Abbott Blog: Leon Bailey’s book “The Dream” is a great Black History Month wrestling read
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Last summer, I was given a book as a gift from Leon Bailey, a wrestling person I did not know from Maryland. Cornell Bass, a longtime wrestling friend, had told Leon about me, and Leon wanted me to read a book which he had written about himself entitled “The Dream.” The subtitle of the book is “Navy Pride. United States Navy Wrestler and Wrestling Coach.”
It was not a large book, a paperback which was only 41 pages long. The cover showed a young African-American man, Leon Bailey, posed like a boxer and, in another photo, he was in a wrestling stance wearing a singlet. The photos were from the 1960s, truly classic images.
The book had the following inscription in it, signed by the author. “To Gary Abbott. Thanks for your support. Dreams do come true. Never Give Up.”
As I tend to procrastinate with things which are not on a specific deadline, I did not get a chance to read Leon’s book right way. It waited until after the Olympics were over. Then I put it aside as I caught up on other things I had put on the big pile on my desk. But I wanted to read the book, because I appreciate when people reach out to me like Leon had done.
On a flight a few months ago, I opened up Leon’s book. It immediately caught my attention and kept my attention, and I read it cover to cover without stopping. There was something about this man and his story that was very interesting to me. When I was done, I was smiling. I decided to write about this special book during Black History Month, which is celebrated every February.
Leon Bailey had a simple dream. He wanted to be a wrestler in the U.S. Navy. This book tells the story of how he was able to achieve that dream in spite of obstacles, and how his life was influenced by a true legend of the sport, Olympic medalist and Hall of Fame wrestler, Captain Josiah Henson of the Navy.
Leon Bailey was a kid from Baltimore who was raised in the Cherry Hill public housing projects in the 40’s and 50’s. Bailey tells us what it was like for an inner-city black family during that time in America, something which I had no real understanding about.
He also explained a very important place in the Old Towne section of Baltimore, the McKim Community Center, where he learned so many things. He was a member of McKim’s first wrestling team, where he developed a passion for wrestling that continues even today. That experience led him to wrestle at Carver Vocational Technical High School.
Leon also tells his experiences as a boxer, where he went to Mr. Mack’s Gym. He spent five years learning how to box from Mr. Mack Lewis, who impacted many lives in the community. Bailey had an opportunity to become a professional boxer, but part of his dream was joining the Navy, and competing in both wrestling and boxing while in the service.
When Bailey joined the Navy, his early assignments did not give him the possibility to either wrestle or box. He spent more than a year and a half in job duties that were not fulfilling, and did not give him a chance to pursue his athletic career.
He was transferred to the USS Essex CVS 9 air craft carrier at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. While mopping the gym floor there as part of one of his assignments, Bailey found a sign on the wall which said “WRESTLERS NEEDED.” It was like a dream come true.
When he reported to practice, he met the coach, Commander Josiah Henson. Consider Leon’s luck. Henson not only wrestled for the U.S. Naval Academy, but he was also a 1952 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle for the United States.
Leon was the only black person to try out for the base team. As Bailey writes in his book “Commander Henson did not see my color, only my skills.” There is a great team photo in the book which shows Leon Bailey with seven other wrestlers, plus coach Henson in his military uniform. He is the only African American in that picture, but you can see the wrestling bond of brotherhood on that team.
Bailey tells the story of his wrestling career on the Naval Base team, competing in AAU events against college teams, YMCAs and other club programs all across New England. Bailey was able to improve as a wrestler and won an AAU Wrestling Tournament held at his Naval Base. He received commendations for his performance and leadership on the mat.
The story does not end there. After Coach Henson was promoted to Captain and received a transfer, his recommendation led to Leon Bailey being named as the coach of the Quonset Point Naval Air Station Wrestling Team, the first black coach in that role. Leon Bailey became a trailblazer within wrestling, and was able to achieve his personal dream.
The book includes some information on how Bailey continued to make a difference in other people’s lives, including many years of support and leadership at the McKim Community Center. There are a number of testimonials from other people who are proud of Leon Bailey and his impact on the world around him. One of those letters were written in February 2010 by Captain Josiah Henson (retired U.S. Navy). Captain Henson wrote that Bailey became his best wrestler and also a coach, and noted that “I know he is a better man and humanitarian because of his experiences in the Navy and in sports.”
I still haven’t met Leon Bailey in person, but I admire him. I can’t imagine what he might have faced as a young black man in the military in the 1960’s. But from reading his book, as he told his life story, I could feel his love and passion for wrestling. His success in wrestling, in its own way, opened the doors of opportunity for so many other African-Americans in our sport. For that, we can all be truly grateful.
This past weekend, I was honored to help cover and promote the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. Every year, the four branches of the U.S. military get together to compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. There is great pride within military wrestling, not only for your branch of the military, but also for their combined service to the nation.
