Oneof One of the more unusual characters‑‑in the good sense of the word‑‑that ever gracedthe graced the Wheaton College campus was the school's athletic trainer during the years1936‑1940years 1936‑1940. Known to the campus as "Doc" Cardiff , he was actuallyborn actually born Charles Kaiser Morris. Almostnothing Almost nothing is known now about Charles' early youth, born to John W. (1840‑?) andAnna and Anna Marie (Orth) Morris in Reading, PA on September 28, 1877. History pickshim picks him up at age 19 when he married 17‑year old Blanche Virginia Goodwin inPennsylvania in Pennsylvania in 1896. Together they produced two daughters, Kathyrn on March10March 10, 1899 and Emily shortly thereafter. At the age of 18 Kathyrn married LloydLathiryl Lloyd Lathiryl Diamond of Kansas and had two children: Lathirlyn Virginia (2/10/1920) and Jack Robert (10/24/1921). Lathirlyn married Robert Estrada and their twochildren two children were Eric and Ann Louise. CharlesMorris
Charles Morris, or Jack Cardiff as boxing records show, entered the ring on May 16,1904 for his first bout as a professional boxer in the lightweight classagainst class against Tim Callahan in Williamsport, PA and lost by decision in ten rounds Amonth A month later he faced Billy Willis in Philadelphia and the fight was over aftersix after six rounds, a loss. Jack O'Neil knocked him out six months later in fourrounds, one of two times in 17 bouts he was counted out. Things were not goingwell going well for the young boxer; he had five bouts in 1905 without a win. But on January 19,1906 Morris, inspired by the crowd in his first fight in hometown Reading, avenged his defeat to Callahan, outpointing out pointing him in 10 rounds. In the rubbermatch rubber match with Callahan three months later, again in Reading, he lost by decisionin decision in a marathon 20 rounds.
In1916 In 1916 Morris legally changed his name to Jack C. Cardiff after using itprofessionally it professionally for over a decade, presumably because his father was embarrassedthat embarrassed that his son would use the family name as a prize fighter. In those years a proboxer was typically viewed as a brawler with questionable morals, and Jack wasby reputation a rowdy in his youth. Cardifffought
Cardiff fought for prize money seven more times in succeeding years, his last pro bouton bout on May 10, 1910 at almost age 33. "Cardiff" was pitted over his six‑yearcareer six‑year career against much more experienced fighters. Every one of his first 16opponents 16 opponents had career winning records. Billy Willis, for example, was 61 wins,17 losses and 2l draws when they met for the second time in 1905. WillieFitzgerald Willie Fitzgerald in 1907 had put on the gloves an incredible 111 times when he putyoung put young Jack on the canvas before his Reading friends. The5
The 5'‑6" Morris could take a pretty good punch but either never had enoughnatural enough natural talent to break through to the next level, or lacked a manager to helphim help him improve and certainly wasn't being given bouts early‑on against boxers ofcomparable of comparable ring experience.
Cardiffeventually Cardiff eventually hooked-up with Billy Sunday. Homer Rodeheaver, in his 1936 book, "Twenty Years With Billy Sunday", details how the two met. Sunday'sdoctors doctor, Howard Kelly, had convinced Sunday of the importance of rest and as wellas well as "a rubdown directly after the night service." While in Canton, Ohio Sunday met up with Cardiff and asked him to look after his physical needs. He would give Sunday the daily massages Dr. Kelly had advised.
Cardiff'spassion s passion for his new‑found faith coupled with what ex‑professional ballplayerSunday ballplayer Sunday appreciated in Cardiff's fight career, allowed him to appearoccasionally appear occasionally on the platform as a celebrity "champion" boxer givinghis giving his Christian testimony. In 1915, well‑known feature writer, John Read, wrote alengthy a lengthy profile ("Back of Billy Sunday") during a Philadelphiacrusade Philadelphia crusade and was published in "Metropolitan," a 15-cent monthly NewYork New York magazine. In it Read mentions Cardiff as Sunday's trainer and bodyguard. Cardiff was quoted, saying "'I was well on my way to be welter‑weight championof the world,' said Jack. 'When I was converted I was getting $800 a week tofight to fight in theaters. It's three years now since I heard Billy Sunday and saw theLight…Yesthe Light…Yes, I sure gave up something for my Savior, but it was worth it. I'vebeen ve been with Billy now about a year, sparring with him and rubbing down. He's agreat a great man!' Eventhough
Even though Cardiff never appears on the masthead mast head of Sunday's letterheads, McLoughlin lists Sunday's official staff of 14 and adds below: "And thisdid this did not include Sunday's personal masseur, Jack Cardiff, who had become acontender a contender for the welterweight boxing title when he was converted and joinedSunday joined Sunday in 1912. He left the party in 1917 to become pastor of a church inAnthonyin Anthony, Kansas, and Peterson took over his duties."
