Robert Henderson Gunnis

Born in Philadelphia, Bob was the eighth of nine children but he only had two brothers. One was the firstborn who was 20 years older, so Bob bonded with Bill who was just four years older. All those sisters were a blessing because they strengthened the family unit after Bob’s mother died when he was not quite four years old, and again after his father died three days before his 14th birthday.

His obituary said he was a “strong, husky lad” who enjoyed playing football, basketball, and baseball and worked a few summers at Atlantic City as a lifeguard. Bob’s occupation was listed as a clerk when he and Eva Lillian Pierce, also of Philadelphia, drove to Wilmington, Delaware to get married on September 10, 1907. It would be almost five years later that they had their only child, William.

As a teenager, Bob participated in one boxing match. After treating his cuts and a swollen eye, he resolved to confine his interest in the sport to outside the ring. He started by managing a number of lower-level fighters. From there it was a short leap to promoting matches, often at Shibe Park, the home of Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics baseball team. The centuries-old sport of boxing rose significantly in popularity after the first World War, and Bob was there to ride the wave.

Just before the war, he joined forces with a promoter even younger than he was, Herman Taylor. They staged their first bout in 1918 and stayed together for close to 20 years as they prospered, struggled, and prospered again. Their friendship was so close that contracts between them were unnecessary. 

The most complicated part of their job was negotiating contracts with the boxers and scheduling the events. It was a risky business because fights sometimes had to be cancelled due to injuries, either from a prior bout or while in training. It was especially costly after tickets had already been sold. The “boy promoters” took a big hit in 1922 when a fighter broke his finger during training, so they had to refund ticketholders to the tune of $101,000, plus losing what was already spent on rent, printing, and other costs.

In 1926 the Taylor-Gunnis team made a deal with the nationally-known promoter, Tex Rickard, to stage the world heavyweight championship match between the current title-holder, Jack Dempsey (far left), and Gene Tunney. It was a dream come true for many, not the least of whom were officials of Philadelphia and the Sesquicentennial International Exposition, which celebrated the nation’s 150th birthday. 

The event was held at the open-air Sesquicentennial Stadium, an attraction that increased fair attendance while boosting publicity of the fair to a nationwide audience. The “Sesqui,” as it was known locally, was held in “the Neck,” the swampy but filled-in southern end of the city near the Navy Yard. After the Exposition was over, the stadium remained as Municipal Stadium, then was renamed after President Kennedy in 1964 until it was torn down in 1992. On that site today is the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Gene Tunney upset the heavyweight champ before this crowd of 125,000 fans who remained even after it started to rain. Although Tex Rickard got most of the credit, Bob and Herman did most of the legwork. They split $100,000 between them out of  the $1,895,723 gate total. The rest of it went to the fighters, their managers, Tex Rickard, the Exposition Committee, and the city and state in taxes.

Other matchups would pale in comparison, but Herman and Bob were always thinking big, so they preferred outdoor events. Between 1922 and 1928 they staged 40 of them, but of course not all of them were profitable. The biggest gate of any fight in the city, other than Dempsey-Tunney,  took place at Shibe Park in September of 1928 that approached $100,000 in ticket sales. It drew more than 28,000 to a featherweight contest between two local contenders. 

Indoor venues were typically held in colder months at the Arena at 46th and Market Streets, which was built in 1920. This is part of an ad for five contests held there in late 1928 in West Philly. After the new Convention Hall opened in 1931 at 34th Street below Spruce, Taylor & Gunnis won a contract to provide wrestling and boxing shows there every two weeks until May 1, 1932. (The Arena remained a venue for sporting events for decades. It was adjacent to what would become the WFIL-TV studio that broadcast American Bandstand, and was demolished in 1983.)

Unlike a lot of fast-buck operators, these promoters had a sense of civic duty and charity. In 1925 they arranged a record-setting show of five 10-round contests, with proceeds benefitting the Columbus Italian Hospital Fund in New York. The carnival of clout drew fans from New York to Baltimore and a chartered train from Atlantic City to the Shibe Park venue, pushing receipts past $75,000. Besides the philanthropic aspect, the ten contenders for ring titles had reputations on the line and were paid in full for their participation.

Beginning in 1929, Bob himself produced an annual charity event before Christmas with the Central YMCA to aid their “Kiddies Booster Fund” for needy children. He assembled a group of athletes and entertainers to donate their time. It was a program of gymnastics, wrestling, some dancing, singing, and even an exhibition of simple boxing moves.

In 1933 the partners also staged a bout for the state lightweight championship in which the proceeds of $800 went to the Prison Welfare Fund. They even covered $354 in incidental expenses out of their own pocket to ensure a more substantial donation.

Bob’s health began to hinder his activity in 1935 with what was called dropsy, an accumulation of fluid in the lungs. The duo continued to wager their wealth to bring the next big draw. That opportunity came in 1936 in the form of Joe Louis, who would rise to become the world’s heavyweight champion in 1937 and hold it until he retired in 1949.

The sport suffered after Jack Dempsey retired in 1929, and not just because of the Depression. Gambling was on the rise as were suspicions that fights were fixed and organized crime was involved. No one emerged with Dempsey’s star quality, but Joe Louis was rising fast. 

The dream was to match the African American (dubbed “the brown bomber”) against Max Schmeling, a former world champ of German ethnicity. It would have been especially significant during the rise of Nazi prejudice toward “inferior races.” The mayor wanted it scheduled in June, 1936 at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention in the city.

Unfortunately, the negotiations failed. With Bob’s health failing, Herman Taylor signed Louis to fling fists with Philly native Al Ettore on September 22 at Municipal Stadium. Over 40,407 paying customers were handed a ticket stub that looked like this. That attendance level was the second best in the city’s history.

Nine days before the event, Bob suffered a fatal heart attack. His death certificate also listed kidney disease and cirrhosis of the liver. Two weeks later a news item revealed that he left no will, so Eva and her son were to evenly split the estate, valued at only $3500. In honor of his partner and friend, Herman reportedly gave half of the event’s profits to Eva. He continued to promote fights on his own for another 52 years.

That money enabled Eva to remain another 20 years in the same row house she had shared with Bob for the previous 20 years at 2131 South 19th Street in West Passyunk. She purchased this large gravestone where her and Bob’s names were inscribed on one side; the names of Bob’s brother Bill and his wife are on the other. 

Also in Section G is their son, William, as well as one of Bob’s sisters and her husband. His parents, two sisters and his other brother share a family plot within St. John’s Circle near Section 42.