United States Naval Academy |
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Tony Rubino Four-Time Brigade Champion Award This is a very special award given to midshipmen who have won four Brigade Boxing Championships. This award is in the name of Tony Rubino who arrived at the Naval Academy in 1947 as an Assistant Boxing Coach to Spike Webb. In 1954 Tony took over the Head Coaching duties and coached until 1963. He then became the Deputy Physical Educational Officer until his retirement in 1982 at which point he was honored with Professor Emeritus status. | |
Image of Coach Rubino(left) with Coach Spike Webb |
Past Four-Time Brigade Champions Roy Golez 1970 Steve NewBerger 1971 Mike Killion 1986 Roger Stanton 1987 Dick Hoffmann 1987 Shane Voudron 1994 J.J. Puga 1997 Mike Francis 1999 Nic Wisecarver 2000 RickWeil 2003 AJ Mallo 2004 Amir Shareef 2005 Jeremy Biggs 2006 Greg Watten 2006 |
Emerson Smith Sportsmanship Award The Sportsmanship Award is presented in honor of Coach Emerson Smith or "Smitty". Emerson Smith was a native of Kent, Ohio. He graduated from Kent State High School in 1938 lettering in three sports and the Captain of the football and basketball teams his senior year. Coach Smith accepted a four year scholarship to Geneva College for football, and he lettered in football, track and basketball. In 1941 he entered the Navy and became a Chief Specialist in Athletics. While in the Navy he was a member of the Newport, RI boxing team under the coaching of Freddie ?Red? Cockran and Steve Belloise. He was the head boxing coach for a year at the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, MD before he was sent to the South Pacific. For his contribution to Navy boxing as a participant, coach and official he was awarded a Certificate of Merit. In 1946 Coach Smith returned to Geneva College graduating as the President of his Class in 1947. For the next ten years Mr. Smith coached and taught at Easton High School and was the Athletic Director, Head Basketball Coach and Track Coach. Coach Smith then spent two years as an Assistant Professor of Education and Head Basketball Coach at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. Emerson arrived at the Naval Academy in 1957 as an Assistant Coach in Boxing and Basketball. In 1964 he became the Head Boxing Coach and coached until his retirement in 1985. During his tenure at the Naval Academy in addition to the boxing program, he promoted three major boxing events: the Plebe Open Championship; the Brigade Boxing Championship; and the Navy Junior Boxing Show. Coach Smith wrote extensively and was very proactive in ensuring that boxing was a safe sport. With engineering professor Jack Smith, he conducted research on twenty different materials resulting in a combination of materials still used today in boxing gloves and head gear. Coach Smith held Masters Degrees from the University of Maryland and Bowie State College. Coach Smith was married to the former Louise M. McKnett of Easton, MD and they had three children: Stephen, Deborah; and Michael. He was a member of the Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, the National Intramural Association and the National Basketball Coaches Association. Coach Smith held masters Degrees from the University of Maryland and Bowie State College. Coach Smith died August 22, 1998. | |
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Past Sportsmanship Award Winners 1988 -1989 Ty Biggs 1989 1999 - 2000 Daryl Horton 2000 2000 - 2001 A.J. Washington 2001 2001 - 2002 Steve Cobos 2002 2002 - 2003 Agur Adams 2003 2003-2004 David Rainey 2004-2005 Dan Martinez 2005-2006 Nick Tawil |
