TERRY TODD ...
Terence (Terry) Todd, Ph. D... writer, acadmic, journalist, champion weight lifter, sport promoter, founder of the H. J. Lutcher Stark Center of Physical Culture at the University of Texas in Austin, and Director of the Arnold Strongman Classic, died in 2018, at age 80.
In 1963, at a body weight of 300 pounds, Todd won the AAU Junior National Weightlifting Championships; then, in 1965, he captured the Senior National Powerlifting Championships. He became the first to total 1,600; 1,700; 1,800 and 1,900 pounds in powerlifting competition.
In 1967, Todd began his extensive collegiate teaching career at Auburn University. Next, he taught at Mercer University, and then Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scopia, prior to taking a position at the University of Texas.
As a doctoral student at the University of Texas Todds' weightlifting coach, Professor Roy J. McLean, encouraged him to continue accumulating physical culture memorabilia, which he had begun doing in the late 1950's.
In 1975, Terry and is wife Jan, purchased the collection of the late Ottley Coulter, the highly regarded circus srongman, who had compiled the largest assortment of physical culture collectables in the United States.
Once the Todds' had examined the 385-box assortment of books, magazines, photographs, posters, scrapbooks, clippings, ect., Todd said, "We realized it was our responsibility to care for these treasures and to find a permanent home for the collection."
In 1983, along with Professor McLean, the Todds' donated their 100,000-item stockpile of fitness material to the H. J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University. The historical accumulation has expanded to over 300,000 components.
Retiring from competitive powerlifting in 1967, Terry served as the head official and color commentator for the earliest World Strongest Man events. Starting in 1977, he did color commentary for several World Powerlifting Championships. In 1977, he created the Strongest Man in Football series of TV contests.
That same year, 1978, Todd began writing articles for Sports Illustrated, profiling powerlifters Lamar Gant, Larry Pacifico, Bill Kazmaier, his wife Dr. Jan Todd, and bodybuilder Bill Pearl.
He then expanded the articles to cover the professional careers of football player, Bob Young; arm wrestler, Al Turner; All-American football players, Dave Rimington and Herschel Walker; along with professional wrestler, Andre the Giant.
Dr. Todd went on to author six books and write hundreds of articles for popular and academic publications. His book, Inside Powerlifting, published in 1977, was the first written on powerlifting.
Since 1990, Terry and Jan co-authored Iron Game History, a quarterly published journal dealing with the history of physical culture. Asked regarding the most memorable male powerlifters he coached Terry replied, "Lamar Gant, Bill Kazmaier and Mark Henry, top my list."
For more thn 40 years, Dr. Todd lectured on strength training, sports history, and drugs in sports. He was frequently interviewed by newspapers, magaines, and on television. He appeared on 60 Minutes, the McNeil/Lehrer Report, CBE Evening News, ABC's Nightime, National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and covered the commentary on two Olympic Games for CBS - TV.
In 2001, Todd, assisted by David Webster, O.B.E. and Bill Kazmaier, created and directed the Arnold's Strongman Classic held each year at the Arnold's Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. This outstanding strength event currently attracts the best strongmen, and offers the largest prize money for any similar acivity.
A Hall of Fame member of the USA Powerlifting Assocation; the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association; and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, Terry was honored by the Association of Oldetime Barbell & Strongmen, and by the Oscar Heidenstam Foundation, which presented him the Malcolm Whyatt Lifetime Achievement Award.
At the close of a recent interview, Dr. Terry Todd was asked for words of wisdom and replied, "I remember what I was told by England's late-great phyiscal culturist Joe Assirati, 'Always walk at your tallest and broadest.'"