Michael J. O'Malley
Michael J. O'Malley, born in (Boston, Massachusetts) is an American Taekwondo athlete and instructor.
O'Malley competed in Taekwondo from 1976 through 1982. He was chosen for the USA Taekwondo teams from 1978 through 1982. He was elected US Team Captain in 1980 and US Team Coach in 1984.
O'Malley was inducted into the Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame in 2007, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Jazz musician Ralph Peterson, Jr. is a current student of O'Malley. French-born American Chef Jacky Robert has also studied Taekwondo from O'Malley. American stand-up comedian, actor and writer Joe Rogan and Hong Kong actor and martial artist Donnie Yen both trained with O'Malley in the 1980s and 1990s.
O'Malley founded the M.J. O'Malley Tae Kwon Do Center Website in Peabody, MA in early 2011. The school offers traditional Taekwondo lessons to children and adults.
Achievements and Awards
- 1976 - First Place, General Choi's (Choi Hong Hi) Cup International Championship
- 1976 - Grand Champion, National Open Karate Championships Darien, Connecticut
- 1978 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Trials, Washington D.C.
- 1978 - Member / AAU "All American Men's Tae Kwon Do Team"
- 1978 - U.S. Team Member Pre-World games Seoul, Korea
- 1978 - Bronze Medal, Pan American Games, Mexico City
- 1979 - Member / AAU "All American Men's Tae Kwon Do Team"
- 1979 - Grand Champion, "Tiger Kim's" International Open Championship MSG, New York
- 1979 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Trials, Dayton, Ohio
- 1979 - Selected "Male Competitor of the Year", U.S. Team Trials.
- 1979 - U.S. Team Member, World Taekwondo Championships, Stuttgart Germany
- 1979 - Silver Medal, U.S. Team Member, North American Games, Honolulu, Hawaii
- 1979 - U.S. Team Member, World Taekwondo Championships, Taipei, Taiwan
- 1980 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Trials Berkley, California
- 1980 - Recipient of the "Ken Min Leadership Award" Berkley, California
- 1980 - Elected U.S. Team Captain
- 1980 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Member, Pan American Games Houston, Texas
- 1981 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Member, North America Games Toronto, Canada
- 1981 - Gold Medal (Welterweight), U.S. Team Trials Tampa, Florida
- 1981 - Elected U.S. Team Captain for World Taekwondo Championships in Ecuador
- 1981 - Grand Champion, National Tae Kwon Do Championship Washington D.C.
- 1984 - Elected U.S. Team coach of the East Squad for U.S. Olympic Festival Houston, Texas
- 1985 - Former Athlete Representative to the United States Olympic Committee
- 2007 - Technical Advisor / Taekwondo Hall of Fame Induction
- 2009 - Received Taekwondo Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2011 - Founded O'Malley Tae Kwon Do Center in Peabody, Massachusetts
External links
- O'Malley Taekwondo Hall of Fame Page
- Taekwondo Hall of Fame Archive
- M.J. O'Malley Tae Kwon Do Center Website
- Clubs registered with USA Taekwondo
- Taekwondo Benefits Go Beyond Self Defense
- The Christian Science Monitor on Taekwondo: Both Art and Sport
- Peabody Patch: MJ O'Malley Tae Kwon Do kicks challenge