Honored at the 2009 CSCCa National Conference
Four "Legends in the Field" were honored at a ceremony on May 7th, 2009 at the CSCCa National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Alvin Roy (post humus), Dr. Terry Todd, Johnny Parker, and Dr. Chuck Stiggins received the prestigious Legends award from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association in recognition of their pioneering efforts on behalf of the strength and conditioning profession. The efforts of these individuals make them true "Legends in the Field."
Alvin Roy
Alvin Roy was born April 24, 1920 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and graduated from Istrouma High School in 1938. As a high school athlete, he played football and basketball and was a pole vaulter on the school's track team. From there he went on to Louisiana State University where he played basketball as a walk-on. In 1941 he joined the US Army, serving in Europe during WWII in the 94th Infantry Division. After the invasion of France on June 6, 1944, Roy served under George S. Patton, winning four battle stars, as well as a bronze star. In 1946, among his other duties, many of which involved organizing athletic events and competitions for the troops, he was assigned to be the aide de camp for the US Weightlifting Team in Paris for the first post-war world championships. The now legendary Bob Hoffman was the coach of the US team. This was an extremely important experience for Roy. He saw first hand that contrary to popular belief, lifting heavy weights did not cause a person to become slow and "musclebound." On the contrary, he learned that weight training actually helped the individual to become faster and more flexible. He had always been taught that an athlete could do nothing worse than lift weights!
Upon returning to the US the following year, Roy visited his weightlifting friends, including Bob Hoffman, who owned the York Barbell Company and was the publisher of Strength & Health magazine, wanting to learn more! He opened a health club in Baton Rouge and filled it with equipment from the York Barbell Company. He began promoting weight training not only as the key to good health, but also to success on the athletic playing field. He continued to be involved in national and international weightlifting competitions, including the 15th Olympiad in Helsinki, Finland in1952, for which he was the US Olympic Weightlifting Team Trainer. The USA placed first. His fame and credentials in the field of weightlifting continued to grow and were becoming widely recognized!
Eager to share his newfound knowledge locally, Roy approached his old high school coach and high school principal, Coach James Brown and Principal Ellis Brown, in 1951. The two were twins, known as "Big Fuzzy" and "Little Fuzzy," respectively. Roy offered to help the football team with weight training, but his offer was rejected because the Brown brothers subscribed to the belief that Roy himself had once held that weight training was detrimental to athletic performance!
Three years later in 1954, the Istrouma High School football team suffered a crushing defeat by cross-town archrival, Baton Rouge High. Roy again offered his assistance, supporting his case with stories of a growing number of top athletes who were lifting weights. He even offered to set up and supervise the weight training program at no cost to the school. Roy's persistence and his firm belief in the value of weight training finally persuaded the Brown twins to give him a try. They both knew that they were quite possibly putting their jobs on the line if the weight training program did not pay off as Roy promised!
The school bought the necessary weights, and the program was centered around barbells, using power cleans, bench presses, rowing motions, deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and squats with low repetitions and many sets the way competitive weight lifters trained. As a result of Roy's training program, the athletes made great gains in both strength and lean body weight. Along with these gains in power and size came increased confidence. Billy Cannon, a member of the football team who also played basketball and ran track, was exempt from lifting during the spring because he had always been taught to believe that weight training would slow his speed. He also knew that his best chance of receiving a major college scholarship would be dependent upon his speed. But as time went on, he was intrigued by the changes he witnessed in his teammates and decided to join in during the summer training that Roy offered to the players at his gym. This added further pressure on Roy because the weightlifting program would be finished if Cannon's speed decreased in the least over the summer months.
By fall, only one of the 40 boys who had trained during spring and/or summer had not gained at least nine pounds of lean body weight, and some gained as much as 30. But most importantly, the Istrouma football team won all 13 games of the season. Four players made All-State, and Cannon achieved a state record of 229 points and averaged 10 yards per carry. In addition, he was the most highly rated high school back in the United States. That spring he ran a 9.7 100-yard dash, winning the state meet in the 100, 220, and the shot put. In addition to beating handily every team they played that season, the team had fewer injuries than in any of the previous 20 seasons. Needless to say, the Brown twins were ecstatic! They had taken a chance on Roy and his weight training program, and their gamble had definitely paid big dividends! They were now believers! Over the summer Billy Cannon continued to train under Roy because there was no organized strength training program at LSU where he would be playing football under Coach Paul Dietzel. Cannon had a great freshman year, but the team had a disappointing five and five record when he was a sophomore. So once again Roy paid a visit to a coach in this case Coach Dietzel--who held the same negative view of weight training that the Browns had held. As he had done before, Roy was able to convince Dietzel to give him and his weightlifting program a chance, and despite predictions that LSU would finish ninth in the SEC, LSU went undefeated the 1958 season, winning LSU its first national championship and making Paul Dietzel the Coach of the Year. Cannon went on to win the Heisman Trophy, as well as the 100, 200, and shot put in Track competitions that spring.
