1959 & 1960 Boxing Teams

1959 and 1960 Boxing teams

San Jose State became the first school since official scoring was kept in boxing to win three consecutive NCAA Championships with team titles in 1959 and 1960 to go along with a 1958 championship. Julie Menendez crafted lineups for the 1959 and 1960 championships that allowed the Spartans to edge Idaho State for the top spot in 1959 and then run away from all competitors including host Wisconsin in 1960.

In 1959, Ron Nichols at 119 pounds and Nick Akana at 132 finished first in their weight classes. San Jose State more than doubled itself in the winners’ circle the next year. Nichols became the NCAA’s only repeat champion at 119 pounds and made it three straight years a Spartan topped the victory stand at that weight with Bob Tafoya starting the run in 1958. Dave Nelson at 125, Steve Kubas at 139 and Stu Bartell at 165 picked up their first NCAA championship in 1959. Archie Milton, the 1958 NCAA heavyweight champion, regained his crown in 1960 rounding out the list of top-flight Spartans in the final NCAA Boxing Championship.

In all, the Spartans won a NCAA individual title 17 times 11 of them during San Jose State’s run as the number-one college boxing program.