As a boxer, Terry Strowder was a crowd pleaser. June 14th, 1956 was a great day when Terry Strowder was born to the proud parents of Charlyn and Moses Strowder in Gary, Indiana. He was born into a family of two brothers and four sisters, and at an early age, Strowder and his family moved to Cleveland where five more siblings were added to the family. Finding his way in life as a young man, Strowder stumbled upon boxing at the age of 18. He started training under the tutelage of the late Chuck Watkins. A short time later, Strowder found his lifetime mentor and friend in boxing, the late legendary, Clint Martin, who was known as the “Godfather.” According to Strowder, he was a crowd pleaser, who was very flamboyant, and always had an entourage at his fights. “You either loved me or hated me,” Strowder said, “who always brought the crowds to their feet.”
After boxing for 14 years, Strowder compiled a record of 56 wins and 15 losses. According to Strowder, he disputes the 15 losses. His record included 10 championships and Golden Gloves runner-up three times. When Strowder ended his boxing career, he stayed away from boxing for 12 years while helping to raise his children: Terry, Dayrome, Chanel, and Sean. During the Glenville Festival in August of 2013, Strowder was recognized by Cleveland City Council for his inspirational contributions as a coach, and hype-man by Councilman Jeff Johnson.
According to Strowder, he learned a number of skills from boxing that he conveys to kids and young men. One skill is “that it doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from, what hardships in life you endure, we are all capable of second chances, to persevere, come back stronger.”
Strowder believes being inducted into the Hall of Fame does not come to those with the most wins or championships, but to those who bring something to the sport of boxing through coaching, their enthusiasm and engaging the fans to help even one boy fulfill a dream. “I am honored to receive this recognition and be among those that have preceded me. In closing I would just like to say `I’m the greatest’ your champ Krispy T,” Strowder said. Strowder is being inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates, Inc. Hall of Fame along with Mike Milbar and Alex Cooper.