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2+ YearsPublisher | McFarland & Co Inc |
ISBN 13 | 9781476675343 |
ISBN 10 | 1476675341 |
Book Subtitle | A Biography of Boxing's Uncrowned Middleweight Champion |
Book Description | Readers searching for an authentic American success story will appreciate this biography about Leo F. Houck, a premier middleweight boxer of the early 1900s, Penn State boxing coach, and devoted family from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Leo F. Houck became a professional boxer during his adolescence at age fourteen while many of his contemporaries started their life-long employment in the mills, farms, and factories of Lancaster County. He gave the purses he earned to his widowed mother in order to support his six siblings after his father Edward, passed away at age fifty. There was nothing overtly glamorous about Leo's boxing career until 1911, when he earned the largest payday of his career with a twenty round victory over Harry Lewis in Paris. Leo reached the pinnacle of his career in 1913, when he was poised to capture the middleweight championship title. His two hundred fights are all described in this biography making it uniquely different from most boxing biographies, which typically focus on a finite number of key fights during a boxers' career. Leo coached boxing at Penn State after his retirement from prize fighting. Over the next twenty-seven years, Leo transformed Penn State into an intercollegiate boxing powerhouse and clearly established himself as Penn State's first legendary coach. |
Editorial Review | While many of his peers began their careers as farmers and factory workers, Leo Florian Houck became a boxing sensation at age 14, enabling him to support his mother and six siblings after his father's death. Houck's career really took off in 1911 with a 20-round victory over world-class welterweight Harry Lewis in Paris. During 1913 Leo became the leading middleweight contender in America.This biography details Houck's early years in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, his long career in the ring--including 200 fights--and his 27 years as Penn State's legendary boxing coach. |
About the Author | Randy L. Swope writes biographies about eminent and honorable Pennsylvanians who have |
Language | English |
Author | Randy L. Swope |
Publication Date | 30 Mar 2019 |
Number of Pages | 132 |
Leo Houck paperback english - 30 Mar 2019