Tex Rickard
| Tex Rickard | |
|---|---|
Tex Rickard
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| Born |
George Lewis Rickard January 2, 1870 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 1929 (aged 59) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Gambler, bartender, boxing promoter |
| Years active | 1896–1929 |
| Known for |
Rebuilt Madison Square Garden First to promote boxing to large audiences |
George Lewis "Tex" Rickard (January 2, 1870 – January 6, 1929) was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the 1920s, Tex Rickard was the leading promoter of the day, and he has been compared to P. T. Barnum and Don King. Sports journalist Frank Deford has written that Rickard "first recognized the potential of the star system." Rickard also operated several saloons, hotels, and casinos, all named Northern and located in Alaska, Nevada, and Canada.
Rickard was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His youth was spent in Sherman, Texas, where his parents had moved when he was four. Rickard became a cowboy at the age of 11, after the death of his father.
At the age of 23, he was elected marshal of Henrietta, Texas. He married Leona Bittick and acquired the nickname "Tex" at this time.
After the death of his wife and son, Rickard went to Alaska, drawn by the discovery of gold there, arriving in November 1895. Thus he was in the region when he learned of the nearby Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Along with most of the other residents of Circle City, Alaska, he hurried to the Klondike, where he and his partner, Harry Ash, staked claims. They eventually sold their holdings for nearly $60,000. They then opened the Northern, a saloon, hotel, and gambling hall in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. Rickard lost everything—including his share of the Northern—through gambling. While working as a poker dealer and bartender at the Monte Carlo saloon and gambling hall, he and Wilson Mizner began promoting boxing matches. In spring 1899, with only $35, Rickard (and many others) left to chase the gold strikes in Nome, Alaska. While in Nome, he met 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. The two became lifelong friends, though for a brief period of time ca. 1901, they were competing saloon owners in Nome, where Rickard owned the Northern hotel and bar. During the final week of Rickard's life, Earp learned he was ill and sent him a telegram. Earp died the same month as Rickard.
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