Coach Dietzel had many opportunities to speak after this unbelievable season, and he was always quick to give credit to Alvin Roy and his weightlifting program! Almost overnight, football coaches around the country began to question the notion that weightlifting led to "muscle bound" athletes, and over the next decade the myth of musclebinding was on the way out. Later, Roy lectured and conducted clinics on strength and conditioning free of charge, for the University of Alabama, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, Ole Miss, West Point Military Academy, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Kentucky just to name a few. He also lectured and demonstrated to numerous high school coaches and other groups regarding the importance of strength and conditioning for athletes.
In 1963 he was hired to be the NFL's first strength coach--for the San Diego Chargers, where he coached for five years. This was followed by stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the 1970 Super Bowl; the Dallas Cowboys, who played in the 1976 Super Bowl; as well as with the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders. The idea that weightlifting was detrimental to athletic performance was further eroded and finally destroyed by the many other strength training pioneers who followed Legend in the Field, Alvin Roy--considered be "the first modern strength coach!"
Dr. Terry Todd
Dr. Terry Todd Legends Video
Terry Todd was born on January 1, 1938 in Beaumont, Texas and grew up in Austin, spending most of his elementary and his entire junior high and high school years there. He loved sports and excelled in both baseball and tennis. In fact, he attended the University of Texas on a full athletic tennis scholarship beginning in 1956.
He began lifting weights at the end of his senior year in high school in an effort to develop his left arm, which he considered to be smaller than his right. He enjoyed lifting weights and continued training while he played tennis at the University of Texas, much to the chagrin of his tennis coach! While at UT, he met Professor Roy McLean, who was a pioneer in weight training. Professor McLean owned a tremendous collection of books and magazines on the subject, and Terry attributes McLean with piquing his interest in weightlifting. He has been quoted as saying, "it was in Mac's study where my love of iron game history began." This was undoubtedly a major turning point in Todd's life! Terry quit the tennis team after his junior year and began concentrating on Olympic-style weightlifting. Soon he began competing, winning the Junior National Championship in Columbia, Missouri in 1963. His unusually thick biceps and forearms made it difficult to catch the bar on his chest when performing a squat clean. The stronger he got, the larger his forearms and lower biceps grew, creating "sort of a Catch 22," according to Todd. He realized that as a result, his success as an Olympic-style competitive weightlifter would be limited. Fortunately for Todd, powerlifting was gaining in support and popularity. He switched gears and won the first national event in powerlifting, which was held in 1964 in York, Pennsylvania. The following year he won the first official Senior National Championships, weighing in at 335 pounds! He became the first man to total 1600, 1700, 1800, and 1900 pounds. His best official lifts were: a 720 pound squat; a 515 pound bench press; and a 742 pound deadlift. He competed until 1967.
Todd's interest in weight training turned into a full-time career. In 1964 he became the managing editor of Strength & Health, the largest and most influential magazine in the field of weight training. In 1966 he received his doctorate degree from the University of Texas. Once he stopped competing, he became a college professor in 1967 at Auburn University and resumed playing tennis in an effort to return to a more normal weight. After 10 months, he weighed 250 pounds, and has weighed more or less the same in the years since. He taught at several universities in both the United States and Canada before finally returning to the University of Texas 26 years ago.
In 1974 he married Jan Suffolk, who then began her own lifting career. Todd coached her in powerlifting, and by 1977 she was called by Sports Illustrated the "strongest woman in the world." One of the universities at which Todd taught was Auburn. He and Jan coached the University's powerlifting team, which won several national championships under their guidance. While there, he also volunteered to design and oversee the varsity football team's winter weight training program before the full-time strength coach arrived. On e of his assistants was Bill Kazmaier. Under Todd's guidance, "Kaz," as he was known, became one, if not the, most famous male powerlifter of that era, winning the World Championship as well as television's "World's Strongest Man" show three times. Todd also worked with Lamar Gant at Auburn, a man Todd considers to be "the greatest powerlifter in history."
In addition to teaching and coaching, Todd was the top official and color commentator for several of the earliest World's Strongest Man competitions, as well as several World Powerlifting Championships on CBS and NBC. In 1978 he created and directed the "Strongest Man in Football," a show on CBS that ran for three years. The show was dominated by linemen from the Pittsburgh Steelers, which at the time was considered to be the top team in pro football. That same year he began writing articles for Sports Illustrated, which featured prominent competitive lifters and other strength athletes. In addition, Todd has written numerous books and articles for both popular and academic journals. His book, Inside Powerlifting, was the first book ever written about the subject. In addition to doing color commentary for CBS, NBC, BBC, and ESPN, Todd has appeared on numerous television programs, including 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, ABC's Nightline, and the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Games coverage. He has written and delivered commentaries about sports and physical culture on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, as well as lecturing extensively around the country on topics, such as strength training, sports history, and drugs in sports.
