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It is said by Vinson family members that Everett Vinson (also known as Vincent) had more fights outside the ring than inside. Even though we have documented over forty bouts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the hunt continues to complete his boxing record.

The Vinson family came to Minnesota in 1872 and settled for over twenty years in Todd County. After some time living in Knapp, Wisconsin where Everett Clare Vinson was born in 1908, the family settled in Stillwater, Minnesota. His mother died giving birth to her eighth child in 1925 leaving Vinson on his own at the age of 17. With the on-set of the Great Depression, he took-up boxing to make money.

Riding the wave of enthusiasm for boxing that peaked in the mid 1920s, Vinson began his boxing career in February of 1928 in Stillwater. A southpaw known as a �crouch fighter who packs a knockout punch in his left hand�1 Vinson quickly established himself as a tough opponent losing only one of his first eleven bouts. He won notoriety in the spring of 1929 when he fought a series of fights with St. Paul boxer Ray Dundee. The duel reached its climax on the night of April 5th when the two met in a �rousing battle from start to finish� in Hudson Wisconsin. �In the first round Vinson was knocked through the ropes and took a six count. He also dropped to his knees and took a count of two. Despite a bad right eye that was completely closed before the end of the second round, he fought back for two more rounds only to lose a decision� to Dundee2. The two fighters met in the ring a total of four times, twice boxing to a draw, and one win apiece for each fighter.

By late spring of 1929, Everett Vinson was headlining fights at both the Armory in Stillwater and in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Vinson�s most frequent opponent was St. Paul boxer, Billy McCabe. Their five bouts over two years led to each of them winning twice and coming to a draw on one occasion. Vinson lacked the artistry of boxing that McCabe brought to the ring but made up for it in sheer strength. Preparing for their fight in December 1929 it was reported �Vinson has a wicked punch and is hard as a nail�3. That same month, Vinson a lightweight at 126 pounds, hired Murray McLean of St. Paul to be his boxing manager.

Perhaps the pinnacle of Vinson�s career was a series of two fights he had with fellow Stillwater resident Bobby �Wildcat� Reier. �For many moons, these two lads have been rivals. Several months ago the rivalry broke out into an open feud and the American Legion boxing promoters decided to let these boys settle their grudge in the ring�4. In the days leading up to the July 7, 1933 fight, Stillwater was abuzz in preparation. Both fighters had a loyal following and speculation over who would win was the talk of the town. The fighter�s daily workout schedule at the armory was posted in the newspaper and was open to the public. Johnny Ertle, former world bantamweight champion from Stillwater, was hired to be the third man in the ring. �Considerable enthusiasm has been worked-up over the Vinson � Reier battle. Critics are giving both boys an even chance of victory. Vinson�s terrific punch and Reier�s clever boxing tactics will be closely watched�5. But when the eight-round affair was finished in front of a capacity crowd on that hot Friday night, it ended in a draw.

By all accounts it was one of the greatest and most vicious bouts ever seen in Stillwater and the decision set the stage for a rematch that would be fought two months later. The night of September 7, 1933 found the pugilists in the same ring ready to bring closure to their rivalry, once and for all, in a ten-round fight. To the chants of �grudge fight, grudge fight�6 Reier stepped into the ring weighing 135 pounds to Vinson�s 129 pounds. As soon as their gloves touched, both men burst into their attacks. �The bout ended with a knock out in the fourth with Vinson tangled in the ropes and almost out [when] Reier pushed in the last punch and Vinson dropped to the floor. Twice during the count Vinson tried to get to his feet but each time, he fell back�7. This time, using the experience gained in the previous bout, Bobby Reier won by a knock out over Everett Vinson two minutes and 55 seconds after the start of the fourth round. The two split a $78.50 purse on a 50/50 basis.

Whatever rivalry the two men had was clearly settled in the ring. Three months later, Bobby Reier served as best man for Vinson when he married his first wife, Lorraine Jerry in Stillwater.

By the end of 1933, Vinson was being managed by Johnny Ertle who booked all of his matches for him. The evening of November 17th, Vinson was to have boxed Blackie Burscheim of Watertown, South Dakota at the Central Junior High School Auditorium in St. Cloud, Minnesota. However, Burscheim was a no-show so the promoters caught Wayne Short just after he had eaten a heavy dinner about 7:00 PM. Short agreed to fill in for the missing fighter and the six-round affair was a brutal bout that ended in a draw. The animosity between these two fighters lingered for several months. Short was overheard saying to promoter Johnny Salvator �Boy what I�d like to tell that guy, Vinson� said Short, �and if I see him, I will.� �Don�t do it before next Monday night� (January 15, 1934), pleaded Salvator in his best pleading tone, �do you want to spoil my show?�8 When the two men fought the next week at the St. Paul Auditorium, Short delivered his message in a second round knock out.

Everett Vinson�s last known fight ended with a third round technical knock out from another southpaw from Superior, Wisconsin Less Profit. The February 6, 1939 event at the Palace Theatre in Minneapolis ended the 30 year old Vinson�s career.

His life outside the ring took on a common appearance as he became a worker at the Andersen Foundry Co. in Stillwater, enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, and later became a driver for John J. Kilty Co., Stillwater. In 1965, while working for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Vinson was permanently disabled when a wooden plank fell off a passing truck and struck him as he was working on the side of a road. For the next twenty years, he passed the time fishing and spending it with family. He died in Maplewood, Minnesota on January 10, 1987.

While cleaning out his personal belongings after his death, the family of Everett Vinson found a pair of wine-colored boxing trunks with his name embroidered on it and an old boxing program from his 1939 bout at the Palace Theatre tucked neatly away in a long forgotten drawer. These mementos of a life over sixty years ago started the search to find the stories hidden in time. The boxing memorabilia is preserved in a shadow box that hangs in the Vinson home and is the source of inspiration that keeps the hunt alive.

By Dan Taylor
Saint Paul, MN

1 Stillwater Gazette, December 20, 1933
2 Hudson Star-Observer, April 11, 1929
3 Stillwater Post Messenger, December 18, 1929
4 Stillwater Gazette, September 13, 1933
5 Stillwater Gazette, July 5, 1933
6 Stillwater Post Messenger, September 14, 1933
7 Ibid
8 The (Stillwater) Daily Gazette, January 11, 1934

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Unknown user at 00:00, 1 January 2005