Sean Curtin

Name: Sean Curtin
Alias: Irish Jackie / Johnny CurtIn
Hometown: Michigan, USA
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died: 2016-08-11 (Age:74)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 173cm
Judge: Record
Referee: Record
Inspector: Record
Supervisor: Record
Pro Boxer: Record

• Sean Curtin Gallery
• Total record of opposition at time of meeting, 90-143- 1

Sean Curtin a former amateur and professional boxer, as well as boxing official. Curtin was the head of the Chicago C.Y.O. (Catholic Youth Organization) amateur boxing program. He later became head of the Illinois Athletic Commission. He is also the co-author of published boxing books.

After Curtin retired from the Illinois boxing commission, he moved to the state of Michigan. While living in Michigan, Curtin officiated as a professional boxing referee and judge until 2012.

R.I.P. Sean Curtin – Boxer. Referee. Boxing Judge. Commissioner. Archivist. Author. Sean Curtin wore all of these hats. But Curtin, who passed away on Thursday, Aug. 11, at age 74 will be best remembered by his Chicagoland friends for his contributions to amateur boxing. For years, he was the glue of amateur boxing in the Windy City, the birthplace of the Golden Gloves.

In 1930, when the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago initiated their CYO boxing tournament, America’s “second city” had a serious teenage gang problem. Teaching young boys to box was seen as a means of alleviating this scourge. Sean Curtin, who learned to box at a CYO youth center and went on to become an AAU state champion and have six pro fights, came to believe wholeheartedly in the axiom that boxing was a useful tool for building a more peaceful society. “Boxing is just a great sport,” he told a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. “It builds character and confidence, and most of all it gets frustrations out.”

Curtin went on to head the CYO boxing program. He would be appointed to the Illinois Athletic Commission, serving for a time as the agency’s chairman. And he served the sport at the amateur and professional level in many other capacities.

Curtin was the third man in the ring when the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. made his lone Chicago appearance in 1995. That was an easy assignment. Chavez made short work of his opponent, Craig Houk. Curtin stopped the contest in the opening round. The previous year, he had the distinction of refereeing the first female match sanctioned by USA Boxing, the national governing body for amateur boxing.

R.I.P. Sean Curtin As a boxing historian, Sean Curtin had few peers. He collaborated with J.J. Johnston on two books: “Chicago Boxing” and “Chicago Amateur Boxing.” Published by Arcadia Press, both paperbacks are pictorial histories bursting with wonderful black-and-white photographs, many of which had never been published. “Chicago Boxing” has a foreward by the celebrated playwright David Mamet.

Curtin left the athletic commission in 2003 and moved to Michigan. Between 2005 and 2012, he refereed 75 fights in the Wolverine State while also working as a judge and inspector.

Sean's reasons for leaving his beloved Chicago were two-fold. The CYO citywide boxing tournament, which once attracted 18,000 to Chicago Stadium, gradually became less and less relevant and was eventually abandoned by the Archdiocese in a cost-cutting measure. And he was on the outs with the Illinois Athletic Commission that he had served so faithfully.

Curtin wasn’t pleased when Ron Puccillo was named the Illinois boxing chief in 2003. Puccillo didn’t have a boxing background. “Would you hire a baseball manager that didn’t know baseball?” he said.

Sean Curtin knew boxing and the sport is poorer without him.

Obituary for Sean Curtin

Sean Curtin, III, 74, at the time of his passing lived in Buchanan, Michigan. Sean passed away at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph on Thursday, August 11, 2016. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to an underprivileged boxing gym in your area. Those wishing to sign Sean’s guestbook may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com. Sean was born in October, 1941 in Chicago, IL. He grew up in the West Lakeview/ Ravenswood neighborhoods. He served in United States Army and was a member of US Army boxing team; competing and traveling throughout Europe. Sean dedicated his life to Boxing. He was the appointed the Boxing Commissioner for the State of Illinois, Director of the CYO Boxing, and Golden Gloves in both IL and MI. Most notably, he earned the 2005 Hall of Fame Award from the National Golden Gloves Association. His dedication to Boxing began as a child and continued throughout his lifetime. He was highly respected for his integrity and dedication. His name is synonymous with Boxing in Chicago Sean was a boxer who loved spending time in the ring, an author of two Chicago Boxing books, a boxer, both amateur and professional along with being a amateur and professional referee,judge, time keeper and a historian on boxing.

Sean is survived by his loving wife of 15 years Patricia Daniels Curtin, adoring daughter Kelly Curtin (Gerald) Gaskin, grandchildren; Ciara, Aidan, Cian Gaskin of Park Ridge IL, daughter Sandi Zelkoff; Jason (Allie)Ketelaar, Sasha Ketelaar; great grandson Lee Ketelaar; sister Belle (Donald) Finfer; brother-in-law Thomas Daniels and several nieces and nephews, and extended family. He was preceded in death by his mother June Herringshaw and endearing aunt Dorothy.