The Bismarck tribune., 1929-01-07
POWER IN GOTAAM'S
SPORTS CENTER WAS
DREAMER, GAMBLER
Almost All Of Rickard's Dreams
Came True In Connection
With Fights
DEMPSEY IS HEARTBR0kEN
Spectacular Events Of Fight,
Crowds, Took All OF
His Interest

New York, Jan. 7.-tP)-A dreamer
whose dreams came true, yet man
of action with the born spirit OF a
gambler. passes on with the dsatn OF
George Lewis cTex) Rickard.
The most dominating as we'll as
most daring individual promoter III
the history Of professional sports
leaves behind him. at the age OF So.
after over % years connection with
boxing, an unparalleled record OF
achievement and success.
Rickard entered boxing when 1t was
generally taboo, an outlaw sport, ior
the most part, harried by the law.
Yet even then. In 1906. his flair for
the spectacular prompted him to offer
n purse of $4,000 for the famous
Cans Nelson fight at Goldfield. New.
He leaves the sport on a big busl.
ness scale. hobby OF society and
fashion. In an era OF m!luon-douar
purses for its heavyweight principals
and Of costly, almost luxurious, arenas
for Its setting.
Rickard always more interested In
the spectacular side Of his ventures,
in the size Of his crowds and magn1-
tude of the undertaking than In the
actual fights themselves. He pos
Sessed an uncanny ability to antlc!-
pate popular interest IN his match
making, especially among the heavy
weights. He was past master at
what it now recognized as the art OF
the ballyhoo. But it was the arena
and its human inpouring that Chiefly
interested the promoter
Got Biggest Thrill
Ricka-d got hts biggest thrill out
OF the crowd OF around 10000 that
paid nearly $2.000,000 to see the first
Dempsey -T1lnney fight in the rain at
Philadelphia.
Il shall never forget that sight" he
said often. LAS looked back from the
rinRside over those thousands, tens of
thousands, it sent the chil!s up and
down my back"
The chief reason Rickard took the
second Dempsey -Tunney fight to Sol
'dier, field. Chicago, for the greatest
Of all heavyweight extravaganzas, was
his desire to attract the biggest crowd
in history. He succeeded, and the
mark Of nearly 100000 for the
gate" from some 145,00O spectators
may stand indefinitely.
From the time he came to New
York until the new Madison Square
Garden was completed and opened ir
1926 Rickard cnvisioned this modern
sports palace as a monument to his
achievement.
Rickard was intensely proud that
the big men Of Wall street supported
him and that important people in all
walks Of life came to boxing matches
as he raised the standards Of Their
promotion. He often spoke Of this as
one Of his outstanding achievements
Seats for Air
His slogan. when he first undertook
to promote the game on q big scale
in New York. was "A seat for every
customer. and every customer in hi.
own seat"
One Of his greatest disappointment:
was In the famous Dempsey Firpt
fight in 1923 at the Polo Grounds
where thousands who held ringsid.
seats failed to see much. II anything
Of the brief ring action because O
the confusion and sloping character
Of the baseball field. Rickard returnet
thousands Of dollars to dissatisfie.
patrons as result Of this, and did i
without hesitation
Boyle's Thirty Acres, the famou
Jersey City bowl erected for tn
Dempsey Carpenter fight in 1921. wa
Richards own model. From a spec
tator's viewpoint 1t was as near per
feet as sny. This fight was in man.
respects Richards most successful
piece OF promotion. He induced tn
principals to sign for a $500 900 purss
an unheard-of amount. but the gat
receipts from 10000 spectators ex
ceeded $1,e00,c00. Carpenter wa
built up" as real contender, whel
rs matter Of fact he was not
match for the smashing Dempsey
Rickard himself was so fearful q
the possible outcome that he went t
Dempsey's dressing room before tn
match and pleaded with Jack mot t
hit the Frenct1man too hard" and t
let the fight go few rounds at leas
20 that the record-breaking crow
would get something of run for II
money.
7 was afraid Dempsey would XII
Carpenter II he hit him too hard
N the promoter admitted later.
80 : 49, =