Terry Todd
Encyclopedia
Dr. Terry Todd (born 1 January 1938), is a former Powerlifter, and Olympic weightlifter. Dr. Todd is co-founder of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
, co-editor of Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture, and creator and event director of the Arnold Strongman Classic
. Todd has also held a career as a journalist on the staff of Sports Illustrated
magazine, as well as doing commentary for CBS
, NBC
, ESPN
and National Public Radio. Dr. Todd lives with his wife Jan on a 300 acres (1.2 km²) cattle ranch on the San Marcos River
with a large collection of animals including 5 peacocks, a Percheron draft horse
, 50 cattle, two Sicilian donkeys, an English Mastiff
dog, an Emu
, and three Maine Coon Cats.
, a 515 pound bench press
, and a 742 pound deadlift
. Todd retired from competition in 1967.
for the women's committee, but finally abandoned the USPF when he could not convince the organization to institute a steroid testing program for men and women lifters. In 1977, when the World Powerlifting Championships were televised in the USA for the first time, Dr. Todd was the color commentator
for NBC. In the following few years, he also did color commentary for national and international powerlifting events for NBC, CBS, ESPN, and the BBC
, some of which involved women's powerlifting.
In 1977, Dr. Todd published the first major book about Powerlifting, called "Inside Powerlifting". The book profiled seven of the leading powerlifters of that period, one of whom was his wife Jan Todd
. Todd covered the major national and international powerlifting events during the 1970s and 1980s for such magazines as Muscular Development
and Iron Man
. He also helped to introduce powerlifting to a larger audience through his articles in Sports Illustrated
, covering such lifters as Lamar Gant
, Bill Kazmaier
, Larry Pacifico
, and Jan Todd.
In 1966 Todd received his doctorate degree from the University of Texas. Once he stopped competing, he became a college professor in 1967 at Auburn University
. Dr. Todd taught at several universities in both the United States and Canada before finally returning to the University of Texas 26 years ago. Dr. Todd retired from the classroom in the 1990s and is currently the Director of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
, a 27500 square feet (2,554.8 m²) library/museum, which is housed in the football stadium at the University of Texas in Austin.
In 1990, Dr. Todd and wife Jan founded the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, which is housed in the Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium at The University of Texas in Austin. It contains more than 150,000 books, photos, films, magazines, letters, training courses, videotapes, posters, paintings and artifacts. The collection covers the history of competitive lifting, professional strongmen and strongwomen, sports nutrition
, bodybuilding
, naturopathy, conditioning for athletes, drug use in sports and alternative medicine
.
In 2001, Dr. Todd was asked by Arnold Schwarzenegger
to create a Strongman contest for the annual Arnold Sports Festival, which is held in Columbus
, Ohio
. This competition is known as the Arnold Strongman Classic
. and is considered to be the most prestigious contest in the Strongman
sport.
H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and SportsLocated on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports is a library, archive and museum dedicated to the study and preservation of the world of physical culture. Through the...
, co-editor of Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture, and creator and event director of the Arnold Strongman Classic
Arnold Strongman Classic
The Arnold Strongman Classic is one of the highest profile events featuring strength athletes in the world. Created by Dr. Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Arnold Sports Festival which takes place annually in Columbus, Ohio, USA.-History:...
. Todd has also held a career as a journalist on the staff of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
magazine, as well as doing commentary for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and National Public Radio. Dr. Todd lives with his wife Jan on a 300 acres (1.2 km²) cattle ranch on the San Marcos River
San Marcos River
The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs, the location of Aquarena Springs, in San Marcos, Texas. The springs are home to several threatened or endangered species, including the Texas Blind Salamander, Fountain Darter, and Texas Wild Rice...
with a large collection of animals including 5 peacocks, a Percheron draft horse
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
, 50 cattle, two Sicilian donkeys, an English Mastiff
English Mastiff
The English Mastiff, referred to by virtually all Kennel Clubs simply as the Mastiff, is a breed of large dog perhaps descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces Britanniae. Distinguishable by enormous size, massive head, and a limited range of colors, but always displaying a black mask,...
dog, an Emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
, and three Maine Coon Cats.
Athletic History
Dr. Todd began as a weightlifter in 1956, and won the Junior Nationals in Olympic weightlifting in 1963. He then turned to Powerlifting, and won the first two national championships in 1964 and in 1965 (the first official Senior Nationals) as a superheavyweight. At the 1965 Nationals, Todd became the first man to squat 700 lbs. in competition, although the actual weight was in fact 710 lbs. at a bodyweight of 335 lbs. Dr. Todd became the first man to total 1600, 1700, 1800, and 1900 pounds in competition. His best official lifts were: a 720 pound squatSquat
The word squat, squatter or squatting can refer to:* Squatting, living in an abandoned or unused building, sometimes for political purposes...
