Dave Packer has been a West-side resident of Grand Rapids his entire life, and in 1963 while a student at Union High he started boxing.
? He won the West Michigan Golden Gloves Championship and finished second in the state in 1965, and was voted the tournament's Most Outstanding Novice Boxer. His success as a boxer continued into the early 1970's while boxing in the Marine Corps and several AAU and Golden Gloves competitions.
?Packer's passion for the sport of boxing and its impact on the young people involved never waned.
He moved on from his own work in the ring to work with others and become the founder, director, and head coach of the Marine Corps League Boxing Club.
In 1982, Packer was named director of the Michigan Golden Gloves Program.
When inducted in 2015 he had participated as a boxer, coach, mentor and leader of boxing programs on the local, state and national levels for 52 years.
?He was elected to the Robert C. Todish Michigan Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in 2009, and in the spring of 2015 he was elected to serve as President of the National Golden Gloves of America.