Following post from Tim Gibbons, Tom Gibbons grandson:

Grandfather Tom Gibbons is being honored by St. Thomas Academy on 10/14/16 where Grandpa Tom attended high school per the message that I received below. I see that it's the same day as the MN Boxing HOF banquet.

Hi Tim--

I am writing as Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Saint Thomas Academy Athletic Hall of Fame; the purpose of this note is to inform you of your Grandfather Tom Gibbon’s induction into this prestigious group.

 

BIRTH NAME: Thomas Joseph Gibbons
NAME FACTS: Shared his name with an older brother Thomas John, who died before he was born.
NICKNAMES: Tommy, The Iron Man

BORN: March 22nd, 1891
BIRTH PLACE: St. Paul MN
DIED: November 19, 1960
DEATH PLACE: St. Paul, Minnesota
BURIAL PLACE: Calgary Cemetery, St. Paul, Minnesota

CLASS: Heavyweight
HEIGHT: 6'1/2"
WEIGHT: 174
REACH: 77 inches
STANCE: Catholic

OCCUPATIONS: He began work at the Great Northern rail yard for $1.10 a day, of which he was allowed to keep 10 cents.  He gave the rest of the money to help his mother and father support the family.  He accompanied his brother, Mike to some of his boxing matches.  When their father saw that they could earn much more money boxing, than they could ever earn at the rail yard, he allowed them to go into boxing full time.  After retiring from boxing at age 34, he sold insurance very successfully and was a member of the $100,000 Club in the 1920’s.  His friends convinced him to run for Sheriff of Ramsey County in Minnesota, Which included the capital city of St. Paul.  He won for six consecutive four year terms before retiring at the age of 68.
SIBLINGS: 4 brothers and 3 sisters, including boxer Mike Gibbons

FILMS/PLAYS: His second wife Josephine wrote a book called “Fifteen Rounds with Tommy Gibbons”, that a Hollywood producer was interested in making into a movie.  The only catch was that Tommy was to be involved in an affair with a blonde and a boxing scandal.  Tommy states, “I would never do anything to tarnish my good name and the good name of my family.”  So the movie was never made.

OTHER FAST FACTS:

•Owed the Gibbons Brother’s Gym with his boxing brother Mike Gibbons

• He started boxing professionally in 1911.

• Boxed 106 fights, losing only 5 and being stopped only once, by Gene Tunney.  He retired after the fight.

• Was the first boxer to go the entire Fifteen rounds with Dempsey during the World Championship Fight in Shelby, Montana on July 4, 1923, where he lost the decision.

"Feel Good Rock-n-Roll and Great Irish Music"

The Gibbons Band Twitter

In 1976, a handsome young physician in his early thirties stood up in a crowded room and said, “hello, my name is Jack, and I’m an alcoholic.” From the group a chorus was heard, “Welcome Jack.”

What proceeded from there was his revealing yet familiar story of humility, gratitude, tolerance and forgiveness. With a voice both humble and strong, and a moistened glint of optimism in his sky blue eyes, he shared his experience, his fall from grace, his renewed strength and his lessons of hope. His story reminded all of the importance of sobriety, staying away from one drink, one day at time.

                           ~~~ <> ~~~

Jack was my hero. When I grew up, he was more than a generation ahead, tens years my senior and my second oldest brother. He was a god by every measure. He did everything right, had more talents than anyone I knew combined, was smart as they get, looked like Dr. Kildare, and could leap tall buildings in a single bound. Talk about a tough act to follow! It was over before I even started. But damn, did he inspire me! He graduated from medical school and ended up on Mt. Olympus somewhere.

~~~ <> ~~~

Jack taught me the power of story. You see, it was the power of story that moved him and kept him on the road to recovery.  Stories are what reminded him that he wasn’t alone, that he couldn’t do it alone and that staying connected was strength.  It was his story that taught me it was okay to be imperfect, and that the freedom to fail was an essential part of life. And above all, his story taught me the meaning of resilience.

Full article at Emotive Storytelling™: http://emotivestorytelling.com/jack-im-alcoholic/

Mike Gibbons Summer Cottage Lake Osakis

This photo of the summer cottage on Lake Osakis from where the Gibbons brothers used to train was recently found and sold to the Hidden Treasures antique shop in Alexandria. Both Mike and Tommy Gibbons were inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the 1990s.

By Blaze Fugina on Aug 14, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

The owner of Alexandria's Hidden Treasures antique store recently received rare pictures of the famed boxing Gibbons brothers from their time in Osakis.

Hidden Treasures owner Gary McNulty received antique pictures of boxers Mike and Tommy Gibbons when he was approached by a woman who found the pictures and brought them to the store. McNulty later sold the pictures on eBay to a person in Washington for $45.

"I never heard of them, I'm from Illinois," McNulty said. "Once she gave me this stuff I started to look it up online."

One was a picture of Mike in his boxing attire, and another was a picture of the Gibbons brothers' summer cottage on Lake Osakis. A ticket stub for a celebration of Tommy's fight against a world heavyweight champion in the 1920s, Jack Dempsey, was also given to McNulty.

McNulty did not know who the Gibbons brothers were when he first saw the photos, but after some research he discovered more about their past. He talked to another antique shop owner and learned that the Gibbons brothers often trained at a summer cottage on Lake Osakis.

"He said that he actually talked to a man that used to be his boxing partner," McNulty said. "They actually had a ring in Osakis, and I guess they used to practice there."

Mike and Tommy Gibbons

The Gibbons brothers were both inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the 1990s. Mike Gibbons, a career middleweight fighter, was born in 1887. His younger brother Tommy, a heavyweight, was born in 1891.

According to his biography on the International Boxing Hall of Fame website, Mike is considered by many boxing historians to be one of the top 10 middleweights of all time.

When there was no recognized middleweight champion in 1912, Mike signed to a fight with Eddie McGoorty with the winner to be declared champion. The heavier McGoorty was favored by far, so Mike fought the match to keep him from winning. Mike backpedaled constantly and displayed great footwork, but did not really fight.

McGoorty was declared the decision by the newspapers, but he did not gain general acclaim as the titleholder. Mike told a reporter that he was determined to prove that he was not the underdog in the match.

Mike also squared off in a 1916 fight against Hall of Famer Jack
Dillon. For 10 rounds he gave Dillon a good fight, and ringside viewers of the fight said Mike won every round.





Boxer Mike Gibbons poses for a photo while dressed in his boxing attire from the early 1900s.
Tommy was only knocked out once in his career, and had 47 career knockouts himself.

The Library of Congress

Tommy & Mike Gibbons (LOC)

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