Evening star., 1954-04-22
Coached Many Champions ]
Coached Many Champions
Spike Webb Legend Will Grow
Long After Retirement at Navy
By Lewis F. Atchison

name of Hamilton Murrell Webb
will be retired from the Naval
Academy's physical education
department come June 80. If
that doesn't ring a bell with
boxing fans, it is Spike Webb
who is hanging up his gloves and
putting period to a long, color
full career of coaching Navy's
fighters.
It is an event of no minor
Importance at Annapolis, for
Spike is as much q part Of the
scenery as the chapel's gilded
DOME To say he will be missed
is putting it lightly.
Spike has some cherished
memories and a scrapbook bulg-
ing with clippings to take with
him. Included are letters Of
commentator from the late
Gen. Pershing. the Secretary of
the Navy, the superintendent Of
the Naval Academy and many
others. Webb rates the Navy's
traditional "Well Done" for his
lengthy service at Annapolis.
Started Out in Army.
Spikes service career began In
the Army and Gen. Pershing
wrote to thank him for his work
in training the American Expe-
dictionary Forces boxing team
that won the Inter Allied games
at Paris in 1919. Mention Of the
AEF recalls the story Of Spikes
bout with one Capt. Charlie Le-
doux Of the French Army, who
also happened to be the reigning
European featherweight cham
pion at the time.
For nothing better to do dur
ing a heavy German shelling
near Verdun. and with American
and French partisans bolster
ouSly exchanging boasts about
their prowess, Spike and Ledoux
fought six bruising rounds to a
draw in an underground can
teen. Spike. by the way, blames
shellfire, rather than boxing, for
being hard Of hearing.
Taught Four Olympic Teams.
AS boxing coach Of four United
States Olympic boxing teams,
and Navy's coach for IS years,
Spike knew numerous important
figures in and out of military
service. Gen. Douglas MacAr-
thur headed the U. S. Olympic
Committee for the 1923 games,
and years later Spike wrote how
he helped the general put an
end to some tomfoolery that in
terfered with the entire delega-
tion's training.
Admiral William F. Halsey.
then a captain, was officer
representative of the boxing
team one year at Annapolis, and
scores Of officers with dis
tinguished war records came
under Spikes wing when they
were clumsy pups who thought
gloves were worn only on cold
days. Slade Cutters name is
one that comes to mind.
One Of Spikes proudest clip
pings Is a lengthy story authored
by DR.. H. c. Byrd, now a candi-
date for the Democratic romina-
tion for Governor Of Maryland,
when he was just plain Curley
Byrd, football coach at Mary
land and part-time sports writer
for The Star. That was long
before Byrd became president
OF the university. Of course.
1914 Record.
Spikes record always will be
a monument to his success as a
coach. His Navy teams were
undefeated from 1920 through
1881, and before Navy dropped
boxing as an intercollegiate
sport the midshipmen won SO
matches. lost IA and were held
even in eight.
Some scoffers might make a
point of the fact that the college
ring game wasn't universally
strong when Webb's teams were
bowling over the opposition. But
they can't laugh of Webb's
Olympic record - three team
championships and seven indi-
vidual titles in four trips across
the pond.
Spike handled some fair coun-