Olympian Pete Rademacher inducted into Hall Of Fame Former 1956 Olympic Gold medalist Pete (Thomas Peter) Rademacher will be inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers And Associates. Inc. Hall Of Fame for his dedication to boxing.

Rademacher made boxing history by being the only man to fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship in his first professional fight against Floyd Patterson on August 22. 1957 in Seattle. Washington.

Rademacher first began boxing as a form of rehabilitation during his recovery from rheumatic fever. which he contracted in military school.

ln his amateur career Rademacher had 79 fights with a record of 72 wins and 7 losses. During his amateur boxing career, he won the Seattle Golden Gloves Tournament  in 1949, 1951, 1952 and 1953. Other amateur boxing accomplishments for Rademacher included: winning the Chicago Golden Gloves, the All-Army Championship and the Service Championship in 1956 before qualifying for the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team. He won the Gold Medal in the heavyweight division and served as the U.S. flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

While serving in the army. he reached the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Rademacher attended college at Washington State University and he played the position of offensive lineman on the football team. During Rademacher’s professional boxing career. he had a record of l5 wins and 7 losses with 8 KOs. Some of the boxers Rademacher fought during his professional boxing career included: Zora Folley.

Brian London. George C hevalo. Buddy Tunnan. and the fomier light heavyweight champion Archie Moore. His last professional fght was against former world middleweight champion Carl ‘Bobo‘ Olson. Rademacher for many years was a referee for professional boxing bouts in Northeast Ohio. He was president of the company Kiefer-McNeil company that he had founded with fellow Olympian Adolph Kiefer.

After retirement. Rademacher staned McNeil Corporation in Akron.
Ohio. ln 1996. Rademacher and two of his daughters helped carry the Olympic torch around the streets of Cleveland. Ohio.

As an inventor. he was well known for the gasoline powered on wheel ‘unicycle’ he rode in local parades. Rademacher and his wife. Margaret. who died in 2007. had three daughters: Susan. Helen and Margot. He has two grandchildren. Rademacher is being inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Anthony Greene and llenry ‘Sugar Kay” Hughes.