NAVY BOXING – THE REAL THING

The Capital by Joe Gross February 24, 2001

You want competition? This is competition: Grass roots, head-to-head competition. The combatants in the Naval Academy’s Brigade Boxing Championships are not among the world’s greatest athletes. They are not going to be seen on television. And you can be sure they won’t ever be paid for putting on the gloves. But every boxer that stepped into the ring last night had to make and sports fan appreciate the meaning of the word competition. Any fan had to cheer the effort, the courage and the determination of the young men who fought for pride and glory that meant nothing beyond the walls of the Naval Academy.

What the fighters lack in technique and style, they make up for with their personal doggedness, their persistence and their grit. The courage of those inexperienced young men that went out against the more skilled members of the boxing team had to earn everyone’s respect.

The Brigade Boxing Tournament is one of the truly great traditions at the Naval Academy. Last night’s show was the 60^th in the storied history of the event, which remains one of the highlights every year. What began with legendary Navy boxing coach Spike Webb is carried on today by a proud Jim McNally, who teaches the art of pugilism to the midshipmen. While he is the coach of the very successful Navy boxing team, McNally is also responsible for creating the enthusiasm in the young men who revel in the Brigade Boxing competition. It is McNally that instills the desire in the mids to seek the personal pride that goes with winning a champioship. McNally takes young men that never dreamed of stepping into a boxing ring and turns them into intrepid, lion-hearted competitors. McNally found ways to strip the young men of their fears about taking a stinging poke in the face. He helped them to stand in after absorbing thudding blows to the body. And he developed the tenacity in those young men who battle back with the fortitude of warriors.

Jim McNally’s commitment to cultivating the fearlessness, the audacity necessary to engage in a one-on-one encounter comes to fruition each year as the Brigade Boxing Tournament goes on. And the night of the championship bouts is the culmination of McNally’s annual endeavors. The competitive nature of the men in the ring last night was something to behold. The dauntless gallantry and spirited contentiousness of the young boxers generated a degree of excitement that the throng surrounding the makeshift ring yelling their approval all night long.

The young men were battling to gain the measure of pride, of celebrity, that goes with being a Brigade Boxing Champion. Although the boxers put in the same work as varsity athletes, there are no varsity letters waiting at the end of tonight’s quest. There is little publicity. And there is a lesser measure of glory than is received by the varsity athletes. But there is a special respect and admiration for those that carry the title “champion” for the rest of their days at the academy. Watching the level of competition as the midshipmen fought for their individual honor, for their eneration, was a sight to behold. More than the machismo it takes to get into a boxing ring to hit and get hit, the young men get to demonstrate their mettle and their valor as they go in quest of the honor that goes with being a champion.

There is no question that the Naval Academy’s Brigade Boxing Championship is the ultimate in courage and competitiveness.