The 1980 US Olympians

[zojo]

Due to the US boycotting the Moscow Olypmics for invading Afghanistan, they never got their chance. Who were they and what ever became of them?

[bennie]

Light-fly: Robert Shannon
Fly: Richie Sandoval
Bantam: Jackie Beard
Feather: Bernard Taylor
Light: Joe Manley
Light-welter: Johnny Bumphus
Welter: Don Curry
Light-middle: James Shuler
Middle: Charles Carter
Light-heavy: Leroy Murphy
Heavy: James Broad

I think you'll agree they all did pretty good as pros, Carter apart.

[zojo]

The old wrestling coach at the school I coached at was supposed to be one of the coaches for the US wrestling team in Moscow. He never forgave Jimmy Carter for the horrible mistake he made.

The ancient Olympics were created to worship the gods of Olympus and to end wars between the Greek city/states.

Even back in the anciet times they new not to mix sport and politics.

[Broncano]

I remember that they fought the Cuban Olympians around March 1980 and went 6-5. Any recollections on that meet?

[joneva]

Charles Carter did not have a great career as a pro:
http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=003111

[KOJOE90]

Light-fly: Robert Shannon
Fly: Richie Sandoval
Bantam: Jackie Beard
Feather: Bernard Taylor
Light: Joe Manley
Light-welter: Johnny Bumphus
Welter: Don Curry
Light-middle: James Shuler
Middle: Charles Carter
Light-heavy: Leroy Murphy
Heavy: James Broad

I think you'll agree they all did pretty good as pros, Carter apart.

Was it in 1980 or maybe 1984 that some of Americas top amatuers were sadly killed in a plane crash in Russia?

[bennie]

Light-fly: Robert Shannon
Fly: Richie Sandoval
Bantam: Jackie Beard
Feather: Bernard Taylor
Light: Joe Manley
Light-welter: Johnny Bumphus
Welter: Don Curry
Light-middle: James Shuler
Middle: Charles Carter
Light-heavy: Leroy Murphy
Heavy: James Broad

I think you'll agree they all did pretty good as pros, Carter apart.

Was it in 1980 or maybe 1984 that some of Americas top amatuers were sadly killed in a plane crash in Russia?

It was 1979. The most famous amateur to die in the team was Lemuel Steeples. A terrible tragedy all round. The American amateur team were en route to Poland for an international when the plane went down.

[zurdo]

The old wrestling coach at the school I coached at was supposed to be one of the coaches for the US wrestling team in Moscow. He never forgave Jimmy Carter for the horrible mistake he made.

The ancient Olympics were created to worship the gods of Olympus and to end wars between the Greek city/states.

Even back in the anciet times they new not to mix sport and politics.

Damn that coaches selfish hide!!! Doesn't he realize there are other things in the world beyond his personal and professional aggrandizement
Did he really want to be part of a giant dog and pony show to celebrate The communists and the glory of the Soviet empire ....and were at that moment trampling Afghanistan.....

After all you wouldn't want americans participating in the alqaeda olympics or the baath party olympics..to draw a modern analogy

Sports and politics are inextrixbly linked they were in ancient times and they are now The Romans used to have the green team and the blue team..which were political parties and sports factions...

And check out GW Bush's big NFL football kickoff "salute to the troops" on the washington mall a couple of months ago.That was total sports/political propaganda....
Or how they always fly the fighter planes over the stock car races ..thats a political statement..
Don't be naive enough to think they have nothing to do with one another

It stinks for the boxers and other who missed out ...but i say Jimmy Carter did the right thing by giving the bloody commies the finger

[Eric the Viking]

The ancient Olympics were created to worship the gods of Olympus and to end wars between the Greek city/states.

Even back in the anciet times they new not to mix sport and politics.

If having sporting events specifically to end wars isn't mixing sports and politcs, what is?

Unfortunately, the modern Olympics have no such intention, and during the cold war were as much about asserting the "goodness" of one's political & economic system by showcasing one's athletes as they were about actual sport.

I believe Jimmy Carter to be a deeply principled man, and agree that a very strong gesture was needed to the Soviets to let them know that their brutal invasion of Afghanistan (hell, they didn't even have the tissue paper of terrorism or supposed weapons of mass destruction to help them justify their actions) would not be without consequences. I sucks that athletes who had been training all their lives lost out on their chance for glory as a consequence, but people fight and die for their country every day without ever having hope for a gold medal, and that sucks even worse. Just to put the athleet's "sacrifice" into perspective.

There was nothing that kept the '80 Olympic boxers from turning pro and pursuing glory by that route, even if not having an Olympic medal clearly means the promotional wheels weren't greased for them from the get-go. If any of them had had the talent to become an all-time great pro, I'm confident we'd have seen it eventually. After all, big-time promoters are always looking for talent, and while an Olympic medal helps them market their prospects, surely you don't think they stopped hunting for talent simply because there were no medals attached to it in the early 80s?

[Holyfield Headbutt]

I remember reading that Lee Roy Murphy won the Gold at the Alternate Olympics. He then went on to turn pro, and won a main Cruiserweight title. I think he retired with a record of something like 31-4.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Curry had the talent to become a great, just not the dedication by
the sounds of it.

[Boxerdog]

Quite a mystery to me, Curry. Also from '84, Breland. Hyped like CRAZY!!