Building Better Athletes: An Illustrated History
Born and raised in Texas. Attended the University of Texas on a full athletic scholarship in tennis. Lettered and played in the national intercollegiate championships at a bodyweight of 235 (107 kg). One of the first weight-trained tennis players in the country, against the orders of his coach and the athletic trainers at U.T. While an undergraduate, won an intercollegiate championship in weightlifting in the superheavyweight class. Continued lifting during graduate school and over the next several years won the junior national championship in weightlifting and the junior and senior national championships in powerlifting, setting many national and "world-best" records in the process. In 1965, broke Bob Peoples’ “world record”1951 deadlift. After a year and a half as managing editor of Strength & Health magazine, the leading magazine in the field at that time, began teaching career as a faculty member at Auburn University. Later taught at Mercer University, in Macon, GA and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, before returning to the University of Texas at Austin in 1983.
Has written seven books, including Philosophical Considerations of Physical Strength in 2010 and Herschel Walker's Basic Training (Doubleday, 1989), and more than 500 articles in both popular and academic publications, including Sports Illustrated, Readers' Digest, the Journal of Sport History, Iron Man, Muscle & Fitness, Texas Monthly, Men's Journal, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. Co-editor since 1990 of Iron Game History, a journal dealing with the history of physical culture. Lectures often around the nation on the subjects of drugs in sports, strength training, and sport/fitness history.
Served as CBS' commentator on sports medicine and drug testing in the year prior to, and during, both the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Worked as a color commentator on sports for CBS, NBC, ESPN, and the BBC and has appeared many times on such shows as the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN News, and CNN's Newsmakers. Consulted for many television programs, including 60 Minutes. Provided regular commentaries on sports medicine and history for National Public Radio's Morning Edition from 1986 to 1996. Created and directed the nationally televised contest—“Strongest Man in Football”—in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Also created and still directs the “Arnold Strongman Classic” contest, which has worldwide tv coverage. Also created and directs Mighty Mitts, a grip contest, at the Arnold Sports Festival. From 1983-1995 co-coached UT's lifting teams, winners of many national championships and holders of many national records. Also coached world record holder, Mark Henry, since 1990. Henry is considered by many people to be history’s strongest man.
Collected books and magazines in physical fitness and sports for almost 50 years. With his wife, Jan, also a professor at U.T., has assembled a collection of books, magazines, videos, photos, training courses and films in the fields of fitness, resistance training, strongmen, early medical practices, and conditioning for athletics. The 500,000+ item collection, the largest in this field in the world, is housed at UT in the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, which the Todds founded and direct. The Stark Center occupies approximately 27,500 square feet and is both a research library and museum. They have donated the collection to the university so that students and other people with an interest in these fields will have a public place to do research in these areas.
In 2004, inducted into both the National Strength Coaching Association’s Hall of Fame and the USAPL’s Women’s Hall of Fame (as an administrator). Inducted into the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2009 and the National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2010. Member of the USAPL and the IPF Hall of Fame since 1979.
