Henry Milligan
Encyclopedia
Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Milligan (born 1958-09-16 in Camden, NJ) is a former professional boxer
from the United States
.
. He was a defensive back in football
, a third baseman in baseball
and a wrestler who often wrestled in the highest weight class, despite being only about 5-11, 185 (he would frequently wrestle and defeat 250-pounders, and once wrestled and defeated a 325-pounder in the NCAAs). Milligan earned ten varsity letters, an all-time University record. He was an All American in wrestling
and was Princeton's 1981 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is the University's highest undergraduate honor.
The New York Mets
offered him a minor league contract after his college graduation from Princeton.
Prior to his college graduation, he never boxed competitively, nor did he even train as a boxer. He claims that the only boxing he did before graduating from college was with his brother Mike in their parents' basement when growing up, in which they used rags to cover their hands.
He went to A.I. du Pont High School
in Greenville, Delaware
.
, not far from where he grew up. At that time, he decided to try his hand at boxing.
Despite having no prior background in boxing, Milligan had an outstanding amateur career, and in 1983 he won the National AAU
Heavyweight
Championship. Being a white, Ivy League
educated boxer attracted a lot of attention to him, and he was featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles nationwide, including People Magazine and Sports Illustrated
. He also defeated Henry Tillman
, the 1984 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medalist, in the 1983 National finals in Colorado Springs, Colorado
.
He entered the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials seeded first in the 201 pound class, despite weighing only 184 pounds, but lost in the semi-finals to 17-year-old Mike Tyson
on June 9, 1984. Milligan was leading on points when Tyson stopped him in the second round.
Cruiserweight Championship of the World in December, 1993 in Aspen, Colorado
, losing on a cut in the eighth round, and retired permanently in 1998.
and Jessica Lange
, titled Night and the City (1992 film)
. He is the president of the Elsmere, Delaware
Boxing Club, a civic member of the Mary Campbell Center for Disabled Adults and the Delaware Foundation for Retarded Children. In 1993, Milligan was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
.Milligan is now the head coach of the Varsity wrestling team at Wilmington Christian School in Hockessin, Delaware.
He is a member of Mensa International
, which requires that all members have IQ's that place them in the top 2% of the population, and the Triple Nine Society
(99.9% IQ).
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
School Sports
Milligan was a 1981 graduate of Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He was a defensive back in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, a third baseman in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and a wrestler who often wrestled in the highest weight class, despite being only about 5-11, 185 (he would frequently wrestle and defeat 250-pounders, and once wrestled and defeated a 325-pounder in the NCAAs). Milligan earned ten varsity letters, an all-time University record. He was an All American in wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
and was Princeton's 1981 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is the University's highest undergraduate honor.
The New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
offered him a minor league contract after his college graduation from Princeton.
Prior to his college graduation, he never boxed competitively, nor did he even train as a boxer. He claims that the only boxing he did before graduating from college was with his brother Mike in their parents' basement when growing up, in which they used rags to cover their hands.
He went to A.I. du Pont High School
Alexis I. duPont High School
Alexis I. duPont High School is a public high school located in Greenville, Delaware, USA, a suburb of Wilmington. It is one of three high schools in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. There were 1,481 students enrolled in the fall for the 2008-2009 school year.Founded in 1893, Alexis I...
in Greenville, Delaware
Greenville, Delaware
Greenville is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Greenville is located at ....
.
Amateur Highlights
After college, Milligan worked as an engineer at Delmarva Power and Light Company in Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, not far from where he grew up. At that time, he decided to try his hand at boxing.
Despite having no prior background in boxing, Milligan had an outstanding amateur career, and in 1983 he won the National AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
Championship. Being a white, Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
educated boxer attracted a lot of attention to him, and he was featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles nationwide, including People Magazine and Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. He also defeated Henry Tillman
Henry Tillman
Henry Durand Tillman is a former American boxer.-Amateur Career:Tillman twice defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur, winning both bouts via close decisions. Tillman went on to win heavyweight Gold at the Los Angeles Olympics....
, the 1984 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medalist, in the 1983 National finals in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
.
He entered the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials seeded first in the 201 pound class, despite weighing only 184 pounds, but lost in the semi-finals to 17-year-old Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
on June 9, 1984. Milligan was leading on points when Tyson stopped him in the second round.
Professional career
Milligan turned pro in 1985 and began his career with a promising string of 11 victories, but then lost a couple of bouts, retiring in 1986. He launched two comebacks in which he fought in local bouts, and fought for the WBOWorld Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
Cruiserweight Championship of the World in December, 1993 in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, losing on a cut in the eighth round, and retired permanently in 1998.
Outside the Ring
Milligan has appeared in ten national television commercials and a feature film with Robert De NiroRobert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
, titled Night and the City (1992 film)
Night and the City (1992 film)
Night and the City is a 1992 remake of the 1950 film noir of the same name, itself an adaptation of Gerald Kersh's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange and is directed by Irwin Winkler from a script by Richard Price....
. He is the president of the Elsmere, Delaware
Elsmere, Delaware
Elsmere is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 6,131.-Geography:Elsmere is located at ....
Boxing Club, a civic member of the Mary Campbell Center for Disabled Adults and the Delaware Foundation for Retarded Children. In 1993, Milligan was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is a membership-based organization founded in 1976. The organization runs a museum with exhibits at Daniel S...
.Milligan is now the head coach of the Varsity wrestling team at Wilmington Christian School in Hockessin, Delaware.
He is a member of Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, which requires that all members have IQ's that place them in the top 2% of the population, and the Triple Nine Society
Triple Nine Society
The Triple Nine Society , founded in 1978, is a voluntary association of individuals who have scored at or above the 99.9th percentile on specific IQ tests under supervised conditions, which generally correlates to an IQ of 149 or greater...
(99.9% IQ).