Photo: Carl Stevens (WBZ)
MEDFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — He grappled in the squared circle, ran a sanatorium for alcoholics, and inspired the name for one of Boston's most popular bands.
"Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life" is the latest book by writer and Boston Globe journalist Emily Sweeney, telling the story of pro wrestler and physician Dr. John "Dropkick" Murphy.
"Dropkick Murphy was wicked legendary," Sweeney told WBZ NewsRadio Thursday.
Growing up in Medford in the early 20th century, Murphy made a name for himself in the world of professional wrestling during the 1930s and 1940s.
"So they called him 'Dropkick' Murphy because that was his trademark wrestling move," Sweeney said. "The guy could jump up, hit somebody in the face with two feet, and then very often land right back on his two feet."
While Murphy's wrestling career was all about beating up his opponents, his other career was devoted to helping people. Murphy put himself through medical school and became a doctor of osteopathy, then opened a detox center called Bellows Farm (colloquially known as Dropkick Murphy's) in Acton where men could get sober. The property also served as a training facility for elite athletes with a boxing ring and gymnasium.
Although Murphy died in 1977, his name lives on with the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, known for their singles "Tessie" and "I'm Shipping Up to Boston." The band's frontman Ken Casey wrote the foreword to Sweeney's book.
"Ken Casey told me that he heard about Dropkick Murphy’s, the rehab center, for years, and he thought it sounded like a great name for a band," Sweeney said.
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.
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