EXTRACURRICULAR

HAVING one successful career is hard enough, but to juggle two at the same time, as Tommy Hicks once did, was truly remarkable. That he did so while raising a family only makes it all the more impressive.

The first question surrounding the former light-heavyweight contender from Lockport, New York, should not be how he did it, but why? Hicks was an elementary and middle school teacher, first teaching Physical Education before transitioning to Special Ed. Later he would become a Principal. Clearly there was no necessity for Hicks to don the gloves, but he did for the simplest of reasons: He loved to.

It has been a little over 50 years since Hicks, 18-12-3 (10), challenged Bob Foster for the world light-heavyweight championship. In training for that fight he would be out on the roads at approximately 6am, before reporting to his teaching position. Then at the end of the school day Hicks would head either to Cornell University in Ithaca or to Syracuse, to prepare for Foster. Now this is Bob Foster we are speaking about, one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history, one who struck such fear into opponents many were beaten before the