Northern Michigan University Has Produced Many Champions
“Northern Michigan University Has Produced Many Champions!”
by Ken Hissner
In the 90′s the funding came from the athletes actually filling out financial aide packages and grants through financial aide. The Education Center also got support from the United States Olympic Committee (USOEC). In 1998 Congressman Bart Stupak went to Congress and got a scholarship for the training center and now the scholarship is called the Stupak Scholarship named after his son who died tragically while still in high school in May 2000. There was a time 24 slots were open for boxers and now it’s been reduced to only 8. When the funding was in question last year Forrest offered to help out until his untimely death this year. Forrest won the World Championships in 1991. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Forrest got food poisoning the day before his first bout. He was a favorite to meet the Cuban Hector Vinent, but lost Peter Richardson (GB). In 2009 the funding stopped. World champion Vernon Forrest, who had attended NMU, informed me he would supply the funding before his untimely death. The semester cost is now $2500.00 and still a good deal.
Philadelphia’s Al Mitchell arrived in Marquette as the head coach of the Junior Olympics and the regional coach in 1989. He was the LBC coach from 1989-91 for the Junior National Championships there. In 1992 he would become the head coach at Northern Michigan University. One of his nationally ranked boxers in 1991, Larry Nicholson, would later become an assistant of his. Reid is at NMU with him now along with his assistant coach Luis Gomez. I talked with Mitchell in August as he and 1976 Olympian Charles Mooney were helping instruct the Chinese silver medalist from the 2008 Olympics Zhang Zhilei at Fernwood Resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. One of Mitchell’s former boxers, Nate James, was serving as a sparring partner.