Spike Webb Outstanding Boxer Award Spike Webb began fighting professionally only fourteen years after his birth on April 12, 1889. He fought 115 pro fights as a bantamweight, mostly in his hometown of Baltimore. He won 113 of these fights. At one time after he had knocked out seven straight opponents, Uncle Wilbert Robinson remarked to him, "Kid, you hit like a marlin spike. From now on, your name is 'Spike'." His professional fighting days were a prelude to the colorful life he would always lead. In one fight, in 1916, he not only knocked out his opponent, Battling Kennedy, but the referee as well. In the same year, he had a non-title bout with the featherweight champion, Johnny Kilbone. During World War I, as a sergeant in the Army, he coached the 23rd Division, famous for beating all the U.S. competition which could be pit before it. Right after the war he coached the American team in the Inter-Allied sports tourney held in Pershing Stadium, Paris. Spike returned to the states in August, 1919, and the following month was hired to coach our proposed boxing team. Spike Webb was Navy's first boxing coach from 1919 to 1954. In his first season as coach in 1920, Navy went undefeated in intercollegiate competition. Navy was to become a boxing powerhouse and would go on to remain undefeated indual meets for the next eleven years. During that time, Navy captured six National Titles. Spike coached four U.S. Olympic Teams between 1920 and 1932. From then until his retirement on June 30, 1954, Spike Webb was as much of a landmark at the Naval Academy as Tecumseh. Spike is the father of Navy boxing. The Webb trademarks a well-worn baseball cap, sparkling blue eyes, and a Navy warm-up jacket, were never absent from Macdonough Hall, where the taught mids the famous jabbing, skipaway style that saved Gene Tunney from Jack Dempsey in after his "long count" knockdown in 1927. | |
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Past Spike Webb Outstanding Boxer Award 1959-60 Roy Rodgers 1960 1960-61 Ron McKeown 1961 1961-62 Andy Hesser 1962 1962-63 Robbie Newton 1963 1963-64 Dick Meritt 1964 1964-65 Al Motta 1966 1965-66 Craig Gillaspie 1969 1966-67 Craig Gillaspie 1969 1967-68 Craig Gillaspie 1969 1968-69 Corky Peck 1970 1969-70 Steve Newberger 1971 1971-72 John McGraw 1974 1972-73 John McGraw 1974 1973-74 Bruce Cavey 1974 1974-75 Norman Davis 1975 1975-76 Ivan Lassiter 1976 1976-77 William Ervin 1978 1977-78 William Ervin 1978 1978-79 Mike Pedersen 1979 1979-80 Shelton Redden 1981 1980-81 Paul Station 1981 1981-82 Lawrence Quinn 1984 1982-83 Kendall Switzer 1983 1983-84 Dick Hoffmann 1987 1984-85 Dick Hoffmann 1987 1985-86 Roger Stanton 1987 1986-87 Roger Stanton 1987 1987-88 Harry Wingo 1988 1988-89 Doug Walker 1990 1989-90 John Fitzpatrick 1990 1990-91 Jim Russo 1991 1991-92 Clint Chlebowski 1992 1992-93 Matt Watt 1994 1993-94 Matt Reimann 1994 1994-95 Chander Comerford 1995 1995-96 Kico Eaton 1996 1996-97 Jon Bradley 1997 1997-98 Jason Lavarias 1998 1998-99 Mike Francis 1999 1999-00 Nic Wisecarver 1900 2000-01 Dustin Lonero 1901 2001-02 Ben Zuber 1902 2002-03 Rick Weil 1903 2003-04 A.J. Mallo 2004-05 Amir Shareef 2005-06 Jeremy Biggs |
Chris Dobleman Most Improved Boxer Award The Most Improved Boxer Award is presented in honor of the memory of Christian P. Dobleman, Class of 1988. Chris died October 26, 1998 after a courageous fourteen month battle with cancer. He was 32. Chris excelled as a midshipman. Of all of his many accomplishments at Navy, he was most proud of his boxing career that culminated in his 1987 Brigade Championship. The Chris Dobleman Award is an annual award presented to the Naval Academy Boxer that best exemplifies Chris? courage and determination. The award is given to the member of the Naval Academy Boxing Team who is judged by his coaches and teammates to be the most improved member of the squad. The award winner had demonstrated dedication to the Naval Academy and to the sport of Boxing. | |
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Past Chris Dobleman Most Improved Boxer Award Winners 1998-99 Mark Hermanson 2000 1999-00 Ben Zuber 2002 2000-01 Bobby Villanueva 2003 2001-02 Nick Sidiropoulos 2002 2002-03 Amir Shareef 2005 2003-04 Kevin O'Donnell 2004-05 Chris Lonero 2005-06 Victor Colon 2008 |
