the Series in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918, the Red Sox lost in 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986. The “Curse” was lifted after 86 years when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004.
The Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Tournament was started in 1927 in New York City, NY. Amateur boxers would compete in the 112, 118, 126, 135, 147, 160, 175, 201 and 201 plus weight divisions with the fights conducted at Madison Square Garden. It was immensely popular and later a rivalry was developed with Chicago, Illinois that continued until the 1960’s.
The 1927 NY Yankees were considered one of the finest teams to ever play baseball. The hitters, led by Ruth, Gehrig and Lazzeri, were dubbed “Murder’s Row” by the sportswriters in that any one of them could “kill” you at the plate and the pitchers, led by Shawkey, were called “6 Star Final”, alluding to the fact that the last newspaper published daily was the “6 Star” final, which meant it was the best edition of the day.
The most fearsome sluggers of the 1920s and 1930s were Gehrig, Foxx, and Ruth. Foxx’s Philadelphia Athletics were the only match for the NY Yankees, winning the American League title in 1929, 1930 and 1931. The Yanks won the American League in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1932.
William “Wild Bill” Donovan was won of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers in the 1899-1910 era. He won 25 games in 1907 and led the Detroit Tigers to the World Series three straight years from 1907-09. Later, managed the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. He died in a train crash on December 9, 1923.
George Smith Patton, Jr., was one of the greatest Generals ever to wear the uniform of the US Army. He fought in Mexico in 1916, fought in WW I in France against the Germans in 1917-18 and won stunning victories against the German Army in Tunisia, Sicily, France, and Germany from 1943 through 1945. His WW II 3rd Army is considered by many military students to be one of finest fighting forces in the history of warfare.
Judge Landis sat on the Federal bench starting in 1905 and was appointed Major League Baseball’s first Commissioner in 1920. He is credited with cleaning up the game after the 1919 “Black Sox” World Series scandal and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1944 after his death.
In his prime Jimmy Braddock fought everyone in his weight class, becoming Heavyweight Champion in 1935. He retired in 1938 and opened a bar in New York City, NY. Here are some boxers that stopped by for a drink one night: Middleweight Champion Fred Apostoli, Lightweight Champion Lou Ambers, Bantamweight Champion Sixto Escobar and dual Featherweight-Welterweight Champion Henry Armstrong. Think that bar ever had any security problems?
Although Irish immigrants helped build our great nation, it was not always easy. The discrimination they had to contend with may be best exemplified by this “Help Wanted” (No Irish Need Apply). Known as a “NINA” sign, this September 1915 sign comes from Boston but was also posted in many Eastern States were our ancestors emigrated in droves after the Potato Famine in the 1840’s in Ireland through the turn of the century.
