Dr. Thomas Hunt, the director of the Institute for Olympic Studies at the Stark Center, spoke with KVUE about our newest Exhibit. Click the above image to watch on KVUE. Unfortunately, the interview video is not available anymore on KVUE.
Several weeks ago, when the 2015 version of the Guinness World Records book (GWR) was published it contained a short but significant new blurb stating that, “The greatest weight ever raised by a human being,” according to our 1955 book, “is 4333 lb (1.84 tons) [1965 kg] by the 25-stone [158.7-kg] French-Canadian Louis Cyr (1863-1912) in Chicago in 1896 in a back-lift (weight raised off trestles). Cyr had a 60 ½-in [153.6-cm] chest and 22-in [55.8-cm] biceps.” Today, the fully notarized record stands at 2,422 kg for two cars (plus drivers) on a platform backlifted by Gregg Ernst in Jul...
In the fall of 1914, America had 48 states, Austin had 32,000 residents, and the University of Texas had 2,254 registered students. Theo Bellmont had joined the Athletic Department in 1913 as Director, bringing with him a small bulldog pup later to become known as Pig Bellmont—our unofficial mascot. There were virtually no cars on campus, we’d yet to graduate a Ph.D., and the early rumblings of war in Europe seemed far away from the Forty Acres. Although Austin’s first movie theater—the Crescent—had opened in 1913, student life and entertainment largely revolved around campus activities. At that time—even more than...
On December 10th, the Stark Center hosted a party for approximately 125 fans of Austin golf, most of whom were members of the Austin History Center Association and, as such, were also students of the history of this part of Central Texas. The party featured an open bar, a catered buffet, and an informal, extended interview with Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw, two of golf’s most successful touring professionals [...]
Join us to celebrate the new book Take Charge: Fitness at the Edge of Science and the lifelong achievements of the author and bodybuilder Clarence Bass at a symposium on the role of science in exercise prescription. Three panels led by world-renowned experts will discuss the implications of recent research on physical training. The symposium will be held at the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, a museum and research library dedicated to physical culture and sports. This free public conference will be held on Friday, September 27th, 2013. The Stark Center is located in the north...
UT’s exclusive channel, the Longhorn Network, featured the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports co-directors Dr. Jan and Dr. Terry Todd in its series Game Changers on August 18th. In this documentary, the Todds look back on their careers as world-class weightlifters, discuss physical culture, and introduce viewers to the Stark Center. See the episode excerpt at https://news.utexas.edu/2015/05/31/ut-game-changers-jan-and-terry-todd/ Dr. Jan Todd, Fellow in the Roy J. McLean Fellowship in Sport History, is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at UT, Todd directs the Ph.D. program in Sport Studies; directs the Sport Management program;...
Alcade, the official publication of UT alumni organization Texas Exes, featured a project by Dr. Jan Todd, co-director of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports. In collaboration with the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History and UT Athletics, Dr. Todd has cataloged over 100 football programs going back to UT’s first game against the Dallas Football Club in 1893. Today, football programs are glossy magazines with photographs and player stats and bios. At their inception, Texas football programs were a way to help fans understand the rules of the game and identify the players. Rather than...
Early this morning Jan and I received a call from the family of Joe Weider that he had just died of natural causes in a local hospital near his home. To say that Joe was a giant in the world of physical culture would be an understatement, and a case could be made that his reach and influence in North America during the 20th century in that broad field exceeded that of any person living or dead. This reach and influence will be the subject of an upcoming special issue of Iron Game History, the journal we began in 1990....
