March 13, 1968, Muhammad Ali speaks to a standing room only crowd of over 1,000 at Records Hall, College Avenue Campus, Rutgers U,

[Tango Two]

March 13, 1968, 55 years ago today, Muhammad Ali speaks to a standing room only crowd of over 1,000 at Records Hall, College Avenue Campus, Rutgers U, New Brunswick, NJ. He is on a speaking tour of colleges because his professional boxing career has been suspended along with his license due to his stance as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. According to the article, he doesn’t talk much about his potential prison time for his stance, but he does say that he is strongly against the war and he is sacrificing his career proving it. Ultimately the US Supreme Court sides with Ali and his boxing license is reinstated. He goes on to win some of his greatest bouts thereafter, but most boxing experts agree he lost some of his best years as an athlete to this court battle.

 

[29PAS]

March 13, 1968, 55 years ago today, Muhammad Ali speaks to a standing room only crowd of over 1,000 at Records Hall, College Avenue Campus, Rutgers U, New Brunswick, NJ. He is on a speaking tour of colleges because his professional boxing career has been suspended along with his license due to his stance as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. According to the article, he doesn’t talk much about his potential prison time for his stance, but he does say that he is strongly against the war and he is sacrificing his career proving it. Ultimately the US Supreme Court sides with Ali and his boxing license is reinstated. He goes on to win some of his greatest bouts thereafter, but most boxing experts agree he lost some of his best years as an athlete to this court battle.

A year after this, my senior year, a bunch of us went into NYC for St Patrick's Day and stayed at the Americana Hotel, a pretty ritzy place for broke college students. There were about 10 of us in the room and we had to go up two at a time because they required a key to get on the elevators.

At one point we left the room to go out and Ali and his entourage were in the hall waiting for the elevator. One of us (not me) yelled "Cassius". Ali turned around and said "The name's Muhammad Ali son". Then he shook all of our hands.