“From the Archives” Saint Mary’s Boxing Club
Sports historically played a prominent role in the social life of Saint Mary’s young male parishioners. When Father Denis J. O’Kane (pastor 1872-1891) had the Lyceum built in 1888, he realized sports would be a magnet, drawing the young people of Alexandria to Saint Mary.
The Boys’ Boxing Club Team especially acquired a national reputation for producing AAU and Golden Glove champions. By the 1930s, boxing matches in our Lyceum auditorium became a very popular form of entertainment. In 1938, Father Joseph L. Leitch, assistant pastor, organized a championship Saint Mary’s team. A former high school athlete, he wanted to keep the boys and young men of Alexandria off the streets and out of trouble.
After World War II began, many of the young boxers enlisted in the military. One of the first to fight for his country was Al Horton, featherweight champion in 1939 and 1940. Horton, the “Kid with the Perfect Jab,” won 166 consecutive victories as a Marine and was the Marine Corps champion of the South Pacific. Severe shrapnel wounds suffered in battle ended his boxing career.
Reno Workman, a lanky 6-foot-4 country boy, walked or rode his bike 11 miles every night to learn boxing from Saint Mary’s coach Naaman Massey. In the 1942 National Golden Gloves semifinals in Madison Square Garden, Workman suffered a severe gash over his right eye. Tournament officials expected him to forfeit the match. But Massey, an expert “cut man,” patched the eye so well the wound did not reopen. Workman scored an unbelievable upset and won the national 175-pound championship for Saint Mary parish!
Saint Mary’s team continued its success in subsequent years, with four of five Saint Mary boxers winning their events in the 1944 D.C. Championship. In 1945, the club won the Capital City tournament. In its 14-year existence, the Saint Mary Boys Club Boxing Team never lost a team match, a feat recorded in the Encyclopedia Britannica! The team was phased out in 1951 as its members grew older, married and assumed family responsibilities. Unfortunately, younger boys did not seem interested in the sport.
When you visit the Lyceum auditorium, look closely at the floor. You’ll see four brass circles embedded in the floor, marking the location of the four corner posts of the old boxing ring. The legacy of champions remains!
— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2021. An archive of the features is located here.