Clyde Emrich

Clyde Emrich had the following podium finishes at major championships: second in the 1955 World Championships middle-heavyweight class (427.5 kg), third in the 1954 World Championships middle-heavyweight class (427.5 kg), and first in the 1959 Pan American Games middle-heavyweight class (432.5 kg). Emrich was US Champion as a light-heavyweight in 1952, and in the middle-heavyweight class in 1956-57, and 1959. He set two world records – both in the clean & jerk – and was considered the first man under 200 lbs (91 kg) to clean and jerk 400 lbs (192 kg).

In 1963 Emrich met George Halas, long-time head coach of the Chicago Bears, and they discussed isometric training for strength. In 1971 Emrich was hired by the Bears as the first strength and conditioning coach in the NFL. Nicknamed “The Legend,” he would work for the Bears for 50 years, later becoming a training camp administrator, and at his death, was the longest-tenured Bears’ employee. In 2008 the Bears named their weight room in his honor.