Gerry Storey
Encyclopedia
Gerry Storey MBE
(born 1936, Belfast
, Northern Ireland
) is a boxing
trainer who has coached the Irish Olympic Boxing Team on four occasions.
Storey is the head coach of the Holy Family Boxing Club in north Belfast. Storey and the club were featured in the BBC
documentary Fight Town in 2003, and the club also appeared in the Daniel Day-Lewis
film The Boxer
. As a professional boxer, Storey won a British Championships title. Storey has trained many boxers including Hugh Russell
, Neil Sinclair
and former world Featherweight
champion Barry McGuigan
.
McGuigan was training by Storey from the age of 14 through to his Olympic
and Commonwealth bids, and claims Storey's club is the "most successful boxing club in the country". Storey's son Sammy
is also an accomplished amateur boxer
who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics
and the 1986 Commonwealth Games
.
Storey's work has helped to bridge the sectarian divide in Belfast, as he trains both Catholic
s and Protestants
. During the 1981 Irish hunger strike
he was asked by Loyalist
and Republican
prisoners to oversee boxing training in the Maze Prison
gymnasium. As a result of his work he won the Sport For Good award at the Laureus World Sports Awards
in Estoril
, Portugal
on 16 May 2005. Storey received his award from Barry McGuigan and Marvin Hagler
, and was the first Irish sportsperson to win a Laureus award. Storey was honoured by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association
for his contribution to the sport in Dublin on 2 February 2007.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1936, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) is a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
trainer who has coached the Irish Olympic Boxing Team on four occasions.
Storey is the head coach of the Holy Family Boxing Club in north Belfast. Storey and the club were featured in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary Fight Town in 2003, and the club also appeared in the Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship. His portrayals of Christy Brown in My Left Foot and Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and Screen Actors Guild as well as Golden Globe Awards for the latter...
film The Boxer
The Boxer (film)
The Boxer is a 1997 film by Irish director Jim Sheridan. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson, the film centers on the life of a boxer and former Provisional IRA Volunteer, Danny Flynn, played by Day-Lewis, who is trying to "go straight" after his release from prison...
. As a professional boxer, Storey won a British Championships title. Storey has trained many boxers including Hugh Russell
Hugh Russell
Hugh Russell is a former Irish boxer. Russell won a Flyweight bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics...
, Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
and former world Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
champion Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
.
McGuigan was training by Storey from the age of 14 through to his Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and Commonwealth bids, and claims Storey's club is the "most successful boxing club in the country". Storey's son Sammy
Sam Storey
Sam Storey is a former professional boxer. Storey fought at Super Middleweight and won the British Super Middleweight Title in 1995....
is also an accomplished amateur boxer
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
and the 1986 Commonwealth Games
1986 Commonwealth Games
The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland for the second time. The Games were held from 24 July-2 August 1986.-Organisation and Controversy:...
.
Storey's work has helped to bridge the sectarian divide in Belfast, as he trains both Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s and Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. During the 1981 Irish hunger strike
1981 Irish hunger strike
The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during The Troubles by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government withdrew Special Category Status for convicted paramilitary prisoners...
he was asked by Loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
and Republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
prisoners to oversee boxing training in the Maze Prison
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
gymnasium. As a result of his work he won the Sport For Good award at the Laureus World Sports Awards
Laureus World Sports Awards
The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...
in Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on 16 May 2005. Storey received his award from Barry McGuigan and Marvin Hagler
Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler , is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%...
, and was the first Irish sportsperson to win a Laureus award. Storey was honoured by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association
Irish Amateur Boxing Association
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association is the governing body of amateur boxing in Ireland. It was founded in 1911 following a meeting in Dublin.-Structure:...
for his contribution to the sport in Dublin on 2 February 2007.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
New Year Honours 2008
The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008....
.