Will the revival of the sport of boxing help draw different students to Sac State?
Norm Tavalero has fond memories of boxing for Sacramento State in 1959 and ’60 when he was one of the best collegiate boxers in the country.
“That place was packed whenever we fought,” Tavalero recently said in a phone interview. “They packed that whole gym.”
Tavalero, now 86, finished his college career with a 23-3-1 record. “I only lost to champions. I never lost a regular bout,” he said.
Tavalero now resides in El Dorado Hills with his wife, Barbara, whom he married and ultimately chose over continuing to box, despite having opportunities to participate in the Pan-American Games in 1959 and Olympic Trials and 1960.
They will celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary in 2024.
Tavalero is one of the few remaining members of Sacramento State’s program before the NCAA disbanded boxing as a sponsored sport in 1960. Recently, he has spent time in retirement discussing the idea of his alma mater rekindling its program with school officials.
Sacramento State President Luke Wood and the school recently announced plans to revive the boxing program next fall after a 63-year hiatus. And on Thursday, Wood, with Urijah Faber of UFC fame – who is, in fact, a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame – announced the formation of Combat U, the university’s program for combat sports.
“Combat athletes are some of the most dedicated and focused on the planet, but until now, fighters seeking professional careers have had to put their education on hold to pursue their dreams,” Wood said in a statement.
To attract new students
It won’t be an NCAA sanctioned sport this time, but a club a sport, through the help of the National Collegiate Boxing Association which currently oversees 31 club programs throughout the country, including 13 on the west coast.
The NCBA is responsible for scheduling events and setting rules, such as setting college bouts as three two-minute rounds, mandating head gear and requiring strict adherence to weight classes for safety.
Wood, 41, became the school’s youngest president when he took the job in July. He trains for boxing each morning and spars on weekends. He said part of bringing back the boxing program is a nod to the school’s history.
Sacramento State boxers earned multiple All-American honors, won three national titles in 1957, ’58 and ’59, and the team finished third in the NCAA championships in ’59 before the NCAA disbanded the sport in ’60.
Wood believes boxing could be a way to attract new students who might not have considered Sacramento State otherwise.
“So part of bringing back the boxing program is to reach a demographic people who aren’t being currently reached by the university — and to provide them with an outlet,” Wood said.
“As an amateur myself, I spend a lot of time in boxing gyms,” he continued. “And basically, for the vast majority of people there, you have one choice: you could either try to go pro, or you can give up. But what if there was another pathway, which is you could go and box for Sac State and get a scholarship and create a better life for yourself and for your family.
“So it’s really about a social justice mission to make sure that every community, particularly those who might come from lower income, minoritized (families), or be the first in their family to go to college, that they have that pathway into a great institution like Sacramento State.”
Scholarships and donors
The program will be for women and men, and will offer scholarships coming from donor money that is already set aside. The search for a head coach and members of the coaching staff is ongoing.
Additionally, boxing could be a gateway toward other combat sports being adopted by the university as mixed martial arts continue to rise in popularity, including jujitsu, kick boxing and Muay Thai.
“You see all these all these different sports that students, people and prospective students are interested in now,” Sac State athletic director Mark Orr said. “And there’s no clear pathway at a collegiate level for those to students to be able to go to school and participate in those types of sports even though they’re some of the most popular in the world. So I think we’re filling a need ... and something that students want. And I think it distinguishes Sacramento State (by) being able to offer these programs.”
How quickly would the boxing program be adopted on campus? Both Wood and Orr believe there’s enough appetite to allow the program to hit the ground running should it start on schedule in the fall of 2024.
“There’s been a significant interest on our campus from students, both men and women in participating in boxing,” Orr said.
Mitigating health concerns
Even though boxing has seen increased popularity since the pandemic as a personal fitness vehicle, getting punched in the head poses serious health ramifications.
The NCAA disbanded boxing in 1960 because University of Wisconsin boxer Charlie Mohr died from a brain hemorrhage days after a fight.
Of course, head gear will be mandatory, and officials have said student health and safety will be a priority for the boxing program much like football. Still, studies suggest the effectiveness of head guards is unclear and should be examined further.
“I think one of the reasons why President Wood has asked me and my position as director of athletics is to assist in providing some leadership for this,” Orr said. “Even though it’s not an NCAA sport, with our NCAA Div. 1 programs we have a significant amount of attention and resources dedicated to student athlete safety. Boxing will have those types of resources as well.”
Orr said the school’s athletic training and medical staffs will beused, and new positions could be created to make sure boxers have the care necessary.
‘Top boxing program’
“We currently here on campus do have the expertise,” Orr said. “We have one of the best sports medicine teams in the country right here at Sac State. So I’m fully confident.”
After boxing at Sacramento State and being a member of the school’s boxing Hall of Fame, Tavalero offered free coaching to boxers in Sacramento while working for Shell Oil Co. before retirement. He still consults boxers and fighters in other sports, and had a clear message for the school about its efforts to bring boxing back.
“Without me being facetious, don’t be half-assed,” Tavalero said. “Don’t be as cheap as you can.”
Said Wood: “I plan on us having the top boxing program in the country.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Will the revival of the sport of boxing help draw different students to Sac State?."
