Quote:
Originally Posted by rednichols
It was a post by boykin (sp?) on another Smith forum that clued me into his boxing ref career. Apparently well regarded in that field.
It's not much info that really relates to what I'm doing with The Book; but when I can place a person in time and space then they gain more relevance.
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Hey Red,
Thanks for the credit. I am kinda strange, in that many times when I buy something that I know little about, I will spend some time finding out information. That is what I did here when I got my O. Ball holster. It was interesting and fun doing the research. Here is the thread that I started and a copy of the O. Ball I researched:
O. Ball Holster
After I won the holster, I tried doing some internet research on him. If any of you folks have an Ancestry.com account maybe you can find more info. I did find a few interesting things about him. Here is what I could find in addition to what I posted in the first post:
1. Below is a picture from 1943 that came from here:
Oliver Ball, Golden Gloves instructor . UTA Libraries
2. Apparently he was very involved with Golden Gloves. In the early 40's he was an instructor.
3. I found an article from the Amarillo Daily News from January 20, 1949 that talked about him being a Golden Gloves referee:
Amarillo Daily News from Amarillo, Texas on January 20, 1949 . Page 12
"The others, who will alternate with Andrews, the chief referee, in the ring, are Oliver Ball of Fort Worth, for several years one of the top referees at the state Golden Gloves, and J. C, Oakley of Amarillo. Oakley served efficiently during the 1947 and 1948 regional tourneys, Contestants thus are assured of impartial, expert judging, of alert ringwork, and of quick but wise decisions whenever the situation indicates a bout should be halted."
4. I found a story from the Chicago Daily Tribune from March 19, 1970 from a bout that took place in Las Vegas here:
Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers
"Thompson's "thing" is the knockout. The colorful heavyweight did it the T.K.O. way tonight, bombing Jesus Malonado of Elizabeth, N.J., so relentlessly that Referee Oliver Ball stopped the fight 44 seconds after it began."
5. I found another story that talked about him being a Golden Gloves referee in 1976 here:
Danny Adams - BoxRec
"The amazing thing about Adams, in 1977, was his ability to box again. In December of 1976, he was shot in the heart and lung during an attempted gas-station robbery, where he had been set up by a "friend." Adams had given the friend money to go inside the station to pay for gas, while Adams pumped it in his car. The so-called "friend," taking such a long time to pay, caused Adams to go inside the station to see what was the delay. When Adams got inside, he saw the "friend" with a gun pointed toward the station's attendant. As Adams confronted the "friend," the frighten attendant pulled a gun and shot him, believing that "the two crooks started arguing over who was going to get the loot." Adams recovered from his bullet wounds enough to resume boxing in two months, and after the robbery situation was cleared up by the great investigation of Fort Worth police detective, Lt. Oliver Ball, who was also a Golden Gloves referee."
So, apparently he was a referee for quite a while. First at the state level, then (I guess) the national level.
We know he died in 1983.
Larry