Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1914 — BOER IS ALL ROUND ATHLETE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BOER IS ALL ROUND ATHLETE

Besides Being Fine Boxer, George Rodel Was Star Football Player \ and Scholar —Still a Boy.

To be a real soldier in the Boer war, a scholar in England, a star football player and a mighty good heavyweight boxer are the distinctions that belong to George Rodel, a youth who made an excellent showing of his ring ability against Jess Willard in a Milwaukee ring. There is quite s bit of history to this Rodel fellow. He is still a boy, twenty-four years' old, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa. To begin with, he is a real Boer, but he talks

fine English. He Is a student and possesses much refinement And judging frpm his past work In the ring he is to be judged some fairly good fighter. He faced Gunboat Smith, Luther McCarty and several other top-notchers end fared well. When he was fifteen years of age he stole away from his home, and after some difficulty enlisted in the Boer war. Bent upon an education, be went to England and attended school. This was, of course, after the war. He was an apt scholar, big and strong, with plenty of nerve. He made a hit with his fellow students because of his love for athletics and because of his Strength. His wonderful atbletic ability gained form a place on the football eleven. It was due to the football game that Rodel became a boxer. In a certain game there was one rough player—the usual tale. Of course, Rodel gave him a whipping in the game, and after the gridiron game the Boer, repeated the performance in real fistic fashion. He displhyed so much skill that fellow students predicted a fine career in the squared dr-

cle for him. However, it took considerable persuasion to make Rodel believe he was a boxer. There were the usual tryouts and the Boer made good. Then he came to this country, and since his arrival his climb up the pugilistic ladder of fame has been surprising. His victory over Gunboat Smith made him loolj surprisingly good, and Jimmy Johnston grabbed him. Johnston is an astute manager and predicts the heavyweight title for his man.

George Rodel.