Pete Rademacher

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Pete Rademacher
Rademacher in 1961
Born
Thomas Peter Rademacher

(1928-11-20)November 20, 1928
DiedJune 4, 2020(2020-06-04) (aged 91)
NationalityAmerican
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height187 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Reach196 cm (77 in)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights23
Wins15
Wins by KO8
Losses7
Draws1
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne +81 kg

Thomas Peter Rademacher (November 20, 1928 – June 4, 2020) was an American heavyweight boxer.[3] A gold medalist at the 1956 Olympics,[4] he became the only person to challenge for the world heavyweight championship in his first professional bout when he faced Floyd Patterson in Seattle on August 22, 1957.[5][6] He compiled a 15-7-1 record over 23 professional bouts.

A former college football player at Washington State,[4][5] Rademacher took up boxing as a form of rehabilitation during his recovery from rheumatic fever, which he contracted in military school.[7]

Amateur career[edit]

In his amateur career, Rademacher won 72 bouts and lost 7. He won a series of tournaments, including the 1949 and 1951–1953 Seattle Golden Gloves (he lost in 1950 to Zora Folley, who was his frequent opponent throughout his boxing career), and the US Amateur Championship as a heavyweight in 1953—avenging his earlier loss to Folley.

He captured the Chicago Golden Gloves, the All-Army championship, and the Service championship in 1956, before qualifying for the Olympic team. At the Olympics he captured a gold medal in the heavyweight division and served as the U.S. flag bearer at the closing ceremony.[2]

1956 Olympic results[edit]

  • Round of 16: bye
  • Quarterfinal: Defeated Josef Němec KO 2
  • Semifinal: Defeated Daan Bekker (South Africa) KO 3
  • Final: Defeated Lev Mukhin (Soviet Union) KO 1 (won gold medal)

Rademacher also attended college, playing offensive line on the football team for Washington State.

Professional career[edit]

Rademacher and Folley in 1958

After winning the gold medal, Rademacher started saying that he would be able to become world heavyweight champion in his first professional fight. He made his belief public and was able to lure world Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson into defending his crown against him in his professional debut. It is the only time to date that a fighter making his professional debut has challenged for the world heavyweight title.

The bout, at Sick's Stadium in Seattle, was refereed by former light-heavyweight champion Tommy Loughran, who himself had contended for the heavy crown once, vs. Primo Carnera, in 1934. Rademacher dropped Patterson in round two, but Patterson recovered and knocked Rademacher down seven times, defeating him by a knockout in round six.[1][2][6] Legendary boxing promoter Jack Hurley promoted the match.

Rademacher fought Zora Folley, Brian London, George Chuvalo, Buddy Turman, and the former world light heavyweight champion, Archie Moore. He lost to Moore, Folley and London but beat Chuvalo, LaMar Clark, and Turman, among others. His last bout was with former world middleweight champion Carl "Bobo" Olson, whom he beat by decision.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Rademacher had Finnish ancestry; his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Finland.[8] He was married to Margaret and had a daughter Susan (born c. 1954–1955).[9] In addition to boxing, he was a salesman and inventor. He was president of the company Kiefer-McNeil which was founded by fellow Olympian, Adolph Kiefer.[2] Rademacher died in Sandusky, Ohio on June 4, 2020, at the age of 91.[10][11] His brain was donated for medical research.[10]

Professional boxing record[edit]

23 fights 15 wins 7 losses
By knockout 8 6
By decision 7 1
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
23 Win 15–7–1 United States Bobo Olson UD 10 Apr 3, 1962 United States Honolulu Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
22 Loss 14–7–1 Germany Karl Mildenberger PTS 10 Jan 20, 1962 Germany Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Germany
21 Win 14–6–1 United States Buddy Turman TKO 9 (10) Nov 30, 1961 United States Fair Park Coliseum, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
20 Loss 13–6–1 United States Archie Moore TKO 6 (10), 2:10 Oct 23, 1961 United States Baltimore Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
19 Loss 13–5–1 United States George Logan KO 2 (10), 2:40 Aug 17, 1961 United States Boise, Idaho, U.S.
18 Loss 13–4–1 United States Doug Jones KO 5 (10), 0:54 Apr 29, 1961 United States St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
17 Win 13–3–1 United States Dan Vanderford KO 1 (10), 2:17 Apr 14, 1961 United States Armory, Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S.
16 Win 12–3–1 United States Harvey Taylor KO 1 (10), 2:47 Feb 22, 1961 United States Yakima, Washington, U.S.
15 Win 11–3–1 United States Donnie Fleeman UD 10 Jan 23, 1961 United States Seattle Civic Ice Arena, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
14 Win 10–3–1 Germany Willi Besmanoff UD 10 Dec 13, 1960 United States Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
13 Win 9–3–1 United States Kirk Barrow SD 10 Dec 8, 1960 United States Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, Washington, U.S.
12 Win 8–3–1 Canada George Chuvalo UD 10 Jul 19, 1960 Canada Maple Leaf Stadium, Toronto, Canada
11 Win 7–3–1 United States LaMar Clark TKO 10 (10), 2:27 Jun 29, 1960 United States Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
10 Loss 6–3–1 United Kingdom Brian London KO 7 (10), 0:15 Apr 26, 1960 United Kingdom Empire Pool, London, England
9 Draw 6–2–1 Germany Ulli Ritter PTS 10 Apr 8, 1960 Germany Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany
8 Win 6–2 Germany Ulli Nitzschke KO 7 (10) Feb 6, 1960 Germany Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
7 Win 5–2 United States Johnny York PTS 8 Dec 9, 1959 United States Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
6 Win 4–2 United States Buddy Keener KO 1 (10), 2:52 Nov 12, 1959 United States City Auditorium, Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
5 Win 3–2 United States Calvin Butler UD 10 Sep 29, 1959 United States Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
4 Win 2–2 United States Ralph Schneider TKO 3 (10) Sep 17, 1959 United States Greenville Memorial Auditorium, Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
3 Win 1–2 United States Tommy Thompson RTD 5 (10) Aug 23, 1959 United States Municipal Auditorium, Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
2 Loss 0–2 United States Zora Folley KO 4 (10), 1:15 Jul 25, 1958 United States Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1 Loss 0–1 United States Floyd Patterson KO 6 (15), 2:57 Aug 22, 1957 United States Sick's Stadium, Seattle, Washington, U.S. For NYSAC and The Ring heavyweight titles

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Pete Rademacher. Boxrec.
  2. ^ a b c d Pete Rademacher. sports-reference.com
  3. ^ "Pete Rademacher, 1956 Olympic boxing champion, dies at 91". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Former WSC boxer takes Olympic title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 2, 1956. p. 13.
  5. ^ a b Boni, Bill (August 22, 1957). "Patterson gains four pounds; Pete eager for longer fight". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 18.
  6. ^ a b Boni, Bill (August 23, 1957). "Patterson pounds Pete; all over in 6th round". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1.
  7. ^ Borrone, Bert (July 31, 1957). "Suspicion Grows That Marciano Is Using Role As Coach Of Rademacher As Stepping Stone To Comeback Try". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 13.
  8. ^ "Rademacher, Thomas Peter (b. 1928)". www.historylink.org. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  9. ^ File:Wife and daughter of Pete Rademacher 1957.jpg
  10. ^ a b "Pete Rademacher". Kenosha News. Kenosha, WI. June 6, 2020. p. C2. Retrieved December 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ Goul, Matt (June 6, 2020) Olympic boxing champion Pete Rademacher, 91, dies. cleveland.com

External links[edit]