[ad_1]
The power group misplaced a brother with the passing of California powerlifting legend Richard Schoenberger on July 20. Affectionately nicknamed “Big Daddy,” he was 57 years outdated.
Schoenberger was recognized in native lifting circles for his prodigious, unenhanced power. He was a drug-free lifter and achieved his private data “raw” (no help from lifting shirts or different implements). His finest uncooked bench press in a contest was 612 kilos, and he as soon as benched 625 throughout a exercise—on the time a world document within the American Amateur Athletic Union. Schoenberger was as constant as he was dominant, posting a exceptional 13-year undefeated streak in bench press competitions by way of the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. His different PRs included a 525-pound standing army press, 850 kilos for 10 reps on field squats, and a 425-pound bench press at age 16.
Schoenberger was a longtime coaching companion of well-known powerlifter, bodybuilder, and actor C.T. Fletcher. The two have been so shut that Fletcher continually referred to Schoenberger as “my brother.”
A GoFundMe Page has been created in honor of the late powerlifting icon. According to his son, Josh Schoenberger, The Richard “Big Daddy” Schoenberger Legacy Foundation was set as much as assist youthful athletes study correct lifting method—the sort Big Daddy would usually preach—in a “positive environment.”
Strong and Drug Free
“As far as the numbers and competitions, you have to take into account that he was a 100% lifetime drug-free athlete,” Fletcher as soon as mentioned of Schoenberger’s powerlifting data. “There are only a handful of guys in history that are drug-free guys, lifting in a T-shirt, who [bench-pressed] over 600 pounds. And you’re looking at one [in Richard Schoenberger]. It’s a big f–-ing deal.”
Schoenberger’s feats of power went past the burden room, into true strongman territory. In a 2019 interview, he informed a narrative of when he as soon as actually picked up a automobile – a Volkswagen that his father was engaged on within the household’s yard. He lifted the automobile from the facet and rolled it over, a lot to the shock (and satisfaction) of his dad, an extremely robust man in his personal proper.
Originally from Lakewood, CA, Schoenberger performed faculty soccer as a linebacker and nostril guard at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo for 2 years (1987 and 1988) following a stint at Cerritos Junior College and Lakewood High School earlier than that.
Outside of powerlifting, Schoenberger was a loyal household man, survived by his spouse Leslee and sons Josh and Zach. Professionally, he was an completed engineer and loved a profitable profession as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agent.
“He was exactly what the world should be,” Josh informed M&F days after his father’s passing. “To know him was to love him. He was a real-life super hero. He made you a better person by just being in his presence.”
A giant, robust man, weighing as a lot as 350 kilos throughout his powerlifting profession, Schoenberger was by all accounts a delicate big—an affable, down-to-earth kind that others flocked to. If you knew Big Daddy, you preferred him.
No Bigger Fan than His Family
Of all his admirers worldwide, Richard Schoenberger had no greater fan than his son, Josh. As a 12-year-old, Josh remembers one impactful second a father and son outing—on the health club, after all—that modified him ceaselessly.
After years of being taught the bench press fundamentals at house, the 12-year-old shares the story of receiving his first weightlifting take a look at when his father lastly introduced him to a neighborhood 24-Hour Fitness for a exercise.
The outing started with a small warmup and a few fatherly method ideas, then it was time to raise.
It was bench press day, and Big Daddy began off with a forty five on either side for a fast warmup. “I remember he kept saying it was an off day,” Josh remembers. Soon after, 135 went to 225, then got here one other pair of 45s. After ending a set of 315, Josh says his father turning to him and casually asks, “Should I keep going?” “I’m like, yeah, keep going.” Josh mentioned.
There was a terrifying catch, Josh says: “My father goes, ‘Okay, but you’re gonna spot me.’ I was like, I don’t know, it’s really heavy. I don’t know if I can. And he goes, ‘NO, you got this.’ It just gave me this confidence. when he told me I had it, I really had it.”
And now with about 40 gymgoers gathering across the space, Big Daddy proceeded, banging out what Josh says was about 20 reps. On the ultimate rep, Josh mentioned his father “struggled”—leaving it as much as his him to complete the job. Josh used all his preteen would possibly to get the bar again onto the rack safely onto the rack. The total health club cheered, after which Richard turned to his son, and confidently mentioned that it was his recognizing assist that helped him get by way of the set.
“You and I both know now that a 12-year-old ain’t got a chance pulling that weight up,” Josh remembers. “but that was the type of confidence that he gave to everyone that he met. It was incredible.”
Tributes for ‘Big Daddy’ Schoenberger
“The mightiest man to walk the face of the Earth,” Fletcher mentioned of Schoenberger within the days after his passing. “It isn’t his 13 world drug-free titles, his 600+ bench press, his 1,000+ squat, or even his 525-pound strict military press that made him the mightiest. It’s the fact that he always had a word of encouragement for everyone he encountered. This was my brother. We trained together for 35 years, we reigned together as champions, and we grew old together. And when I was almost dead, my brother held me up! He never received the accolades a champion of his stature should have, maybe because of his refusal to ever take any type of enhancing drugs, or maybe it was because he was truly one of the nicest people you’ve ever met, with the biggest heart you’ve ever seen. His wife and two sons were his life. A dedicated father, loving husband, brother, and my brother. Now he’s in heaven warming up the bench for us so we can continue our set – Richard ‘Big Daddy’ Schoenberger.”
Jeff Tomko contributed to this text.