Sports
Kid McCoy
1872–1940 · boxer, actor
Flamboyant 1890s boxing champion, often linked to the phrase "the real McCoy", who spent his last years working for Ford and died in Detroit in 1940.
- Born
Moscow, Indiana- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 67- Birth name
- Norman Selby
- Also known as
- The Real McCoy · Charles "Kid" McCoy
- Detroit years
- 1930s–1940
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Norman Selby fought as Kid McCoy and became one of the most colorful champions of the 1890s, claiming the middleweight title with an upset knockout of Tommy Ryan and inventing the "corkscrew punch". His name is often connected with the saying "the real McCoy". After boxing he acted in early Hollywood films, married many times and ran through several fortunes. In 1924 he was convicted of manslaughter in the death of a companion in Los Angeles and served time in San Quentin. After his release he came to Michigan and worked for the Ford Motor Company. On April 18, 1940, he took his own life at the Hotel Tuller on Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit. The hotel was demolished in 1991, and the site is a parking lot. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Highlights
- Claimed the world middleweight title by knocking out Tommy Ryan
- Credited with the "corkscrew punch"
- Often cited as a source of the phrase "the real McCoy"
- Worked for the Ford Motor Company after his prison release
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Related place · 1940
Hotel Tuller (site)
Demolished
The downtown hotel where McCoy died in 1940; it was demolished in 1991 and the site has been a parking lot since.