Eddie Diggins

Biography

Diggins attended St. Mary's College High School in Berkeley for one year and began amateur boxing. By 1920 had become very well-known in boxing circles around San Francisco. He began his profession as a lightweight boxer in January of 1921. He fought against some of the greats of the day: Dick Hoppe, Charlie Sullivan, Gene Watson, Earl Force, Eddie White and Jack Stahl. In July of 1921 he started boxing in Oakland where he boxed against Eddie Landon, Tommy Cello, Johnny Nunes and Harry Eagles. In 1924, Diggins moved to Los Angeles and broke his hand in a fight forcing him to leave boxing for a time. He'd just returned to boxing when was stabbed in a brawl with Charles Meehan, a bootlegger, at the Hollywood Crescent Athletic Club. Witnesses were Diggins' wife Marion a script writer, Meehan's wife Irene Dalton an actress, Jack Wagner a screenplay writer and actors Jimmy Sinclair, Billy James and Lloyd Hamilton. In all, nine people were taken in for questioning following the incident. Diggins and Meehan were drunk at the time the fight broke out. Meehan sustained slight injuries but Diggins died shortly after a knife wound above the heart - he died in the arms of screen comedian Lloyd Hamilton. Diggins funeral was handled by the Catholic Film Guild of Hollywood where he was a member.