In 2001 he was asked 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.
Since 1990 Todd and his wife, Jan, have co-edited Iron Game History; the Journal of Physical Culture in an effort to stimulate research in the field. Over the years, together they have collected countless books, magazines, photos, videos, films, posters, and artifacts dealing with the field of physical culture. Todd has now retired from the classroom and is currently the Director of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, a 27,500 square foot library/museum, which is housed in the football stadium at the University of Texas in Austin.
This champion and record-holding powerlifter, writer, coach, editor, professor, television color commentator, and historian has created a lasting legacy in the field of physical culture through his own accomplishments and through his creation of an invaluable reference source. His unique collection of materials provides a wealth of archival information that follows the development of Physical Education, Weight Training, Sports Conditioning, and Competitive Sports that is unmatched!
Johnny Parker
Johnny Parker Legends Video
Johnny Parker was born in 1947 in Greenville, South Carolina. Raised in Shaw, Mississippi, Johnny graduated from Shaw High School, where he was a member of both the football and track teams. His interest in strength training came at an early age. When Parker was in the ninth grade, his football coach had a set of weights in his backyard and would let some of his athletes come over and lift. The young Parker had to have help lifting the bar on most exercises, but with the encouragement of a patient coach, he soon began to improve. That year Johnny asked his parents for a set of weights for Christmas. When he measured himself for the first time, he checked in at 5’11 and 100 pounds.
Upon graduating from high school in 1964, Parker went to Ole Miss. He graduated in 1968 and took his first coaching job shortly thereafter, at a private high school in Mississippi called Indianola Academy. There, Parker served as the linebacker coach for five seasons. During Parker’s tenure, the Colonial’s won 53 games and lost only 7.
In 1974, the University of South Carolina hired Parker. After just one season of working with Parker, the Gamecocks made it to the Tangerine Bowl in 1975. Parker spent three seasons with the University of South Carolina before moving on to Indiana University in 1977, where he was the first Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Big 10. After two seasons of working with the Hoosiers, Parker was hired as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Louisiana State University during the 1980 season. Returning to his Alma Mater, Ole Miss, Parker spent four more seasons coaching in the collegiate field. Working with head football coach Billy Brewer, Parker helped the Rebels make it to the Independence Bowl in 1983, their first bowl appearance in eight years.
Twice during the 1980s, Parker went to Russia to study under Russian gold-medal winning Olympic weightlifting coaches. He took what he learned from these masters and applied it to his football players. Also during the 1980s, Parker earned a Masters Degree from Delta State University.
Johnny began his NFL career in 1984, when the New York Giants hired him as their Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Parker worked with the Giants for nine years. In his first year as strength coach, Parker dropped the number of athletes on the injured list to seven, a remarkable number when compared to the staggering 25 injured athletes on the list the year before. Two years after Coach Parker’s arrival in New York, in 1986, the Giants won their first Super Bowl. In a dramatic game against the Denver Broncos, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Giants won 39-20. The season has been called the Giants “greatest season ever” because of their 17-2 record. Undoubtedly, the team’s success was due in part to the training the players received off the field while working with Parker. Four years later, in 1990, the Giants again won the Super Bowl. Playing against the Buffalo Bills, the Giants set an all-time Super Bowl record of 40 minutes and 33 seconds for ball-control possession. In this exciting game, the Giants beat the Bills 20-19. Parker’s role as a Strength and Conditioning Coach contributed significantly to the Giants’ tradition of excellence, for which they are still known today.
In 1993, Parker moved on to coach the New England Patriots under head coach Bill Parcells. In the seven seasons he spent with the Patriots, Parker’s skill helped the team launch a new era of Patriot football. In 1994, the Patriots ended the season with a seven game winning streak, qualifying them for their first playoff game in nine years. Two years later, in 1996, the Patriots finished the season with an 11-5 record. They won the AFC championship, making it to the Super Bowl in 1997 for the second time in team history. The Patriots won back-to-back division titles and qualified for the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. Johnny Parker’s strength training program, based upon the incorporation of weight and fitness training into the regular movements of pro football players, was most definitely a factor in the Patriots’ success. In an interview with a local newspaper, Parker spoke about his program. “Think about it. Offensive lineman? What do they do? They basically run two-yard sprints. Everything they do is in quick bursts. So that’s the kind of weight training we try to do with them: explosive movements like power cleans, squats and jerks.”
