Some sports figures remain bigger than life. William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey was one of those towering legends who embraced the Roaring Twenties as well as anyone in sports history. The world champion boxer helped create the “Golden Age of Sports.”
Dempsey woke up the boxing world when he became the first boxer to attract a million-dollar gate. He won the championship in 1919 when prizefighting was illegal in most states. He starred in movies, made numerous trips to Europe and even paid President Calvin Coolidge a visit at the White House.
Most intriguing was the turning point in his career when his over-the-top popularity surfaced after losing his title fight to Gene Tunney. The Sept. 23, 1926, losing effort solidified the former champion in the hearts and minds of the public and made him insanely famous.
William Harrison Dempsey was born in Manassa, Colo., on June 24, 1895. After graduating from 8th grade, he began preparing for his vocation.
In his book “Jack Dempsey The Manassa Mauler,” Randy Roberts writes: “At 11 he was bathing his face and hands in beef brine, giving them a leather-like texture,” and chewing pine resin to add strength to his jaw. Known at first as “Kid Blackie,” he began fighting for money in 1914 by challenging anyone willing to fight — regardless of their size or age. His early fights were held in crude saloons and mining camps.
Area residents got a glimpse of Dempsey on July 4, 1918. He was featured in a 12-round match with Bob Devere from Kansas City. The fight took place at Miners Park. The Globe reported that Dempsey never broke a sweat in the summer heat as he knocked out Devere in less than two minutes.
Exactly one year later, Dempsey’s boxing career dramatically changed when he scored a technical knock out against Jess Willard for the heavyweight championship on Independence Day, 1919, in Toledo, Ohio. The 187-pound challenger knocked down the 245-pound Willard seven times in three rounds. Dempsey’s devastating left hook fractured Willard’s cheekbone in thirteen places while extracting six of his teeth. Ouch!
But it was his first fight in Philadelphia with Gene Tunney that would make Dempsey king of the ring. The official attendance of 120,757 spectators paid a collective $1,895,733 to watch Tunney outbox Dempsey in a driving rain storm. The Sept. 23 bout was a perception-changer for Dempsey because it was his gracious demur in defeat that left a lasting impression with boxing fans.
Nearly one year later, he fought Tunney again, this time at Solider Field in Chicago where 104,943 observed the bout, generating an eye-popping $2,658,660 at the gate. Millions more listened at home. In fact, Frederick Lewis Allen in his book, “Only Yesterday,” claims that “five Americans dropped dead of heart failure at their radios” from the excitement.
In the seventh round, Tunney left his feet and fell to the canvas from a punch to the head. Although disciples of Dempsey swore that their hero was robbed by a 13-second “long count,” Tunney got off the mat and prevailed. Dempsey lost the fight but was soothed with a check for $425,000.
Second visit
Dempsey visited Joplin a second time on Feb. 3, 1930. Life was quite different on this occasion because he was now an American idol. He had come a long way since his fight in Joplin some twelve years earlier. This time he came to Joplin as a referee, not as a fighter.
His 1930 visit was a whirlwind tour of the city. Dempsey and his entourage arrived at the Joplin Frisco train station in a private car at 11:05 am. He was greeted by 500 fans and then was hustled off to his suite at the Connor Hotel. Everywhere he went, adoring fans swarmed. They even watched him get shaved in John London’s Connor Barber Shop.
A special luncheon was held in his honor at the hotel. Sponsored by Hugh Poynor (agent for United States Zinc Company) and Carl Childress (local mine operator), the lunch was attended by 50 businessmen. Dempsey graciously spoke to the group stating, “It is men like you who provided the backbone of the fight business, and I want to tell you that I appreciate the support you have given this great game. It is my earnest desire that the fight game shall continue to hold the place it has in recent years and you can help by your interest and loyal support.”
Following lunch, Dempsey found time to visit children staying at both hospitals, St. John’s and Freeman. After visiting the hospitals, he traveled to the Children’s Home and Hospital located at 3rd Street and Comingo Avenue. The Globe reported that Dempsey did not arrive empty- handed as his “motor car was virtually filled with boxes of candy.” This was a pretty special gesture for a guy who grew up without owning a toy or ever tasting sugar candy until he was 15 years old.
At the Children’s Home, Dempsey was questioned by the head matron, Etta Carlin.
“There are some boys in the hospital who would love to see you — but they have scarlet fever, and if you’re afraid ...”
Before she could finish, Dempsey’s press agent C. H. (Uncle Charlie) Baldzell retorted: “Jack’s not afraid of anything.” Baldzell and Dempsey then promptly strolled into their rooms. Following the visit Dempsey shared with the Globe that his stop at the Children’s Home was his most enjoyable experience in Joplin.
He returned to the Connor and was once again mobbed in the lobby, this time by a throng of boys and girls from Joplin High School.
Dempsey was then interviewed for a half hour on radio station WMBH. His evening concluded as he refereed the main boxing event at Memorial Hall. He refereed the lightweight fight between Nick Broglio “The Fast Stepping Speedster” from Herrin, Ill., and Joe “Kid” Peck of Little Rock, Ark.
The boxing icon returned to Joplin on Jan. 31, 1934, to referee a wrestling match at Memorial Hall. The main event pitted arch rivals Red Berry and Cliff Maupin.
Not without his flaws, Dempsey was married four times. He was accused — but a jury “exonerated” him — of being a World War I draft dodger. The son of a former fight manager, “Doc” Kerns, claimed Dempsey used loaded gloves with hand shaped plaster casts. And while African-American boxers were excelling in the sport, it was Dempsey who desperately promoted from his New York restaurant a campaign to find a “white hope” savior.
Recognized for his achievements in the ring, he was elected into the prestigious Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. Even The Associated Press in 1950 ordained the “Manassa Mauler” as the greatest fighter of the first half-century. He retired from professional boxing in 1940.
When he passed away in 1983, The New York Times referred to a Dempsey recollection. The story captured what happens when a fighter wears out his welcome.
“Some night,” he told a young boxer, “you’ll see three guys in the ring against you. Pick out the one in the middle and hit him, because he’s the one who hit you.”
He tried his luck at acting, starring in a Broadway play called “The Big Fight” and appeared in numerous motion pictures. In Joplin, he was quizzed on air by Joe Becker during a WMBH interview about his movie career. He quipped, “You can’t make a race horse out of a mule.”
