About Tunney Hunsaker

Born Tunney Morgan Hunsaker
September 1, 1930 in Caldwell County, KY
Died April 27, 2005
Career record: 17 wins (8 KO), 15 defeats, 1 draw

Hunsaker was the Chief of Police in Fayetteville, West Virginia when he fought Cassius Clay in 1960. At the time, at age 27, he was the youngest police chief in Fayetteville's history. Prior to his professional boxing career, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and won a Golden Gloves title while stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Hunsaker's career ended in 1962 when he suffered a head injury and remained in a coma for 9 days. He suffered the effects of that injury for the rest of his life.

After his retirement from professional boxing, he returned to Fayetteville and served with the police department for 30 years. One of his hobbies was to turn off the traffic signals during rush hour and after the high school's football games so that he could direct traffic. He was an active member of the Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene for many years, where he taught Sunday school to fifth and sixth grade boys. He and his wife Patricia were married for more than 30 years. To honor his many accomplishments, the state of West Virginia named a bridge after him. He died at age 74 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

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