Memories of...Boxing


Wing Open


Hugo Posey


The Wing Open, March 7, 1975. Roy Rice (Squadron Commander 33rd Squadron) and I (40th Squadron Commander) paired off for the Championship 137-pound weight class.Gil Braun snuck out of confinement to be in my corner. Definitely the highlight of my Cadet "career." Overall record over three years: 22–2 (I lost two my "Doolie" Year). This was a hell of a fight.


Gil Braun

 


The only tours/confinements I received as a cadet were my “12 and 8” for a crooked tie on my officer photo (a tie that the photographer adjusted I might add). Of course, I didn't want to tell anyone how I served one of those confinements. I was coaching/helping Pogo (Hugo Posey) prepare for the Wing Open tournament, so I planned to be in his corner during the match. The confinements got in the way; but I was undeterred. I marked my card "other" (remember the “authorized / other” card on our doors) and went down to cheer on Pogo from his corner when he won his weight class. I suspect not many others have been in the Champion's corner (Pogo's corner) during a Wing Open boxing match while serving a confinement. And fortunately, no one figured out what I was doing.


Bill Lyerly


Pogo, and the rest of us who were also on confinement down in the basement (CS-40), all "E&Eed" out of our rooms and crowded into one of the rooms to cheer you on and listen to the "blow-by-blow" broadcast on KAFA radio.


Intramural Boxing


Mike Ruth


Bill Stich and I were in PE together fall semester fourth class year. Boxing was our first quarter sport. I was 6'1", 175lbs; Bill was about 5'8"?, 175lbs. I had the reach and no muscle, he had the muscle and I tried to keep you at a distance or wrapped up. We were the only two 'heavyweights' in the class so we spared alot together. I dreaded the Graded Review in that class as I knew it would be three rounds and it was going to hurt when you connected. (I hated boxing). We lasted the full three minutes slugging away at each other and both came out bloody, the instructor loved it. I think we both got A's. One of those memories that's still fresh.


Bill Stitch


A couple of my memories of boxing at USAFA: “Payback Time!” - As a Doolie boxing upperclassmen, I sometimes (well, most of the time) ENJOYED beating the crap out of them! – my own form of early “Recognition”!! 

And . . . “Rules? What Rules?” – I was a bit of a sloppy beginner boxer, especially as I got tired. I would let my left hand punches stay out a bit too far and inevitably/eventually it was hooked around the neck of my opponent who found it very hard to evade my right hand punches!! Opppps! Well, Excuuuuuuuuuse Me!


Dave Herlong


Most of my memories of USAFA now are "pleasant" ones, and I can laugh or smile about some of the others. My only recurring USAFA nightmare is not knowing which class to go to  is it an M-Day or a T-Day? – and then sitting in a final for a class I've forgotten to go to for most of the semester (yeah, I know – the CAS system would have corrected this early on).

But one of the dusty rooms of my memories on which I try to keep the door shut was boxing: one of those dreaded "Character Builders". 

I was glad to have the ordeal of Freshman boxing behind me until I moved to my 3-degree squadron (CS-37). There, the Athletic Sergeant picked me to be on the squadron intramural boxing team. Why I didn't leave USAFA with ulcers should confound any gastroenterologist aware of the situation. 

Much like Mike Ruth, I was a victim of my own physique which has a great deal in common with the 30 mm depleted uranium round we shot in the A-10. While the bullet is larger than the more common 20 mm round used by fighters, its remarkable mass totally belies its size. I had the reach of a bantam-weight and the mass (weight) of . . . , well, someone taller – much taller.

I only had three bouts that winter – which in itself, was a blessing. One was with someone as terrified as I was – we clinched so much, the referee started humming a song for us to dance to. Another one was a bye, or no-show, from the opposing squadron (no doubt, spending the check I gave him). My last bout was with a Doolie (did Stich have a younger brother?) whose physique more properly reflected the proper build for our equal weights. 

When I saw him, his upperclass coach was talking in his ear to make sure this Doolie knew he was facing an upperclassman. The kid couldn't have been happier than if he had been given keys to a ‘vette for a trip to the Playboy Club in Denver.

I'll spare the "blow-by-blow" (and there were many, almost all headed in my direction), but here's how it ended. By the middle of the second round, every one had a towel in their hand to throw into the ring on my behalf – my coach, his coach – some of my squadron-mates had made runs back to their lockers for their towels. Even the Doolie would pause from his labors every now and then and look around to let everyone know he was offering them a chance. But for some reason – lack of oxygen, little to no blood flow to my brain – I was going to see this through. 

As I tell this, I've just remembered the ref was an upperclassman and friend from my Doolie squadron, and it was he who finally called a halt. I do remember being given a compliment at the time – "Guts" – which I unfortunately mistook for a comment on my injuries. Still, I was able to make the walk back up the hill for the evening meal at Mitch's. And I was happy – that was the end of the season. SERE behind me, no more boxing – what else could they do to me?


Chuck Willis


Funny thing about boxing at the Academy – that was one of the few things I could do without consistently screwing up. I was recovering from a pulled hamstring during the class, but was happy to box on the 1st Squadron intramural team. I remember winning most of my matches. One very lopsided match involved an upperclassman who had absolutely no skill. He just ran at me like a bull with both arms outstretched. I beat the crap out of him, and was pretty much holding him up at the end of the third round. Imagine my surprise when he was declared the winner! Two other upperclassmen were supporting him, one under each arm, after the match when he congratulated me on a “good effort”. For the Polaris picture, I had a boxing match the evening prior, and if you look close at the color picture, you can see that I had two black eyes. I don’t think I was very good at blocking blows to the head. It didn’t matter – for me that wasn’t a vital area!


Galleries


   

4th Class Boxing

1974 Wing Open

 

 


Scrapbook


 

Falconews
17 March 1972

Falconews
16 March 1973

Falconews
23 March 1973

 

   

Wing Open Program
1973

Falconews
14 March 1975

 

 


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