Name: Don Hull
College: United States Military Academy
Personal:
Veteran of both World War II and the Korean War...Best known for bringing athletes from the United States and Soviet Union together during the height of the Cold War...Served as president of the International Amateur Boxing Association...One of the few Americans to hold the presidency of an International Olympic Sports Association...Father to four children, Dorothy Ann, Dona, Debbie and Don.
Col. Don Hull was a major figure in the world of amateur sports for a quarter of a century, serving as executive director of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and president of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) during his storied career. A graduate of West Point, Hull won the 1938 national collegiate middleweight championship in boxing before retiring from competition. He then served in World War II and became the director of physical education at West Point upon his return to the United States in 1945. Hull coached multiple U.S. Olympic Teams in varying sports, including the modern pentathlon in 1952 and biathlon in 1960. He also served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal representative at the Olympic Games Melbourne 1956. In 1961, Hull was elected executive director of the AAU. After resigning from the position in 1971, he served as the president of AIBA for eight years, and during his tenure, he organized the first world cup boxing championship. During one of his multiple stints as USA Boxing president, he more than doubled the Team USA medal count in boxing at the Los Angeles 1984 Games. Hull was inducted into the USA Boxing Hall of Fame in 1985. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 94.
