Al Feuerbach California Strength and Power HoF inductee 2021

By Strength and Power Hall of Fame

A brief personal history:
Born on January 14,1948. Grew up in Preston , Iowa , population 950. Our family was sports oriented and I and all 4 of my brothers were all around athletes. Being on the small side for a shot putter I went to college and competed for Emporia State , Kansas , an NAIA school at that time. On graduation day in May , 1970 I began driving west to Southern California where I lived and trained near USC until moving up to San Jose on Sept. 1 , 1971. I've lived , trained , and worked in sound recording in the San Francisco Bay Area ever since. Married Anne Evans , a sound recordist who I first met while being profiled for the Road to Moscow series in 1979-80 and later entered that same profession. We have a son , Evan , who was born in San Francisco in 1989. I have lived in the Santa Cruz Mts. , Los Gatos , Ca. since 1977 , and living and working for 5 years in San Francisco from 1987-1992. 

What lead you to your sport:
My father had played basketball for Iowa State while going to vet school and always promoted sports in our family. I played baseball and basketball year around from my earliest memory. I was in the 8th grade when Track & Field was added as a high school sport and my brother Gary brought the 12lb HS shot home one day. I picked the shot up and tossed it in the back yard and then had an inspiration to try and throw it farther than the 1st time. That inspiration stayed with me for 22 years and included setting World indoor records and the World outdoor Record and making 3 Olympic teams! Although I was accomplished as a baseball , basketball , and football player there was something more appealing to me about the objective nature of measuring achievement in the throwing events and in lifting weights. I had always admired strength and had the 1st barbell set in our hometown , even before that 1st toss of the shot. It was a health ways set and back when there were still questions about weightlifting making you muscle bound. I added a York Olympic set a few years later. 

Achievements in your sport:
-1966-Iowa HS Class C State Champion , shot put.
-1967-70-NAIA National Champ , 2 times outdoors , 2 times indoors.
-1971-1st of 4 WR's indoors
-1972-2nd man to ever throw over 70 feet with the 16lb. shot , behind Randy Matson
-1971-Pam Am Games Gold Medalist , shot put , Cali , Columbia
-Olympic Games-5th in Munich '72. 4th in Montreal '76. US boycott Moscow '80.
-World Record shot put , May 5th '73 with 71''7" in San Jose , Ca. A few hours later set 2 Nor Cal -Olympic lift records at a meet in Belmont , Ca.
-National Champion indoor , shot put '71 , '75 , '78.
-National Champion outdoor , shot put '73 , '74 , '75 , '78.
-National Championship 2nd place '76 , '77 , '79. 3rd place '70 , '71 , 80.
-World ranked #1 , '73 &'74.
-National Championships Olympic style Weightlifting. Williamsburg , Va. 2nd place '73 Super heavyweight weighing 243lbs. one half pound over heavyweight class. lifts Snatch 336 , Clean & Jerk 419. Five days later in Bakersfield , Ca. won National Championship , shot put.
-National Championships Olympic style Weightlifting. 1st place '74 Heavyweight ( 242 & under ) Snatch 342 , Clean & Jerk 419. lifted in '75 Nationals injured the day before in shot put contest in Oregon. Did not complete a Clean & Jerk. 
Note: In 1974 I won the Nationals in weightlifting on June 9th in York , Pa. with 342/419lbs. and 13 days later won the Nationals in Track & Field , shot put on June 22nd in Westwood , Ca. with 70'9.75"

State, National and World records. ( Using bullet form)
-1966 , Iowa State Class C record. 60'9.5". 12lb. HS shot.
-1970 , NAIA National Outdoor Meet Record. 61'4.75". 16lb. Billings , Mt.
-1973 , World and American Record. 71'7.25" May 5,1973 , San Jose , Ca.
1971 , World Indoor shot put Record. 68'11" San Francisco Cow Palace.
1972 , World Indoor Record. 69'4.1/4" Pocatello , Id.
1973 , World Indoor Record. 69'5.3/4" Portland , Or.
1973 , World Indoor Record. 69'4.5" , Sunkist meet , Los Angeles , Ca. 

Other accomplishments.
Best training lifts.  
Seated DB Inclines , 140's x 5x5.
Snatch , 345. In training.
C & J , 425. In training.
Full Squat. 580 , Olympic style.

Activities within the sport:
In 1980 , the Moscow boycott year , I took a roll with a speaking part in the movie 'Personal Best' with Mariel Hemingway and directed by Robert Towne. I played the part of a Shot Putter.
In 2005 though extremely busy in the production world as a sound recordist I took on coaching a Santa Cruz gal from Harbor HS , Julie Defresne , who improved 8ft. in the 3 months that we trained together , improving to 50'9.5" and winning the California State HS shot title.

.

Author: By Strength and Power Hall of Fame Completed: yes Created: Sat Oct 09 22:56:57 UTC 2021 | Last Updated: Sat Dec 23 02:31:12 UTC 2023