Obituary for Robert A. Goodman
Robert “Bob” Arthur Goodman, age 83, of Mays Landing, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2023 at ARMC in Galloway, NJ. He was born in Bronx, NY on June 8, 1939 to the late Murray and Lillian Goodman (nee Jacobson).
He was raised in Bronx, NY, before his family moved to Englewood, NJ when he was a teen. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School, where he competed in soccer and track and field. He took many jobs during the summers, including Madison Square Garden and the National Sports Council. He also worked on the S. Rae Hickok “Professional Athlete of the Year” Award, created by his father in 1949, which remained one of the most prized awards until 1975.
Bob attended the University of Miami in FL for two years before enlisting in the United States Coast Guard. He was the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Recruiting for the State of Connecticut upon the end of his enlistment in 1962. In recent years, he was an active Vet, volunteering for many community services and events.
He took a public relations job with the New York Titans of the old American Football League. Upon the sale of the Titans to become the Jets (which he continued to remain a fan for all these years), he and his father created the “sports division” of a Madison advertising agency, Arthur Falconer Associates and promoted most of the major fights of the era. They also helped create the All-American Collegiate Golf Foundation and handled other accounts such as Bancroft Sporting Goods and Tretorn.
When the company moved to NJ, Bob and his father opened up their own firm on Madison Avenue, Murray Goodman Associates. They handled events for Main Bout, Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Don King Productions. Light heavyweight great Bob Foster and heavyweight champion Ken Norton, were personal clients.
Don King brought Bob on board full-time as his Director of Boxing in the early 70’s, where he remained until the end of 1985. During those years they promoted the biggest events in boxing, including the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman; the “Thrilla in Manila” between Ali and Joe Frazier; The “Sunshine Showdown” with George Foreman and Joe Frazier, and the two fights between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard.
He later became Vice President and Matchmaker for Madison Square Garden from 1985 to 1994, where his staff developed many world champions, including James “Buddy” McGirt, Aaron “Superman” Davis, Tracy Patterson; Poison Junior Jones, Kevin Kelley, Julio Cesar Green, Lonnie Bradley, and Hector Acero Sanchez, among others.
Corporate changes caused Bob to take his boxers to New Jersey, where they opened up Garden State Boxing. Bob rejoined Don King, and served as his Vice President of Boxing Operations, Matchmaker and Director of Public Relations until 2009 (working with King for a total of 25 years). Then, Bob joined Roy Jones Jr’s Square Ring Promotions as the Chief Operating Officer, where he remained for several years prior to retiring.
Bob is recognized as a Boxing Matchmaker, Publicist and Promoter, who is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2009, the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009, the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame since 1990, the New York Boxing Hall of Fame since 2018 and the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame since 2019. He is the recipient of the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America’s James J. Walker Memorial Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing in 1980. He was a member of the Acorn Association where he resided. Bob has also won several awards in Golf, which was another one of his many passions.
He will leave his legacy with all who knew him and his many talents he generously shared.
Bob is predeceased by his loving wife Kathleen (nee Lawler) of fifty-five years and his brother Jack Goodman.
He is survived by his daughters Beth Anne Petrosh (Oscar), Kirstene Jones (David), Victoria Friedman (Bryon), Randi Victor (Mark), nine grandchildren, Morgan Southall, Tara Petrosh, Brianna Petrosh, Alexa Petrosh, Samson Friedman, Leah Friedman, Abigail Victor, Ethan Victor, Alexander Victor, brother William Goodman, sister Joyce Messineo and several nieces, nephews and step granddaughters.
A viewing will be held Sunday, March 12, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Boakes Funeral Home, 6050 Main St., Mays Landing, NJ 08330, with a service at 1:00 pm. Burial with military honors immediately following at Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery, Estell Manor, NJ.
Flowers are welcome or donations can be made in his memory to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 360 N. Peterboro St., Canastota, NY 13032 .
He was raised in Bronx, NY, before his family moved to Englewood, NJ when he was a teen. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School, where he competed in soccer and track and field. He took many jobs during the summers, including Madison Square Garden and the National Sports Council. He also worked on the S. Rae Hickok “Professional Athlete of the Year” Award, created by his father in 1949, which remained one of the most prized awards until 1975.
Bob attended the University of Miami in FL for two years before enlisting in the United States Coast Guard. He was the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Recruiting for the State of Connecticut upon the end of his enlistment in 1962. In recent years, he was an active Vet, volunteering for many community services and events.
He took a public relations job with the New York Titans of the old American Football League. Upon the sale of the Titans to become the Jets (which he continued to remain a fan for all these years), he and his father created the “sports division” of a Madison advertising agency, Arthur Falconer Associates and promoted most of the major fights of the era. They also helped create the All-American Collegiate Golf Foundation and handled other accounts such as Bancroft Sporting Goods and Tretorn.
When the company moved to NJ, Bob and his father opened up their own firm on Madison Avenue, Murray Goodman Associates. They handled events for Main Bout, Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Don King Productions. Light heavyweight great Bob Foster and heavyweight champion Ken Norton, were personal clients.
Don King brought Bob on board full-time as his Director of Boxing in the early 70’s, where he remained until the end of 1985. During those years they promoted the biggest events in boxing, including the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman; the “Thrilla in Manila” between Ali and Joe Frazier; The “Sunshine Showdown” with George Foreman and Joe Frazier, and the two fights between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard.
He later became Vice President and Matchmaker for Madison Square Garden from 1985 to 1994, where his staff developed many world champions, including James “Buddy” McGirt, Aaron “Superman” Davis, Tracy Patterson; Poison Junior Jones, Kevin Kelley, Julio Cesar Green, Lonnie Bradley, and Hector Acero Sanchez, among others.
Corporate changes caused Bob to take his boxers to New Jersey, where they opened up Garden State Boxing. Bob rejoined Don King, and served as his Vice President of Boxing Operations, Matchmaker and Director of Public Relations until 2009 (working with King for a total of 25 years). Then, Bob joined Roy Jones Jr’s Square Ring Promotions as the Chief Operating Officer, where he remained for several years prior to retiring.
Bob is recognized as a Boxing Matchmaker, Publicist and Promoter, who is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2009, the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009, the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame since 1990, the New York Boxing Hall of Fame since 2018 and the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame since 2019. He is the recipient of the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America’s James J. Walker Memorial Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing in 1980. He was a member of the Acorn Association where he resided. Bob has also won several awards in Golf, which was another one of his many passions.
He will leave his legacy with all who knew him and his many talents he generously shared.
Bob is predeceased by his loving wife Kathleen (nee Lawler) of fifty-five years and his brother Jack Goodman.
He is survived by his daughters Beth Anne Petrosh (Oscar), Kirstene Jones (David), Victoria Friedman (Bryon), Randi Victor (Mark), nine grandchildren, Morgan Southall, Tara Petrosh, Brianna Petrosh, Alexa Petrosh, Samson Friedman, Leah Friedman, Abigail Victor, Ethan Victor, Alexander Victor, brother William Goodman, sister Joyce Messineo and several nieces, nephews and step granddaughters.
A viewing will be held Sunday, March 12, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Boakes Funeral Home, 6050 Main St., Mays Landing, NJ 08330, with a service at 1:00 pm. Burial with military honors immediately following at Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery, Estell Manor, NJ.
Flowers are welcome or donations can be made in his memory to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 360 N. Peterboro St., Canastota, NY 13032 .