When I was watching the Armed Forces wrestling action, and spending time around the military athletes, I couldn’t help but think about Leon Bailey and his remarkable story. There were a number of African-American military wrestlers competing in the event, more than 50 years after Bailey wrestled and coached while in the U.S. Navy. They were the living legacy of Leon Bailey’s wrestling dream.
It was not a large book, a paperback which was only 41 pages long. The cover showed a young African-American man, Leon Bailey, posed like a boxer and, in another photo, he was in a wrestling stance wearing a singlet. The photos were from the 1960s, truly classic images.
The book had the following inscription in it, signed by the author. “To Gary Abbott. Thanks for your support. Dreams do come true. Never Give Up.”
As I tend to procrastinate with things which are not on a specific deadline, I did not get a chance to read Leon’s book right way. It waited until after the Olympics were over. Then I put it aside as I caught up on other things I had put on the big pile on my desk. But I wanted to read the book, because I appreciate when people reach out to me like Leon had done.
On a flight a few months ago, I opened up Leon’s book. It immediately caught my attention and kept my attention, and I read it cover to cover without stopping. There was something about this man and his story that was very interesting to me. When I was done, I was smiling. I decided to write about this special book during Black History Month, which is celebrated every February.
Leon Bailey had a simple dream. He wanted to be a wrestler in the U.S. Navy. This book tells the story of how he was able to achieve that dream in spite of obstacles, and how his life was influenced by a true legend of the sport, Olympic medalist and Hall of Fame wrestler, Captain Josiah Henson of the Navy.
Leon Bailey was a kid from Baltimore who was raised in the Cherry Hill public housing projects in the 40’s and 50’s. Bailey tells us what it was like for an inner-city black family during that time in America, something which I had no real understanding about.
He also explained a very important place in the Old Towne section of Baltimore, the McKim Community Center, where he learned so many things. He was a member of McKim’s first wrestling team, where he developed a passion for wrestling that continues even today. That experience led him to wrestle at Carver Vocational Technical High School.
Leon also tells his experiences as a boxer, where he went to Mr. Mack’s Gym. He spent five years learning how to box from Mr. Mack Lewis, who impacted many lives in the community. Bailey had an opportunity to become a professional boxer, but part of his dream was joining the Navy, and competing in both wrestling and boxing while in the service.
When Bailey joined the Navy, his early assignments did not give him the possibility to either wrestle or box. He spent more than a year and a half in job duties that were not fulfilling, and did not give him a chance to pursue his athletic career.
He was transferred to the USS Essex CVS 9 air craft carrier at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. While mopping the gym floor there as part of one of his assignments, Bailey found a sign on the wall which said “WRESTLERS NEEDED.” It was like a dream come true.
When he reported to practice, he met the coach, Commander Josiah Henson. Consider Leon’s luck. Henson not only wrestled for the U.S. Naval Academy, but he was also a 1952 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle for the United States.
Leon was the only black person to try out for the base team. As Bailey writes in his book “Commander Henson did not see my color, only my skills.” There is a great team photo in the book which shows Leon Bailey with seven other wrestlers, plus coach Henson in his military uniform. He is the only African American in that picture, but you can see the wrestling bond of brotherhood on that team.
Bailey tells the story of his wrestling career on the Naval Base team, competing in AAU events against college teams, YMCAs and other club programs all across New England. Bailey was able to improve as a wrestler and won an AAU Wrestling Tournament held at his Naval Base. He received commendations for his performance and leadership on the mat.
The story does not end there. After Coach Henson was promoted to Captain and received a transfer, his recommendation led to Leon Bailey being named as the coach of the Quonset Point Naval Air Station Wrestling Team, the first black coach in that role. Leon Bailey became a trailblazer within wrestling, and was able to achieve his personal dream.
The book includes some information on how Bailey continued to make a difference in other people’s lives, including many years of support and leadership at the McKim Community Center. There are a number of testimonials from other people who are proud of Leon Bailey and his impact on the world around him. One of those letters were written in February 2010 by Captain Josiah Henson (retired U.S. Navy). Captain Henson wrote that Bailey became his best wrestler and also a coach, and noted that “I know he is a better man and humanitarian because of his experiences in the Navy and in sports.”
I still haven’t met Leon Bailey in person, but I admire him. I can’t imagine what he might have faced as a young black man in the military in the 1960’s. But from reading his book, as he told his life story, I could feel his love and passion for wrestling. His success in wrestling, in its own way, opened the doors of opportunity for so many other African-Americans in our sport. For that, we can all be truly grateful.
This past weekend, I was honored to help cover and promote the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. Every year, the four branches of the U.S. military get together to compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. There is great pride within military wrestling, not only for your branch of the military, but also for their combined service to the nation.
When I was watching the Armed Forces wrestling action, and spending time around the military athletes, I couldn’t help but think about Leon Bailey and his remarkable story. There were a number of African-American military wrestlers competing in the event, more than 50 years after Bailey wrestled and coached while in the U.S. Navy. They were the living legacy of Leon Bailey’s wrestling dream.
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