Sign-In
Cart
The One Is Jack Hurley, Volume Three: Deacon Jack and the Dawn of Major-League Sports in Seattle
Paperback
Series: One Is Jack Hurley, Book 3
ISBN13: 9781532306433
Publisher: Rhythmmaster Publishing, LLC
Published: Apr 1 2017
Pages: 580
Weight: 1.94
Height: 1.29 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The One Is Jack Hurley is an epic three-volume bio-history of boxing's Golden Age beginning with Jack Dempsey in the 1910s and ending with the emergence of George Foreman in 1970, as filtered through the life experience of legendary manager and promoter Deacon Jack Hurley. Hurley began his career in Fargo, North Dakota, just before World War I, worked in and around New York and Chicago from the mid 1920s through the '40s, and settled in Seattle in 1950.
Hurley's life, more than any other, personifies the sport's journey out of the backrooms and bars of the 1900s, to the arenas and stadiums of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, and into the parlors and family TV rooms of the 1950s and '60s. It is a history not only of one man's life, but of pro boxing itself. A tale long neglected only because Jack's career was so long and multifaceted.
Volume Three, Deacon Jack and the Dawn of Major-League Sports in Seattle, tells the story of Hurley's life in Seattle and of the city's coming of age as a sports town. Long before anyone ever thought of the Supersonics, the Seahawks, or the Mariners, Jack sewed the seed for major-league sports in the city. The narrative begins with his move to Seattle as manager of local fighter Harry (Kid) Matthews. Taking on the mighty International Boxing Club, Jack instigates a federal investigation into the club's monopoly tactics and forces it to grant Harry a heavyweight elimination bout with Rocky Marciano at Madison Square Garden in 1952. Matthews lost, but the Deacon's mission to bring Seattle a world title fight was just beginning.
After British champion Don Cockell defeats Matthews in Seattle, Hurley's effort to promote a Marciano-Cockell heavyweight title bout is thwarted when the University of Washington and the Seattle School District deny him use of the city's two largest venues. The Deacon's run-in with the establishment highlights the need for a new stadium to attract pro sports to the region and leads to a county-wide vote on the construction of a multipurpose stadium.
Hurley's perseverance is rewarded when new heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson agrees to defend his title in Seattle against Olympic Gold Medalist Pete Rademacher in 1957. Despite far-flung criticism that he is crazy to even think about promoting such a bizarre event, the Deacon converts the city's minor-league ballpark into a boxing venue, and the match comes off without a hitch.
Hurley's successes with Matthews and the Patterson-Rademacher fight cement his reputation as a local sports oracle and the city's most famous sports personality. Accepting a post as advance man for the the famous Harlem Globetrotters of basketball fame, he enjoys nationwide celebrity status as an elder statesman, continuing to dispense entertaining bits of thought-provoking wisdom about his first love, boxing, wherever he goes.
In 1966, an aging Deacon returns to the limelight to manage Boone Kirkman for one last run at the heavyweight title, only to fall short when future champion George Foreman stops Kirkman in their 1970 fight at Madison Square Garden. After two years of retirement, the story ends with Hurley's death in November 1972, less than a month before his 75th birthday.
Also in
Athletes
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins
Bremer, Dick
Bruton, Jim
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Paperback
The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Smith, Sam
Jackson, Phil
Hardcover
Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher
Strawberry, Darryl
Hardcover
Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation Into Grit
Hunt-Broersma, Jacky
Hardcover
Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball
Epplin, Luke
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Walsh, Bill
Jamison, Steve
Walsh, Craig
Paperback
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Long, Matt
Butler, Charles
Paperback
Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors
Pronger, Chris
Hardcover
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
Miller, John W.
Hardcover
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer
Newey, Adrian
Hardcover
When We Were Young and Fearless: Kevin, Russell, James, and the Making of the Modern NBA
Abrams, Jonathan
Hardcover
In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World
Freedom, Enes Kanter
Hardcover
Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier
McLaughlin, Sean J.
Hardcover
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Bundschuh, Rick
Hamilton, Bethany
Paperback
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Lomong, Lopez
Paperback
The Bookie: How I Bet It All on Sports Gambling and Watched an Industry Explode
Manteris, Art
Birkbeck, Matt
Hardcover
October Men: Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and the Yankees' Miraculous Finish in 1978
Kahn, Roger
Paperback
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Miller, Kevin
Silvia, Brent
Hardcover
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
O'Brien, Keith
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Volponi, Paul
Shulman, Lenny
Durkin, Tom
Hardcover
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever
Talty, John
Hardcover
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Hardcover
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Ryan, Tom
Paperback
Bam!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game That Changed Sports
Howard-Cooper, Scott
Hardcover
Ashes to Endzone: The Fight for Identity, Faith, and a Future Bigger Than the Game
Jones, Perris
Hardcover
The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II
Smith, Johnny
Roberts, Randy
Hardcover
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird (Large Print Edition)
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Boudette, Neal
Eruzione, Mike
Paperback
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
Plunkett, Bill
Hardcover
The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions
Parker, Candace
Hardcover
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
Travis, Clay
Paperback