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William A. Muldoon (May 25, 1852 – June 3, 1933) was the Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion, a physical culturist and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours. Nicknamed "The Solid Man,"〔"The Solid Man" nickname was referenced from a popular song of the time, "Muldoon, the Solid Man" by Edward ("Ned") Harrigan. The moniker may have also been a nod to the “Solid Muldoon”, a P.T. Barnum exhibit claimed to be the petrified remains of an ancestral missing link between man and ape, later revealed as a hoax.〕 Muldoon established himself as champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 1880s and over the years gained a remarkable measure of public influence that would continue through his days as a health farm proprietor in Westchester County and his service on NYSAC. Muldoon was a mainstay in New York sports for over 50 years. ==Early life== Born in Allegany County, New York, Muldoon was the son of Irish immigrants. His father was a farmer. Showing a knack for strength athletics at a young age, Muldoon gained a local reputation as a standout in caber-tossing, weightlifting, sprinting and amateur wrestling. His youth was otherwise characterized by a brutish, flash temper, and his desire to be treated with the respect of an adult despite being a child. In April 1864, Muldoon joined the Sixth Cavalry, Company I and served in the Civil War as a drummer boy.〔This is disputed by American National Biography, which asserts that it was actually Muldoon's older brother, John, who served in the war. However, at just under 12 years of age, William Muldoon would not have been the youngest enlisted man to serve ().〕 He was at the Battle of Opequon, when Union General Russell was killed as Confederate General Early's forces were being pushed back. Muldoon would recall years later the impromptu wrestling bouts held by fellow soldiers as being among his fondest memories. He was dubbed by his comrades "The Colonel" for his audaciousness in spite of his youth. After the war he journeyed west with the Sixth and fought in the Indian Wars of the Great Plains, opening up Yellowstone National Park. Muldoon journeyed to Paris to serve as a volunteer in the French Army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, where he met publisher James Gordon Bennett, Jr., who told Muldoon he had the potential to be the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world if he concentrated on it.〔According to ''Ring Magazine'' publisher Nat Fleischer in his volume, "From Milo to Londos" (The Ring Athletic Library, Book No. 13, 1936)〕 By 1876, Muldoon was living in New York City, where he accepted appointment to the New York Police Department at the behest of Senator John Morrissey, former bare-knuckle boxing champion. At the time of his resignation in 1881 Muldoon was a detective. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Muldoon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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