Eddie Mingle

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Eddie Mingle (1876-1941) fought in four consecutive Great Outdoor Fights From 1893 to 1896. In his first fight in 1893, he wisely supported the legendary Jack Hardy. He finished 12th man standing that year. The 1894 fight saw him reach the final twenty only to be knocked out with severe neck trauma by Ellsworth Rosensteel. Still suffering the effects of this blow, he was defeated surprisingly early (935th) in 1895. He recovered the next year, though, and with the help of Mose Diegel, he won an unsurprising victory in 1896.

What Mingle is best remembered for is not his fighting days, but his retirement. Advised by doctors that one more serious blow to the head could kill him, he did not compete in the 1897 Fight. But from that time until his death he would be a tireless promoter of the fight, and coached many famous fighters, not least of whom was Pat Day. On October 8, 1941, the car he was riding struck a deer. The other passengers were unharmed, but Mingles' neck, true to predictions, snapped like a twig. He was remembered as a grand old man of the fight in the best tradition of former champions, and Young Jude Surrency gave his Eulogy.