Athletic Medals, 1940s
Kings Point followed the practice of the day among colleges and secondary schools in fielding its own sports teams. They competed against local schools and among themselves. The track team held heats against Dartmouth College and Yale University, and the boxing and football teams held similar meets. The idea of commemorating winners in these events offered an early form of recognition of athletic prowess among King Pointers and eventually was supplanted by lettermen jackets.
Both medals are from the 1940s and are for boxing competitions.
The medal on the left is for a runner-up in a 135 pounds bout, and the one on the right is for second-place. The ribbons and medals are interesting.
The first medal is a generic Dieges & Clust boxing medal produced in 1945. This example could be picked up from any awards dealer and engraved on the spot – as is evident with the engraved U.S.M.M.A, on the obverse. The red-white-blue ribbon is a common, generic ribbon.
The silver medal, however, is customized with a die-stamped U.S.M.M.A above the boxers and was produced in 1948. This customization indicates the Academy’s move toward permanence and moving away from the wartime crash course of graduating Merchant Marine officers and adopting a four-year college curriculum. And, like all American colleges of the time, Kings Point adopted official school colors – in this case, blue and gray. In 1949, U.S. Congress authorized the Academy to grant Bachelor of Science degrees.