Hard work spurred Bobick's boxing career
LITTLE FALLS - Duane Bobick had a head start when he took on the grueling schedule of a champion boxer. It came from long days of doing plaster and stucco work with his father in central Minnesota.
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Duane Bobick, a Bowlus native, traveled to 27 countries during his boxing career but is happy to be back in central Minnesota, near his roots. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
"We didn't have a power mixer," the former Olympics fighter said last week during breakfast at a Little Falls restaurant. "I was the power mixer. If I didn't have the stuff ready when he needed it I'd get a kick in the butt."
Later on his cousin bought a power mixer and Bobick, like the legendary John Henry who raced the steam-powered hammer, tested his mettle against the machine. That decision went to the young, muscular Bobick.
Duane Bobick, in fighting trim during his boxing career, earned multiple championships as an amateur and posted a 48-4 record as a professional.
These days, Bobick, 59, is retired and serves on the Little Falls City Council. He spends considerable time mentoring young people and volunteering at St. Gabriel's Hospital and St. Otto's Care Center.
He said his background of hard work and training as a boxer made the preparation for other sports easy. Easy enough that he was named to Royalton High School's Inaugural Hall of Fame class for his achievements in football, basketball and baseball.
The disciplined preparation necessary for what's called the "sweet science" of boxing escapes the attention of those sports fans who underestimate it, he said.
Duane Bobick of the Little Falls City Council, playfully sparred, as he reminisced about his boxing career and his hardscrabble childhood. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
"Most of them don't realize the amount of training you have to have," Bobick said. "It's one of those sports where it's not for everyone. For me ... it was my destiny."
That destiny took the self-described "little, ol' country boy" from Bowlus to an estimated 27 countries and the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany. While qualifying for the Olympics he defeated Larry Holmes, who went on to become heavyweight champion of the world from 1978 to 1985.
"I gave him a whooping," the 6-foot, 2-inch Bobick said with a grin.
His achievements in both amateur and pro boxing started after he joined the U.S. Navy for a four-year stint. He had enrolled in college earlier but, midway through an anthropology lecture, decided it wasn't a good fit for him.
"I had no focus and the class was boring me to death," Bobick said.
Now, besides serving on the council, Duane Bobick volunteers at St. Gabriel's Hospital and St. Otto's Care Center. He paused one day last week near the Little Falls dam.Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
It wasn't too long before Bobick hitchhiked a ride on a semi to St. Cloud where he joined the Navy. He was a three-time all-Navy champion and a two-time all-service champion. He went on to be the heavyweight champion at several competitions including the 1971 Pan American Games, the 1971 National AAU and the 1972 Golden Gloves.
His professional record was 48-4.
Life after boxing was a little unsettling. He moved around a bit and did not have an education that would immediately lead to any career path. Bobick is retired now from both the Navy and National Guard. He worked a variety of jobs after his boxing career, including stints at the St. Cloud Correctional Center and the now-defunct Hennepin Paper Mill in Little Falls.
It was at the paper mill that he suffered a devastating accident in which his right arm was caught in a machine and severely damaged in 1997.
"They finally pulled me out of that machine and my arm went like that," he said while swinging his right arm limply.
Bobick credits his recovery from that accident to his faith in God and he credits that faith, in part, to a pastor who brought him to the Lord in 1986.
"Right after I accepted him I felt these arms around me," he said.
Even though his accident would eventually lead to 13 surgeries so he could have limited use of his right arm, Bobick said he was reassured by a voice saying "Duane, you're going to be OK."
When medical staff rolled him out after his first of 13 surgeries Bobick said he felt a nice, warm fuzzy feeling that someone was looking after him.
"It's an indescribable feeling to feel such care," he said.
Before he discovered his faith Bobick said he was lost and had made a few mistakes in life.
"I screwed up a couple of times," he recalled.
His life is different today. He's married and the father of two daughters, who are young adults. His wife's child from a previous relationship is also a part of the family and Bobick and his wife have three grandchildren.
"I have two daughters and a wife and I'm outnumbered," he said.
Memories of those human shortcomings and his own struggle with a serious injury help him in his roles as a mentor and as a person who encourages people who are struggling to regain their health.
"I'm not a cripple," he said of his injury to his right arm. "It doesn't work like I want it to work. Quit is not in my vocabulary."
The former pro athlete counsels young people who may dream of that future that they must consider whether they have the talent and work ethic to actually make it a reality. The odds are definitely against those who seek a professional career in sports, he said, which is why he emphasizes the importance of education and planning for the future. He also encourages young people to concentrate on what they learned when they experience a setback.
"Kids are so stupid," he said. "They don't realize much about life."
He said he worries too much time is wasted by young people and that many of them don't really experience what it's like to work hard.
"If the sun was still up, I had to hoe the garden, " he said, recalling his younger days of working both on the job and at home. "Our kids really do not know hard work."
Still, he enjoys mentoring young people.
"I'm thankful," he said. "It helps me keep my sanity. I like working with kids."
Bobick said he marvels at the experiences he's had in his life but is happy to be back home in central Minnesota.
"I can honestly say that I have had a great life," he said. "These are my roots. This is my home."
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.