Clyde Emrich

Clyde Emrich (born April 6, 1931 Chicago, Illinois) is a former Olympic weightlifter for the United States. He was also a long-time strength coach for the Chicago Bears, who in 2008 named their weight room after him. He is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.

Family

Emrich has five sisters and one brother. His father worked for the Pittsburgh Glass Company as a salesman.[1]

Early life

When Emrich was a child, he enjoyed playing football and baseball. He began lifting weights at age 15 where he only weighed 110 pounds standing at 5 foot 6 inches tall. He had no coaching or training so he would turn to Strength and Health magazine for help on strength programs and how to lift. His early start to lifting weights paid off, leading him to win his high school wrestling championship and finishing the 100-yard dash in 10.2 seconds.[1]

Career

Emrich was self-coached throughout his career in weightlifting. He placed eighth in the 181-pound weight class on the US Olympic weightlifting team in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. In 1954, he took 3rd place in the Senior World Championships held in Vienna, Austria. He later won the silver medal in Munich, Germany and was invited to be a part of the American team on its goodwill tour of the Far East. Emrich set his first world record on March 30, 1957. He was the first middle heavyweight at 198 pounds to clean and jerk 400 pounds. Just two weeks later, he set the record to 409 pounds on the clean and jerk.[1]

Emrich was also in the US military. While in the military, he was stationed in Germany. He continued to strength train and competed internationally. He beat the best weight lifters in France twice in 1953. In 1957, Emrich severely hurt his shoulder which required 18 months of treatment. However, in 1959, he competed in the Pan American Games in Chicago where he took home a gold medal. During his career, he won four Senior National titles as well as several state and regional championships.[1]

Organizations
  • USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame
  • Illinois State Weightlifting Hall of Fame
  • USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame
  • Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame[1]

Weightlifting achievements

References
  1. "Clyde Emrich". CSCC. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
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