New Orleans Athletic Club

Last updated
New Orleans Athletic Club
New Orleans Athletic Club Logo.png
General information
Type Private club
Location222 N. Rampart Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
Coordinates 29°57′24″N90°04′17″W / 29.9568°N 90.0713°W / 29.9568; -90.0713 Coordinates: 29°57′24″N90°04′17″W / 29.9568°N 90.0713°W / 29.9568; -90.0713
Completed1929
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
ArchitectDiboll & Owen

New Orleans Athletic Club (NOAC) is an American athletic organization founded in 1872, making it the second-oldest such institution in the United States. [1] [2] It is located at 222 North Rampart Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. [3]

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Rampart Street is a historic avenue located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans Largest city in Louisiana

New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana. With an estimated population of 393,292 in 2017, it is the most populous city in Louisiana. A major port, New Orleans is considered an economic and commercial hub for the broader Gulf Coast region of the United States.

Contents

History

The club was formed by J.C Aleix and several other young men who built two gymnastic apparatus' in the back yard of Aleix's home, and called themselves the Independent Gymnastic Club. J.C Aleix was elected president and each member paid fifty cents per month. The members participated in gymnastic exercises including fencing and boxing. The club's motto was "Mens Sana in Corpore Sano" ("A healthy mind will exist in a healthy body"), and its colors were gold and black. The original constitution called for no more than fourteen members, and specified that the president be of gentlemanly deportment and be impartial. By 1873, in spite of the restrictions in the constitution, the club had fifty members, and set about looking for a suitable club building. In 1874, the Independent Gymnastic Club set up its equipment in a building at the corner of Rampart and Bienville Streets. [4]

Gymnastics sport

Gymnastics is a sport that includes exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest and abdominal muscle groups. Alertness, precision, daring, self-confidence and self-discipline are mental traits that can also be developed through gymnastics. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills

Fencing sport

Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre; winning points are made through the contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, singlestick, appeared in the 1904 Olympics but was dropped after that, and is not a part of modern fencing. Fencing was one of the first sports to be played in the Olympics. Based on the traditional skills of swordsmanship, the modern sport arose at the end of the 19th century, with the Italian school having modified the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refining the Italian system. There are three forms of modern fencing, each of which uses a different kind of weapon and has different rules; thus the sport itself is divided into three competitive scenes: foil, épée, and sabre. Most competitive fencers choose to specialize in one weapon only.

Boxing combat sport

Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

In 1875, Edw. Fredericks became the second president and members voted to change the name of the club to the Young Men's Gymnastics Club. [5] [6] In 1884, the club bought the property at 37-39-41 Burgundy Street for $6,000 and in 1888 a stock corporation was inaugurated. In 1890, the club constructed a new gymnasium, baths, swimming pool and held professional boxing matches at 44 North Rampart Street. [4]

Professional boxing sport

Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory authority to guarantee the fighters' safety. Most high-profile bouts obtain the endorsement of a sanctioning body, which awards championship belts, establishes rules, and assigns its own judges and referee.

In 1907, Hall of Fame trainer and coach Tad Gormley moved to New Orleans to become the physical director at the Young Men's Gymnastics Club. [7] In 1918, members of the club showed off their athletic skills while portraying apes in the first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes. [8]

Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley was an American athletic trainer, coach and official. He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was the head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

<i>Tarzan of the Apes</i> (1918 film) 1918 film directed by Scott Sidney

Tarzan of the Apes is a 1918 American action/adventure silent film directed by Scott Sidney starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, George B. French and Gordon Griffith.

By 1920 the club had about 600 members, but its building was run down and there was no money to repair it. Irwin F. Poche, the athletic director, began to promote health and fitness classes for businessmen. He set up a handball court, organized dances in the gym and boxing matches were also organized; membership began to increase. In 1929, a new building was built at its present location and the club became known as the New Orleans Athletic Club. [4] NOAC hosted the LHSAA state wrestling tournament in 1945 and 1947 to 1968. [9]

American handball, known as handball in the United States, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent cannot do the same without it touching the ground twice. The three versions are four-wall, three-wall and one-wall. Each version can be played either by two players (singles), three players (cutthroat) or four players (doubles), but in official tournaments, singles and doubles are the only versions played.

Louisiana High School Athletic Association organization

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) is the agency that regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana.

Wrestling form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques

Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. The sport can either be theatrical for entertainment, or genuinely competitive. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into other martial arts as well as military hand-to-hand combat systems.

In addition to athletic events, NOAC hosts charity balls and events in its ballroom. [10] In 1991, the club opened membership to women. [2]

Sports and facilities

Notable members and people

Many well known athletes have trained at NOAC. John L. Sullivan and Roberto Durán trained there before boxing matches; Johnny Weissmuller swam in the saltwater pool; and John Havlicek and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played basketball and gave basketball clinics at the club. [4] [11] [12]

Celebrities that have trained at NOAC include Alec Baldwin, Harry Connick Jr., Kevin Costner, Tom Foley, Clark Gable, Jimmy the Greek, Phil Harris, Bob Hope, Kate Hudson, Frankie Laine, Jude Law, Art Linkletter, Louis Prima, Liv Tyler, Mark Wahlberg and Tennessee Williams. [2] [4] [12] [13]

Politicians and other notable people that have trained at NOAC include D.A. Jim Garrison, Huey, Earl and Russell B. Long, Robert Maestri, Robert S. Maloney and T. Semmes Walmsley. [2] [12] [13]

Television and film

[14]

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References

  1. ↑ Becky Retz; James Gaffney (1 November 2004). New Orleans. Globe Pequot Press. pp. 233–. ISBN   978-0-7627-3456-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Our Kind of Place: New Orleans Athletic Club". gardenandgun.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  3. ↑ Eve Zibart; Tom Fitzmorris; Will Coviello (23 January 2007). The Unofficial Guide to New Orleans. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 310–. ISBN   978-0-7645-8343-8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "NOAC History". neworleansathleticclub.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  5. ↑ Dale A. Somers (1972). The Rise of Sports in New Orleans: 1850-1900. Pelican Publishing. pp. 317–. ISBN   978-1-4556-1129-4.
  6. ↑ Federal Writers' Project. New Orleans (1972). New Orleans: A City Guide. Somerset Publishers. p. xlvii. ISBN   978-0-403-02203-8.
  7. ↑ "Who was Tad Gormley, and why does he get a stadium in City Park named after him?". nola.com. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  8. ↑ Samantha Cook (1 September 2010). The Rough Guide to New Orleans. Rough Guides. pp. 292–. ISBN   978-1-4053-8786-6.
  9. ↑ http://www.lhswa.org/ LHSAA Wrestling State Tournament Index
  10. ↑ "The Belle Vie Gala raises the roof for Belle Reve New Orleans". nola.com. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  11. ↑ Christopher Klein (5 November 2013). Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero. Lyons Press. pp. 160–. ISBN   978-1-4930-0197-2.
  12. 1 2 3 "New Orleans Athletic Club". bestofneworleans.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  13. 1 2 Boulard, Garry. Huey Long Invades New Orleans: The Siege of a City, 1934-36. Pelican Publishing. pp. 227–. ISBN   978-1-4556-0609-2.
  14. ↑ "TV, Film & Commercials". neworleansathleticclub.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
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