, a 515 pound bench press
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
, and a 742 pound deadlift
Deadlift
The deadlift is a weight training exercise where a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a stabilized, bent over position. It is one of the three canonical powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press.-Overview:...
. Todd retired from competition in 1967.
Later years
Dr. Todd was directly involved in the development of the sport of women's powerlifting. He helped Jan and Joe Zarella organize the first national women's meet in 1977, and coached the women's Canadian team, with wife Jan, from 1976-1979. In 1979, Todd was elected to the Executive Committee of the United States Powerlifting Federation. Todd lobbied for, and ultimately achieved autonomyAutonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
for the women's committee, but finally abandoned the USPF when he could not convince the organization to institute a steroid testing program for men and women lifters. In 1977, when the World Powerlifting Championships were televised in the USA for the first time, Dr. Todd was the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for NBC. In the following few years, he also did color commentary for national and international powerlifting events for NBC, CBS, ESPN, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, some of which involved women's powerlifting.
In 1977, Dr. Todd published the first major book about Powerlifting, called "Inside Powerlifting". The book profiled seven of the leading powerlifters of that period, one of whom was his wife Jan Todd
Jan Todd
Dr. Jan Todd, the Roy J. McLean Fellow in Sport History, is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Todd is a member of the Sport Management faculty, and teaches classes in sport history, sport philosophy, and sport and ethics. An...
. Todd covered the major national and international powerlifting events during the 1970s and 1980s for such magazines as Muscular Development
Muscular Development
Muscular Development is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine first published in 1964. It was founded by Bob HoffmanBob Hoffman - athlete, nutritionist, weightlifter, coach and philanthropist - was born on a farm in Tifton, Georgia on Nov 9th 1898. His family stock was good. Bob was never...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. He also helped to introduce powerlifting to a larger audience through his articles in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, covering such lifters as Lamar Gant
Lamar Gant
Lamar Gant is an American world record-holding powerlifter. He was inducted into the International Powerlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1980....
, Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier is a former powerlifter, strongman and professional wrestler from the United States. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest competitors in strength competitions...
, Larry Pacifico
Larry Pacifico
Larry Pacifico is a former world champion powerlifter. Larry won nine straight IPF World Powerlifting Championships from 1971–1979. Larry won a total of 102 competitions and set 54 World Records during his powerlifting career. Larry is widely regarded as one of the greatest powerlifters of all...
, and Jan Todd.
In 1966 Todd received his doctorate degree from the University of Texas. Once he stopped competing, he became a college professor in 1967 at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
. Dr. Todd taught at several universities in both the United States and Canada before finally returning to the University of Texas 26 years ago. Dr. Todd retired from the classroom in the 1990s and is currently the Director of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and SportsLocated on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports is a library, archive and museum dedicated to the study and preservation of the world of physical culture. Through the...
, a 27500 square feet (2,554.8 m²) library/museum, which is housed in the football stadium at the University of Texas in Austin.
In 1990, Dr. Todd and wife Jan founded the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, which is housed in the Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium at The University of Texas in Austin. It contains more than 150,000 books, photos, films, magazines, letters, training courses, videotapes, posters, paintings and artifacts. The collection covers the history of competitive lifting, professional strongmen and strongwomen, sports nutrition
Sports nutrition
Sports nutrition is the study and practice of nutrition and diet as it relates to athletic performance. It is concerned with the type and quantity of fluid and food taken by an athlete, and deals with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, supplements and organic substances such as carbohydrates,...
, bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
, naturopathy, conditioning for athletes, drug use in sports and alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
.
In 2001, Dr. Todd was asked by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
to create a Strongman contest for the annual Arnold Sports Festival, which is held in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. This competition is known as the Arnold Strongman Classic
Arnold Strongman Classic
The Arnold Strongman Classic is one of the highest profile events featuring strength athletes in the world. Created by Dr. Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Arnold Sports Festival which takes place annually in Columbus, Ohio, USA.-History:...
. and is considered to be the most prestigious contest in the Strongman
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
sport.
Personal Records
- SquatSquat (exercise)In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...
- 720 lbs. - Bench pressBench pressThe bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
- 515 lbs. - DeadliftDeadliftThe deadlift is a weight training exercise where a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a stabilized, bent over position. It is one of the three canonical powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press.-Overview:...
- 742 lbs.