The recent death of Dennis Gilfeather brought back memories for many of the halcyon days of local amateur boxing.
In the early 1970s, I attended several boxing dinners at the Angus Hotel, along with friends Brian “The King” McNicoll, Dave “The Ferret” Guthrie and Ian “Schultz” Smith, to name a few.
These events were well attended and we were usually at Willie Bissell’s table, the legendary mine host of the Polepark Bar in the city.
As per the sportsman’s dinner rules, we had to dress up in ‘Kelly bows’ and dinner suits (usually hired).
A few years on when velvet suits were all the rage, we would just wear them.
They were great nights and, in addition to those regularly on the bill such as Cupar’s Cy Harrison and Dundee’s George Brown, several prominent boxers would attend this and other events such as Walter McGowan, Jim Watt, Ken Buchanan and John ‘Cowboy’ McCormack.
I have a tale about the latter.
Cowboy started boxing in 1950 at the age of 15 and, by 1956, he held the Scottish and ABA light-middleweight amateur titles.
He earned the bronze medal in the light-middleweight division (-71 kg) at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and compiled an amateur record of 103 wins and six losses (51 knockouts).
At one Angus event, he idled up to our table and said: “Hi, I’m John McCormack but my friends call me ‘Cowboy’. YOU can call me Cowboy!”
A friend for life, indeed!
Dennis Gilfeather was past his boxing days by then but was still in the ring as a referee at these Angus Hotel events and was to go on to become a very respected official in European boxing.
Dennis, born in Lochee, Dundee, was a member of a well-known boxing family and, in 1960, won the Scottish light-welterweight championship and represented his country many times at home and abroad.
He was a contemporary of Dick McTaggart and, as youths, they squared up against each other on half-a-dozen occasions, though the only time they met as senior boxers was when Scotland faced the RAF in the Caird Hall, Dundee, in the mid-1950s, with Dick in the visiting team and taking a points decision.
With family head Dennis Sr leading the way in running a number of boxing clubs over his long involvement with the Noble Art, it was almost inevitable his sons Danny, Dennis and Frank would take up the sport.
Between them, they chalked up a remarkable number of youth and senior championship and representative honours.
But, while the oldest and youngest of the brothers had little contact with the sport after they ended their competitive careers, Dennis re-established the Camperdown club.
His father had run it in the canteen of the former Cox’s jute works in Lochee before World War II but Dennis and his team of helpers, including right-hand man Jim Munro, dismantled and transported a former barracks hut they’d bought from RAF Leuchars and rebuilt it in Thomson Park, the home of Lochee United, as their new gym.
Brother Frank said: “It had a wonderful atmosphere and, as well as offering young lads a meaningful way of keeping fit and healthy, it produced several champions and internationalists, including Stuart Ogilvie and Jim Douglas, both ABA champions.
“Dennis was at the club four or five times a week and, as well as attending meetings at district and national level, he was in big demand all over Europe as a referee.
“He excelled at this and took charge of two Olympic finals unheard of at the time at the 1972 Munich Games.
“However, I’m sure that, if he were to be remembered for anything, it was his dedication to helping all those hundreds of youngsters over many years find a direction in their lives through participation in sport, no matter what level they might have competed at.”
Dennis passed away while on holiday in Bali. He was 76.
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