New senator's (Jim Webb D-Virginia) earliest bouts were in Omaha

[Omaha Steve]

Reg req: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2277709

Published Friday
November 10, 2006

New senator's earliest bouts were in Omaha

BY KRISTIN ZAGURSKI

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Jim Webb first made news in The World-Herald in January 1963 as a 16-year-old Bellevue High School student about to fight in his first Golden Gloves boxing match.

Thursday, he was back in the paper: on the front page, after being declared the winner of the Virginia Senate race - which gave the Democrats control of Congress.

Webb's family lived in the Omaha area from 1960 to 1963 when his father, military officer James H. Webb Sr., was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base.

While here, the younger Webb attended Bellevue High School - now Bellevue East. He graduated from the school in 1963.

After leaving Nebraska, Webb served in the U.S. Marines and has worked as a lawyer, an author and a screenwriter. He served under President Reagan as assistant defense secretary and secretary of the Navy.


As a Bellevue high schooler in the early 1960s, Webb was involved in many athletic and academic activities, including Golden Gloves.

Webb's senior yearbook lists him as having been involved in a number of school activities: honor roll, student council, football, basketball, track, speech, Spanish club, Latin club and baseball.

FULL story at link above.

[JPZenger]

1. Anyone who punched Ollie North in the face is fine with me

Webb and Ollie North boxed against each other for the boxing championship at Annapolis. Unfortunately, North won. That was the start of a long hatred between the two that continued for decades.

[troublemaker]

2. I think the story is that Webb stopped punching because he thought Ollie was

injured, then Ollie coldcocked him. The story is from a book about Vietnam era vets, but I don't recall the name.