Sport: Boxing
Born: January 9, 1907
Died: October 11, 1974
Towns: Passaic & Wallington, New Jersey
Steven Vincent Hamas was born January 9, 1907 in Passaic, NJ. The son of Austro-Hungarian immigrants who operated a tavern in the city, Steve became a tremendous all-around athlete growing up in Passaic and Wallington. He was one of four brothers who made their mark in New Jersey sports. His older brother, Mike, was a baseball and basketball star who was a member of the Passaic High School “Wonder Five” coached by Ernest Blood, which reeled off 159 victories in a row. Younger bothers Johnny and George were also standout athletes.
At Rutherford High School, Steve excelled in football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and track. He continued his stellar sports career at Penn State. In 1927–28, he became the first athlete in school history to collect four varsity letters in one year. Steve earned 11 letters in all and was an Honorable Mention All-American running back in 1928.
By then, Steve had already gained fame in the boxing ring. He was the intercollegiate Heavyweight champion in 1927 as a sophomore and repeated as champion in his senior year, 1929. Following graduation, Steve played pro football for the Orange (NJ) Tornadoes in their first NFL season, lining up beside former collegiate stars Felix McCormick (Bucknell), Paul Longua (Villanova) and George Pease (Columbia). After one season, Steve decided to focus on his pro boxing career. He did so reluctantly, giving up on his dream of medical school.
Clean-cut, educated and well-spoken, “Hurricane Steve” was something of an oddity in the pugilistic world. He gained an instant following, however, after knocking out 20 opponents in a row—albeit mostly second- and third-rate fighters. Early in 1932, Steve’s manager, Charlie Harvey, got him a bout in Madison Square Garden against former Light Heavyweight champion Tommy Loughran. He dispatched Loughran in the second round. Steve lost professionally for the first time later that year when he dropped a decision to Lee Ramage in Los Angeles.
Steve fought Ramage three more times, winning twice and drawing once. He fought Loughran four times, winning twice and dropping a pair of split decisions. Steve’s big moment came in 1934, when he defeated former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling. Later that year, he beat Art Lasky to become the division’s #1 contender—setting up a showdown with Max Baer for the heavyweight crown in 1935. Prior to the match, however, Harvey withdrew Steve and took a fight in Germany with Schmeling instead. The move was rooted in a personal dispute between Harvey and promoter James Johnstone. “Cinderella Man” Jim Braddock got the fight instead and upset Baer to become heavyweight champion.
Steve injured his elbow in training but fought Schmeling anyway in order to collect his $25,000 guarantee. Schmeling pummeled Steve, finishing him off in the ninth round. He was hospitalized for more than a week and, upon returning to the U.S., announced his retirement after 41 pro fights.
Steve went to work for Anaconda Wire and Cable in the late-1930s and then enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He served with the 8th Air Force in England and attained the rank of major before receiving a medical discharge in 1945. Steve worked as a salesman for several New Jersey companies in the 1950s and 1960s, and was employed by the DMV in the 1970s. He also served one term as Mayor of Wallington. Steve passed away in 1974 at the Veteran’s Hospital in Northport, Long Island at the age of 67.