Monday, October 31, 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Article - Harrowgate Boxing Club

An article I wrote for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's website PhilaPlace.org on the history of Harrowgate Boxing Club in Philadelphia was published on their website this evening.

You can check out the article via the below link:

"Harrowgate Boxing Club" by Matthew Ward

http://www.philaplace.org/story/1845/

Enjoy!

MW

Friday, October 28, 2016

Upcoming Event - Gene Pantalone Interview

The Matt Ward History Experience will interview boxing historian and author Gene Pantalone on November 20, 2016. This interview will be part of an upcoming episode of the blog's podcast. Gene Pantalone is the author of the new book, Madame Bey's: Home to Boxing Legends.

If you have any questions that you would like Gene to answer, please post them in the comments of this blog entry, send them to me via Twitter @RevWarBuff23 or via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mwhistoryexperience

For more information on Gene Pantalone, please visit the following websites:

Amazon Book Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/Madame-Beys-Home-Boxing-Legends-ebook/dp/B01M1KXVF2

Archway Publishing Book Page http://bookstore.archwaypublishing.com/Products/SKU-001044096/Madame-Beys-Home-to-Boxing-Legends.aspx

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MadameBey/

Twitter - @MadameBey

MW


Thursday, October 27, 2016

Front Street Gym Additional Photos

Front Street Gym 
2076 E Clearfield St.
Philadelphia, PA 19134

I recently visited Front Street Gym in Philadelphia to interview its longtime owner Frank Kubach for an article I was writing for PhilaPlace.org. While at the gym, I took several photos of the exterior and interior. A number of these photos were not used for my article. That being said, I figured I would share them with my readers!

Below is a link to my article on Front Street Gym that was published on the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's website PhilaPlace.org:

http://www.philaplace.org/story/1831/

MW



























Wednesday, October 26, 2016

University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens Football

Delaware Stadium 
625 Marvin Dr.
Newark, DE 19713

The Matt Ward History Experience traveled to Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware for the fourth stop on the 2016 College Football History Tour. The University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens hosted the Stony Brook University Seawolves (Stony Brook, New York) on October 22nd.

The University of Delaware was founded in 1743 by Presbyterian minister Francis Alison who founded the university as a "Free School" in his New London, Pennsylvania home. The school and name changed many times before becoming the Academy of Newark in 1769. The institute was recognized as a college in 1834.

Delaware football played their first season in 1889. From 1889 to 1945 the team was not affiliated with a college football conference. The Delaware mascot has been the Blue Hen Chicken since 1911. The mascot was adopted because of the popularity of the bird among Delaware troops during the American Revolution. Delaware troops would carry these birds with them in order to hold cockfights for entertainment in their spare time.

The arrival of head coach William "Bill" Murray in 1940 began Delaware's proud football tradition. During Murray's 11 seasons as head coach, he and the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled a 49-16-2 record. In 1946, Delaware became affiliated with the NCAA Division II Mason-Dixon Conference. 1946 was also the year that Delaware captured its first National Championship with a victory over Rollins College in the Cigar Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

From 1947-1957, Delaware competed as an Independent. David Nelson took over the head coaching duties for Delaware in 1951. During his tenure, Delaware defeated Kent State in the 1954 Refrigerator Bowl, and won a National Championship in 1963. It was also during Nelson's tenure that Delaware joined the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) in 1958. Nelson also brought the "Michigan" style helmet to Delaware that is still used today.

Harold "Tubby" Raymond served as head coach from 1966-2001. Despite having a tough start to his tenure as head coach, Raymond went on to compile a record of 300 wins, 119 losses, and 3 draws. Raymond also led the team to twenty postseason appearances in bowl and playoff games. In 1970, Delaware started to compete again as an Independent. Delaware won back-to-back National Championships in 1971 and 1972. Delaware captured another National Championship in 1979 with a victory over Youngstown State. Delaware did not join another conference until 1983 when it began to compete in the Yankee Conference.

From 1997 to 2006, Delaware competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The 2002 season was head coach K.C. Keeler's inaugural season with Delaware. Keeler served as head coach until the 2012 season. Keeler led the Fightin' Blue Hens to four postseason appearances, and captured an NCAA Division I-AA Championship in 2003 with a win over Colgate University. Delaware joined its current conference, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), in 2007. Delaware has a reputation of being a power house in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football. Between 1999 to 2010, the team averaged more than 20,000 fans per game.

Dave Brock served as head coach of Delaware from 2013 to 2016. During his tenure, Delaware did not reach the postseason. Brock was relieved of duties on October 16, 2016 following a disappointing start to the season. Brock was replaced by Dennis Dottin-Carter who is currently serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Below are two links with more information on Delaware football, along with several photos I took this weekend:

http://www.bluehens.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29100&SPID=110401&SPSID=670226

http://www.liquisearch.com/delaware_fightin_blue_hens_football/history

MW












Friday, October 21, 2016

Upcoming Event - John DiSanto Interview

The Matt Ward History Experience will interview boxing historian John DiSanto on October 27, 2016. This interview will be part of an upcoming episode of the blog's podcast. John DiSanto is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Philly Boxing History.com.

If you have any questions that you would like John to answer, please post them in the comments of this blog entry, send them to me via Twitter @RevWarBuff23 or via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mwhistoryexperience

For more information on John DiSanto, please visit the following websites:

Philly Boxing History.com Page - http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com

Philly Boxing History.com Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Philly-Boxing-History-114800752100/?fref=ts

Philly Boxing History.com Twitter - @phillyboxing

John DiSanto Twitter - @johndisanto

MW






Monday, October 17, 2016

Article - Front Street Gym

An article I wrote for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's website PhilaPlace.org on the history of Front Street Gym in Philadelphia was published on their website this evening.

You can check out the article via the below link:

"Front Street Gym" by Matthew Ward

http://www.philaplace.org/story/1831/

Enjoy!

MW


Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Folley Memorial Park and Folley Street

Folley Memorial Park 
601 E. Frye Rd.
Chandler, AZ 85225

Folley Street 
Chandler, AZ 85225

Last month, I wrote a blog entry on former heavyweight boxing contender Zora Folley's grave in Mesa, Arizona.

http://www.mwhistoryexperience.com/2016/09/zora-folleys-grave.html

Following Folley's career in boxing, he went into local politics. Folley served as a member of the Chandler (Arizona) City Council, where he lived with his wife and children. On July 7, 1972 at the age of 41, Folley died under mysterious circumstances in Tucson, Arizona. In 1976, the city built and named Folley Memorial Park in honor of the popular veteran, boxer, resident and councilman. A nearby residential street also bears Folley's name. 

Below are three links with more information on Zora Folley and Folley Memorial Park, along with several photos that I took of the park and street:

http://boxrec.com/boxer/9384

http://www.thesweetscience.com/articles-of-2005/2606-rise-and-fall-of-zora-folley

https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/az/chandler/city-of-chandler/youre-invited-to-folley-memorial-park-re-dedication-18740573/

MW