An ND Icon Comes Back To Bismarck.

One of North Dakota's finest athletes came back to Bismarck this past Wednesday. A dominating boxer who has his name in the Boxing Hall Of Fame, from competing in the Olympics to entering the ring many times as a defending World Champion, Virgil Hill is a full-fledged icon! He was here to throw out the first pitch at the Bismarck Larks game - he also was able to enjoy all the memories that came flooding back from the days he fought at the Bismarck Civic Center.

Let's take a quick second to go over some amazing stats, Virgil spent 31 years as a professional boxer, and that doesn't even count all the hours and hours of training, sparring in the ring, doing roadwork. One of my favorite movies of all time ROCKY, his trainer Mickey tells him  “For a 45-minute fight, you got to train hard for 45,000 minutes.” . The heart and soul of a champion fighter are almost unreachable for most, to box consistently for all the years Virgil put in without experiencing a major injury, tells you just how great he was. Hill now at 56 years old now resides in California, but he definitely hasn't forgotten his roots. What makes Virgil a TRUE champion and an amazing ambassador to his sport is his gentle way of treating others - from fans at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, to the future hopeful stars hoping to emulate their hero - Virgil Hill. He spends some time these days helping other fighters with his knowledge of the sport. A one-in-a-million superstar, Virgil Hill has and still does lead by example. For more on this story click here.