By Darrell Kerby
Bonners Ferry has always been a town that punches above its weight, and nowhere is that more evident than in its proud youth boxing tradition. For decades, two men stood at the heart of that legacy—Tom Lefebvre and Dick Dawson—coaches whose influence reached far beyond the ring and into the lives of generations of young people.
Tom Lefebvre — A lifetime of coaching and collecting kids
Across a remarkable 36‑year coaching career, Tom Lefebvre trained more than 700 amateur boxers, most of them through the Spokane Eagles Boxing Club, which he founded in 1970. But long before Spokane knew his name, Bonners Ferry did. Lefebvre began coaching here in 1957, shaping young fighters with a mix of discipline, humor, and unwavering belief.
His standout Bonners Ferry boxers included:
- Fred Hatfield
- Lenny Hahn
- Harvey Steichen
- Rowdy Welch
- Danny Vassar
- Frank Vassar
Lefebvre was known for using his own vacation time to haul kids to regional and national tournaments, often driving through the night to make weigh‑ins. By his own count, he coached more than 1,500 young boxers from Spokane and North Idaho over the course of his life.
People used to say Tom was a collector — not of trophies, but of kids and friends. He had a gift for seeing potential where others saw trouble, and he gave countless young men structure, discipline, and a place to belong.
Dick Dawson — Bonners Ferry’s steady hand in the ring
Back home, Dick Dawson carried the torch for local youth boxing through the Bonners Ferry Boxing Club. Active from the late 1960s through the 1970s and well into the 1980s, Dawson coached hundreds of Bonners Ferry boys, many of whom credit him with redirecting their lives at a critical moment.
His gym was a refuge — part training hall, part mentorship program, part second home.
Dawson’s influence stretched far beyond the ring; he taught responsibility, respect and the quiet confidence that comes from hard work. For many young men, the lessons learned under his watch stayed with them long after the gloves came off.
A shared legacy that still shapes Bonners Ferry
What Lefebvre and Dawson built was never just about boxing. It was about giving young people in a small, hard‑working town a place to grow, a standard to rise to, and adults who believed in them before they believed in themselves. Their gyms produced champions, yes, but more importantly, they produced good men: husbands, fathers, workers, neighbors and community leaders who carried the lessons of those long training nights into every corner of their lives.
Today, their influence is still visible in the quiet confidence of the men who came up under them, in the stories traded at reunions and coffee counters, and in the way this community continues to look out for its kids.
The values Tom and Dick taught—discipline, humility, respect and resilience, are woven into the fabric of Bonners Ferry itself.
Their legacy endures not because of the bouts won or the trophies earned, but because they showed what one person can do when they decide to invest in the next generation. In that way, the spirit of Bonners Ferry’s boxing tradition lives on—in every young person who finds direction, in every adult who steps up to mentor, and in every reminder that greatness often begins in the smallest of places, with the simplest of acts: a coach showing up day after day for kids who need it.
My son Aram “Maddog” Dowell was a feather weight golden glove champion thank to Dick Dawson, who was always there for the boys and an excellent coach.