However, previously, Cardiff's 1916 registration for the World War I draft identifieshis identifies his occupation as a self‑employed minister with a Kansas location (where hiswife his wife had relatives). It was a year later that the Cardiffs moved to popularlake popular lake resort town Winona Lake, Indiana as nearby‑neighbors of the Rodeheaversand Rodeheavers and to where the Sundays had built their home in 1911. The large conferencecenter conference center was subsequently named after Rodeheaver. The 1930 census continues toshow to show the Cardiffs in residence there. Eventhough
Even though Jack had been holding evangelistic services since his conversion, herealized he realized that his six‑grade education eventually needed supplementing if he wasto was to share his Faith and preach with any effectiveness. So from March 1916 toNovember to November 1916, when the Cardiffs lived at 215 Locust Street, Chicago, heattended he attended Moody Evening School. However he immediately enrolled in Day Schoolthat School that month and attended classes into January 1917 in personal evangelism, BibleanalysisBible analysis, public speaking and pastoral theology. Since he did not complete thetermthe term, no grades were given and he did not graduate from MBI. It would appearthat appear that the Cardiffs moved back to Winona Lake.
Inlate In late August 1926 Cardiff was licensed, ordained and installed as pastor of theCenterville the Centerville Church in the Kalamazoo Presbytery of Michigan where he remained fortwo for two years. He, once again, moved back to his homestead in Winona Lake, Indiana, engaging evangelistic work as a member of the Billy Sunday Group. Thoughit Though it sounded good and looked good on paper, Cardiff never was a boxing champion. Andwhile And while we can stretch a point to acknowledge that he served the Billy SundayTeam Sunday Team off and on for the fifteen years published in the school newspaper, technically his length of actual employment with the Billy Sunday team isidentified is identified as five years. Even the surname he now owns was totally differentfrom different from that which was legally his for his first 29 years!
Did, or would, any of these discrepancies matter to those on Wheaton's campus hebefriended he befriended and vice versa? Not in the slightest. How Coach Fred Walkersubsequently Walker subsequently brought 58‑year old Cardiff to campus shortly after Fred wasappointed was appointed head football coach in 1936, is unknown. It would not be surprisingfor surprising for Walker to have been aware of Cardiff as part of the Sunday party given theevangelistthe evangelist's prominence in the Chicago area where Walker lived. Thiswas
This was a man whose first impression could be startling on campus. He walked with arolling a rolling gait that youngsters thought the old timer was inebriated. Dressed in asuit a suit with a necktie and a handkerchief in the upper left pocket, usuallywearing usually wearing a fedora, years later they realized that, in the boxing vernacular, Jack was slightly "punch drunk" from his years in the ring. But thatwas that was not the Cardiff that students and colleagues got to know. TheWheaton
The Wheaton Record (Nov. 4, 1936) identifies Cardiff as assistant football coachand coach and trainer announcing that he will tell his life story "From Prize Ringto Ring to Pulpit" before the League of Evangelical Students in Lower PierceChapel Pierce Chapel the following week. The article gives further hints on his earlier life, providing you take it with the proverbial grain of salt. But, there's no doubtthat doubt that Cardiff lived his faith in plain sight. Another 1937 Record blurb reportedthat reported that Cardiff leads a weekly prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings at Brewer'sHouses House, 321 E. Union. Persons around campus in those years still have vividmemories vivid memories of Cardiff.
In1945 he moved to Knightstown, Indiana where he lived until his death October29October 29, 1951. When "Doc" died the Warsaw Times Union identified him as Rev. J.C. Cardiff, aged 73, former Winona Lake resident in failing health for severalyearsseveral years. He had been living with his daughter L.L. Diamond in Knightstown, INwhere IN where he died. The obit says he was a retired Presbyterian minister who alsowas also was a member of Billy Sunday's evangelistic party
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