Thanks, fatima. Some of them (the first posts for each day) are on the light side. But I really like the reflections on the daily Mass Readings.
The son of Irish immigrant, he was known as a non-drinker, a gentleman and a devout Catholic. Gene Tunney was also the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.
Born May 25, 1897, in New York City, James Joseph Tunney graduated from LaSalle Academy, a high school run by the Christian Brothers of Ireland.
At 21, Gene enlisted in the Marines where his boxing prowess was soon discovered, and he was nicknamed “The Fighting Marine.” While serving in Paris at the close of World War I, he became the light-heavyweight champion of the American Expeditionary Forces.
He returned to civilian life and earned a shot at the heavyweight title held by Jack Dempsey. They met in 1926 before a crowd of over 100,000 in Philadelphia. Dempsey was a 4 to 1 favorite, but Tunney beat him.
There was a rematch a year later in Chicago. In the 7th round, Dempsey knocked Tunney to the canvas, but failed to go directly to a neutral corner – causing the count to be delayed (the famous “long count”). Tunney got up at the count of nine and went on to win the fight.
Two years later, he retired undefeated as a heavyweight.
Gene Tunney died on November 7, 1978.