George Lewis "Tex" Rickard was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League, and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City.
38 Facts About Tex Rickard
2.
Tex Rickard's youth was spent in Sherman, Texas, where his parents had moved when he was four years old.
3.
Tex Rickard's father died, and his mother then moved to Henrietta, Texas while he was still a young boy.
4.
Tex Rickard became a cowboy at age 11, after the death of his father.
5.
On July 2,1894, Tex Rickard married Leona Bittick, whose father was a physician in Henrietta.
6.
However, Leona Tex Rickard died on March 11,1895, and Curtis Tex Rickard died on May 4,1895.
7.
In November 1895, Tex Rickard went to Alaska, drawn by the discovery of gold there.
8.
In spring 1899, with only $35, Tex Rickard left to chase the gold strikes in Nome, Alaska.
9.
Tex Rickard was a friend of Wyatt Earp who was a boxing fan and had officiated a number of matches during his life, including the infamous match between Bob Fitzsimmons and Tom Sharkey in San Francisco on December 2,1896.
10.
Tex Rickard sent Earp a number of letters belittling Wyatt's steady but small income managing a store in St Michael as "chickenfeed" and persuaded him to relocate to Nome.
11.
Earp and a partner owned the Dexter Saloon, and Tex Rickard owned the Northern hotel and bar.
12.
In 1902, Tex Rickard married Edith Mae Haig of Sacramento, California.
13.
Edith Tex Rickard died on October 30,1925, at her home in New York City.
14.
Tex Rickard organized the Ely Athletic club and was the owner of several mining properties in the Ely area.
15.
Rickard planned to hold the fight on July 4,1910, in San Francisco, however opposition from Governor James Gillett and Attorney General Ulysses S Webb caused Rickard to move it to Reno, Nevada.
16.
On February 18,1911, Tex Rickard announced that he was "through with the business of prize fighting" and set sail for Argentina.
17.
Tex Rickard managed the ranch for the Farquhar syndicate, whose land holdings in South America total over 5 million acres.
18.
In 1913, Tex Rickard's ranch was involved in a political controversy between Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.
19.
Tex Rickard promoted the July 4,1919, fight between world heavyweight champion Jess Willard and Jack Dempsey in Toledo, Ohio.
20.
On July 12,1920, shortly after the Walker Law reestablished legal boxing in the state of New York, Tex Rickard secured a ten-year lease of Madison Square Garden from its owner, the New York Life Insurance Company.
21.
Tex Rickard promoted a number of championship as well as amateur boxing bouts at the Garden.
22.
Tex Rickard lost his license to make and promote boxing matches in New York State and gave up control of the Garden.
23.
Tex Rickard was found not guilty on one of the indictments on March 29,1922, and the others were dropped as a result.
24.
On May 12,1923, Tex Rickard promoted the first boxing card at Yankee Stadium.
25.
On September 14,1923, Tex Rickard promoted his second million dollar gate when around 100,000 people attended the Jack Dempsey vs Luis Angel Firpo fight at the Polo Grounds.
26.
In September 1924, Tex Rickard promoted the fight between Luis Angel Firpo and Harry Willis in Jersey City.
27.
On March 19,1925, Tex Rickard was convicted of violating a federal law that prevented the interstate transportation of fight films.
28.
Tex Rickard faced jail time, but was instead fined $7,000.
29.
Tex Rickard promoted the rematch, now known as The Long Count Fight, which was held on September 22,1927, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
30.
On May 31,1923, Tex Rickard filed incorporation papers for the New Madison Square Garden Corporation, a company formed for the purpose of building and operating a new sports arena in New York City.
31.
Tex Rickard acquired the rights to the name Madison Square Garden, as the building's owners planned on tearing it down and replacing it with an office building.
32.
In January 1926, Tex Rickard purchased WWGL radio, which he moved to the Garden and renamed WMSG.
33.
Tex Rickard sought to repeat the success of the Madison Square Garden by building seven "Madison Square Gardens" around the country.
34.
In 1927, a group led by Tex Rickard signed a 25-year lease for a sports arena at the new North Station facility in Boston.
35.
Tex Rickard hoped to someday to build a hotel and casino that would rival those in Monte Carlo.
36.
On December 26,1928, Tex Rickard left New York for Miami Beach, Florida, where he was completing arrangements for a fight between Jack Sharkey and Young Stribling and attending the opening of the Miami Beach Kennel Club.
37.
On New Year's Eve, Tex Rickard was stricken with appendicitis and was operated on.
38.
Tex Rickard died on January 6,1929, due to complications from his appendectomy.