In 2002, Parker returned to coaching when he was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach Jon Gruden. Just one year later, in 2003, the Buccaneers headed to their first Super Bowl in team history. Facing the Oakland Raiders, many a naysayer remarked that the infant Buccaneers didn’t stand a chance. But Parker’s experience paid off: the Buccaneers won the game 48-21. After just one year of coaching the Buccaneers, Parker returned to the private sector.
Then in 2005, Parker was hired by the San Francisco 49ers. As the franchise worked on rebuilding its coaching staff, it needed a veteran Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Parker’s 18 years in the NFL more than qualified him for the job. Parker’s “no-nonsense” approach to strength training quickly gained a reputation among his players. “Parker is always the same guy. You know exactly what to expect from him,” said former 49ers lineman Anthony Adams. “He didn’t have any favorites, and he was consistently hard on everybody. That’s why I love Johnny Parker.”
Parker retired from coaching last year. In his impressive 34-year coaching career, Parker succeeded in taking three different teams to four Super Bowls. In 1994, he was honored by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society with the Super Bowl Achievement Award. Coach Parker has now retired to Safety Harbor, Florida, where he spends his time with his wife, Jane, and plays with his dogs, Tuna and Fruitcake. He enjoys sitting on his porch and reading all of the books he never had a chance to read while coaching and traveling the world!
Dr. Chuck Stiggins
Chuck Stiggins Legends Video
Chuck Stiggins was born on September 3, 1953, in Tampa, Florida to Frank and Juanita Stiggins. He was the second of three children, having an older brother, Joe, and a younger sister, Melody. Chuck’s love and excellence in sports was obvious at an early age. At age 5, he won the Florida state championship in Judo. He loved to play football and baseball as a child.
The summer before starting the 9th grade, Chuck’s father, who was in the United States Air Force, was transferred to the Netherlands. Chuck and his brother attended an international school in the southern part of the country. Chuck competed in football, wrestling, track & field, and baseball. Stiggins played varsity football in the 9th grade, the first freshman to ever play varsity at the school. Over the next four years, Stiggins lettered in all four sports, made the All-European football team his junior and senior year, and was all conference in football, wrestling, and track and field. These athletic competitions provided Stiggins with the opportunity to travel all over Europe.
Stiggins’ interest in strength training began during these high school. His high school athletic program did not offer an organized strength training program. Chuck, however, loved weight training and would regularly visit the gym at the NATO military installation, which was for military personnel. There were a variety of strength trainers training there. Some were power lifters, others were Olympic-style weight lifters, and others were body builders. Stiggins was exposed to a wide range of weight lifting techniques and philosophies, and Chuck was drawn to powerlifting. As he trained, he began to see significant improvement in his athletic performance in all four sports.
Upon graduating from high school, Stiggins returned to the US and received a scholarship to play football at Ricks College in Idaho. While there, Chuck began competitively powerlifting in the 181 and 198-pound weight class. He finished his football career at Southern Utah University where he continued to lift competitively.
Upon graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Stiggins attended Brigham Young University to pursue his Master’s degree. In addition, he was a graduate assistant in the University’s football program. His responsibilities included developing and overseeing the strength and conditioning programs for the athletes. The legendary Coach Lavell Edwards was extremely impressed with the athletes’ gains in power and speed., as well as with the significant reduction in injuries. Consequently, Stiggins was offered a full-time position at the University as the first full-time strength and conditioning coach.
Chuck remained at BYU in this capacity for the next 25 years. During this time, BYU football dominated, winning 18 conference championships, as well as the 1984 National Championship. His strength training program was widely known and respected. During this time, he returned to the classroom and obtained his doctorate degree. He was widely published, and he developed a computerized strength training program, which is used by numerous high schools and colleges across the country. During this time, he also met and married his wife, Becky, and they have three children: Brooke, Whitney, and Tyson.
In 2000, Stiggins began to see the need to develop an organization specifically designed for collegiate strength and conditioning coaches to promote unity, respect, and professional development. He and a group of fellow coaches who shared his concerns, as well as his vision, met in Las Vegas in May 2000 to explore the possibility of creating just such as an organization. The group voted unanimously to create a professional, educational organization, which became known as the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa). A Board of ten collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches was formed and met in Park City, Utah in July. Stiggins was chosen to be the organization’s first president and executive director. These Board members worked relentlessly, hammering out the organization’s structure and goals, developing among other things, the premier certification program in the industry! The rest is history. The CSCCa is now nine years old and will be celebrating its tenth anniversary next year in 2010! Membership in the association has grown to well over 1,000 members! All this has been made possible, not only because of the tremendous support Chuck received from those original coaches and Board members who shared his vision for this extremely important group of professionals, but also because of the support and commitment shown by each of you who are in attendance here tonight, including our generous sponsors! The profession is undoubtedly stronger, more organized, and more effective than ever as members work together to improve the respect and status of the strength and conditioning coaching profession.