The energy neighborhood misplaced a brother with the passing of California powerlifting legend Richard Schoenberger on July 20. Affectionately nicknamed “Huge Daddy,” he was 57 years outdated.
Schoenberger was identified in native lifting circles for his prodigious, unenhanced energy. He was a drug-free lifter and achieved his private information “uncooked” (no help from lifting shirts or different implements). His greatest uncooked bench press in a contest was 612 kilos, and he as soon as benched 625 throughout a exercise—on the time a world report within the American Newbie Athletic Union. Schoenberger was as constant as he was dominant, posting a outstanding 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 2 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. In line with his son, Josh Schoenberger, The Richard “Huge Daddy” Schoenberger Legacy Basis was set as much as assist youthful athletes study correct lifting method—the sort Huge Daddy would commonly preach—in a “constructive setting.”
Robust and Drug Free
“So far as the numbers and competitions, you need to take into consideration that he was a 100% lifetime drug-free athlete,” Fletcher as soon as mentioned of Schoenberger’s powerlifting information. “There are solely a handful of fellows in historical past which are drug-free guys, lifting in a T-shirt, who [bench-pressed] over 600 kilos. And also you’re one [in Richard Schoenberger]. It’s an enormous f–-ing deal.”
Schoenberger’s feats of energy went past the burden room, into true strongman territory. In a 2019 interview, he instructed 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 pleasure) of his dad, an extremely robust man in his personal proper.
Initially from Lakewood, CA, Schoenberger performed school 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 School and Lakewood Excessive College earlier than that.
Outdoors of powerlifting, Schoenberger was a faithful household man, survived by his spouse Leslee and sons Josh and Zach. Professionally, he was an achieved engineer and loved a profitable profession as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agent.
“He was precisely what the world needs to be,” Josh instructed M&F days after his father’s passing. “To know him was to like him. He was a real-life tremendous hero. He made you a greater particular person by simply being in his presence.”
An enormous, robust man, weighing as a lot as 350 kilos throughout his powerlifting profession, Schoenberger was by all accounts a mild large—an affable, down-to-earth kind that others flocked to. In case you knew Huge Daddy, you appreciated him.
No Larger Fan than His Household
Of all his admirers worldwide, Richard Schoenberger had no greater fan than his son, Josh. As a 12-year-old, Josh recollects one impactful second a father and son outing—on the health club, after all—that modified him perpetually.
After years of being taught the bench press fundamentals at residence, the 12-year-old shares the story of receiving his first weightlifting check when his father lastly introduced him to a neighborhood 24-Hour Health for a exercise.
The outing started with a small warmup and a few fatherly method suggestions, then it was time to elevate.
It was bench press day, and Huge Daddy began off with a forty five on either side for a fast warmup. “I bear in mind he saved saying it was an off day,” Josh recollects. Quickly 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, “Ought to I maintain going?” “I’m like, yeah, maintain going.” Josh mentioned.
There was a terrifying catch, Josh says: “My father goes, ‘Okay, however you’re gonna spot me.’ I used to be like, I don’t know, it’s actually heavy. I don’t know if I can. And he goes, ‘NO, you bought this.’ It simply gave me this confidence. when he instructed me I had it, I actually had it.”
And now with about 40 gymgoers gathering across the space, Huge 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 whole 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 each know now {that a} 12-year-old ain’t received an opportunity pulling that weight up,” Josh recollects. “however that was the kind of confidence that he gave to everybody that he met. It was unbelievable.”
Tributes for ‘Huge Daddy’ Schoenberger
“The mightiest man to stroll 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, and even his 525-pound strict army press that made him the mightiest. It’s the truth that he at all times had a phrase of encouragement for everybody he encountered. This was my brother. We educated collectively for 35 years, we reigned collectively as champions, and we grew outdated collectively. And after I was virtually useless, my brother held me up! He by no means obtained the accolades a champion of his stature ought to have, possibly due to his refusal to ever take any kind of enhancing medication, or possibly it was as a result of he was actually one of many nicest individuals you’ve ever met, with the largest coronary heart you’ve ever seen. His spouse and two sons have been his life. A devoted father, loving husband, brother, and my brother. Now he’s in heaven warming up the bench for us so we are able to proceed our set – Richard ‘Huge Daddy’ Schoenberger.”
Jeff Tomko contributed to this text.
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