Eddie Eagan biography

 Eddie Eagan biography

Eddie Eagan, in full Edward Patrick Francis Eagan, (born April 26, 1897, Denver, Colorado, U.S.—died June 14, 1967, Rye, New York), American boxer and bobsledder who was the one athlete to win gold medals at each the Summer and Winter Olympics.

After their father died in a railroad accident when Eddie was solely a 12 months previous, he and his 4 brothers have been raised by their mom, who managed a small revenue from educating overseas languages. Inspired by Frank Merriwell, the hero of a collection of dime novels, Eagan pursued his schooling in addition to his curiosity in boxing. He attended the University of Denver for a 12 months earlier than serving within the U.S. Army as an artillery lieutenant throughout World War I. After the struggle, he entered Yale University and received the U.S. nationwide newbie heavyweight title (1919) whereas a pupil. He graduated from Yale in 1921, attended Harvard Law School (1921–22), and obtained a Rhodes scholarship to the University of Oxford (B.A., Jurisprudence, 1924; M.A., 1928). While learning at Oxford, Eagan turned the primary American to win the British newbie boxing championship.

Eagan received his first Olympic gold medal as a light-weight heavyweight boxer on the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Eagan additionally fought on the 1924 Olympics in Paris as a heavyweight however did not medal. Though he had taken up the game simply three weeks earlier than the competitors, he managed to win a second gold medal as a member of the four-man bobsled crew on the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, U.S. Eagan was a member of the primary group of athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983.

Eagan turned a revered legal professional, serving as an assistant district legal professional for southern New York and as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission (1945–51). He married cleaning soap heiress Margaret Colgate and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel throughout World War II.