Yesterday I looked at former England cricket captain Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff who appears to have set his eyes on to the world of professional boxing. I thought I'd follow that up with an even weirder multi-sport story, that of American Eddie Eagan.
Eddie was born into a relatively poor family in 1897 though though was a determined and driven man. Not only did he study law at both Havard and Oxford but he also went on to become a lawyer, a colonel and the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.
Of course with this site being "www.WeirdBoxing.info" his story obviously has something to do with boxing, in fact it was in boxing that Eagan first become a global name.
Having won a Boxing AAU title in 1919 Eagan would then go on to compete, in the Light Heavyweight division at 1920 at the Antwerp Olympics. After victories against Thomas Holdstock (South Africa) and Harold Franks (Great Britain) Eagan would find himself in the Olympic final opposite Norwegian Sverre Sørsdal. Eagan would manage to defeat Sørsdal for the Gold medal and his first, of two major international sporting medals.
Despite continuing to box, and claiming a British ABA title in 1923 Eagan couldn't replicate his success at the 1924 Olympics where he was beaten in the the opening round of the Heavyweight division by Arthur Clifton (Great Britain).
The 1924 Olympics were to be the last ones that Eagan would compete in as a boxer, though 8 years later Eagan resurfaced on the international sporting stage.
In 1932 the USA had sent 2 separate Four-Man Bobsleigh teams to the Winter Olympics held at Lake Placid with one of those teams, the one lead by Billy Fiske, also featuring Eddie Eagan. Eagan's team (which also contained English song writer and actor Clifford Grey) would go on to earn the Gold medal.
The Gold medal at the 1932 Winter Olympics saw Eagan not only becoming one of the few people to capture medals at both the Winter and Summer games, but the only man to capture Gold in different events at the two separate games.
Following his Bobsleigh medal Eagan went on to serve in World War 2 and became, as said previously a lawyer and the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission prior to his death, aged 70 in 1967.
Note-The only other person to collect Golds at both Summer and Winter games was Gillis Grafström, who won Figure Skating gold at the 1920 Summer Olympics and the same event at the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics.
Eddie was born into a relatively poor family in 1897 though though was a determined and driven man. Not only did he study law at both Havard and Oxford but he also went on to become a lawyer, a colonel and the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.
Of course with this site being "www.WeirdBoxing.info" his story obviously has something to do with boxing, in fact it was in boxing that Eagan first become a global name.
Having won a Boxing AAU title in 1919 Eagan would then go on to compete, in the Light Heavyweight division at 1920 at the Antwerp Olympics. After victories against Thomas Holdstock (South Africa) and Harold Franks (Great Britain) Eagan would find himself in the Olympic final opposite Norwegian Sverre Sørsdal. Eagan would manage to defeat Sørsdal for the Gold medal and his first, of two major international sporting medals.
Despite continuing to box, and claiming a British ABA title in 1923 Eagan couldn't replicate his success at the 1924 Olympics where he was beaten in the the opening round of the Heavyweight division by Arthur Clifton (Great Britain).
The 1924 Olympics were to be the last ones that Eagan would compete in as a boxer, though 8 years later Eagan resurfaced on the international sporting stage.
In 1932 the USA had sent 2 separate Four-Man Bobsleigh teams to the Winter Olympics held at Lake Placid with one of those teams, the one lead by Billy Fiske, also featuring Eddie Eagan. Eagan's team (which also contained English song writer and actor Clifford Grey) would go on to earn the Gold medal.
The Gold medal at the 1932 Winter Olympics saw Eagan not only becoming one of the few people to capture medals at both the Winter and Summer games, but the only man to capture Gold in different events at the two separate games.
Following his Bobsleigh medal Eagan went on to serve in World War 2 and became, as said previously a lawyer and the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission prior to his death, aged 70 in 1967.
Note-The only other person to collect Golds at both Summer and Winter games was Gillis Grafström, who won Figure Skating gold at the 1920 Summer Olympics and the same event at the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics.
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