Whitey Bimstein
Born: 1897
Died: 1969
Induction: 2006
Born Morris Bimstein on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Whitey, as he was known, graduated from Public School #62 in 1910 where he competed in track, baseball and basketball. His father, displeased with the rougher element on the East Side, eventually moved the family to the Bronx.
Whitey soon developed ambitions to box and was taught the finer points by Father Ryan at the St. Jerome Catholic Church. Boxing as “Johnny White”, the bantamweight had 70 bouts before turning his attention to training. With the onset of WW I, the 19-year old Bimstein joined the U.S. Navy and served as a boxing instructor.
After the service, he began training boxers, having learned his trade from “Doc” Bagley, and quickly gained a reputation as a top-notch trainer and cornerman. From 1925-1934, Bimstein partnered with Ray Arcel to train boxers and later, after WW II, teamed with Freddie Brown. In a 50-year career, Bimstein guided Gene Tunney, Harry Greb, Lou Ambers, Benny Leonard, Louis “Kid” Kaplan, Jackie “Kid” Berg, Lou Salica, Fred Apostoli, Sixto Escobar, Billy Graham, Carlos Ortiz, Bobo Olson, Joey Archer, Rocky Graziano and Ingemar Johansson among countless others. Bimstein was in the corner of James J. Braddock on June 13, 1935 when the “Cinderella Man” upset Max Baer to win the world heavyweight championship.
Known for his ability to motivate a fighter psychologically (with encouraging words) or physically (with a needle to a lethargic fighter's backside or a slap to the face), Bimstein is widely regarded as one of boxing's outstanding trainers and his expertise as a cut man during the crucial 60-second respite between rounds was second to none.
In the last years of his life, Bimstein suffered from diabetes and he died at the Kingsbridge Veteran's Hospital in the Bronx in 1969 at the age of 72.