October Legends Closing October 29
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/30/2016
In 1952 the B’nai B’rith International formed the Boston Sports Lodge to promote “brotherhood through Sports”. Each winter the group honored a selection of the country’s finest athletes, both pro and amateur. The 1962 Award Ceremony brought out all the stars including the entire World Champion Boston Celtics basketball team, college football star Art Graham, ballplayers Stan Musial, Dick Stuart and Carl Yastrzemski and a young Olympic boxer who only just turned pro: Cassius Clay.
At that point in his career, Clay was 16-0, 13 of those by KO or TKO, and by far the most promising heavyweight to come along in years. Following awards given to Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox and hockey star Woody Dumart, Clay was awarded the “High Principal and Achievement in Sport” award, presented to him by Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter Max Kase. The 20 year-old boxer was still more than a year away from a chance at a title fight, and among all the sports luminaries in the room that night he was probably one of the least recognized.
Reflecting the innocence of the times, and highlighting the fact that he was not yet a household name, Cassius Clay’s name is alternatively engraved “Casius Clay” on the tray. In a little over 14 months from that night, the whole world would know the name Cassius Clay, while names of most of the other men honored that evening would recede from the public’s memory. The award itself is 12-inch in diameter silver tray with a ½ inch curved rim. The center is engraved with “BOSTON SPORTS LODGE B’NAI BRITH NINTH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER SHERATON PLAZA HOTEL DECEMBER 9, 1962 TO CASIUS CLAY FOR HIGH PRINCIPAL AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORT”. The award shows some surface scuffing from age and cleaning. The engraving is easily read makes a stunning display piece. This award is significant in that it may be the first public recognition of the high principals that became the trademark of Muhammad Ali’s life both in and out of the ring. This item comes with a letter of authenticity from WBC (MP44883).