Robert "Bob" Hoffman Pennsylvania Strength and Power HoF inductee 2022 (Contributor)
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Robert “Bob” Hoffman
1/9/1898-7/18/1985
Bob was born in Georgia, and his family moved to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, when he was about 5. Bob enlisted in the Army in 1917 and was cited for gallantry in action during World War 1. In August 1919, Bob was discharged from the Army as a second lieutenant and returned to Pittsburg. He briefly worked for a steel mill and then as a salesman for several firms. In 1920, Bob moved to York, Pennsylvania, and managed an auto parts operation. He then went into the oil burner business with his brother. While the business was unsuccessful, Bob learned about the oil burner business and went into a new venture with a local inventor, Ed Kraber. Ed liked inventing, Bob liked sales, and York Oil Burner took off.
Bob enjoyed athletics growing up, participating in rowing, canoeing, boxing, and running competitions. About 1923, Bob purchased a Milo Barbell and began training to build strength for sports. Bob discovered the sport of weightlifting and began to practice the lifts at the York YMCA under the guidance of Doc Bleeker, the YMCA physical director. Bob won the ACWLA National Championships as a heavyweight in 1927. By 1927, York Oil Burner was very successful, with branches in Philadelphia and Toronto.
In 1929, Bob acquired a building at 51 North Broad Street in York to manufacture oil burners. The second floor would become the original York Gym. About this time, Bob began to manufacture barbells at the same location. Also, the York Oil Burner Athletic Club was formed at this time. Bob began to recruit the best lifters in the nation, including Bill Good, Dick Bachtell, and Wally Zagurski. York Oil Burner was very successful during the Depression era, and Bob would use that success to further his influence in weightlifting.
In 1932, Bob started publishing Strength and Health Magazine. The magazine's focus was on weightlifting and physical culture. The magazine soon outsold other similar publications of the time. In 1938, Bob sold his interest in York Oil Burner and founded the York Barbell Company and the York Barbell Club. Eventually, York barbells were used in almost every country and major international competitions, including the Olympic Games. In 1964, Bob began publishing Muscular Development, primarily for bodybuilders and the new sport of powerlifting. Bob also manufactured a wide variety of supplements for athletes. Strength and Health and Muscular Development would be published until 1986.
Bob started funding the United States international weightlifting teams in the 1930’s. Bob paid for everything the lifters needed as there was no public financial support for weightlifting. Bob paid all the lifter's expenses when the 1946 World Championship Team was stranded in France for six weeks due to a strike. Bob probably paid all team expenses for about 30 years. Bob would sometimes pay for foreign team expenses so they could compete at the Worlds in the United States. From about 1936 to 1960, the United States had one of the strongest weightlifting teams in the world. The US team would win several World Championship and Olympic titles during those years. Bob also served as an administrator for weightlifting and powerlifting, serving on countless committees. Bob traveled around the world to attend meetings at his own expense. No one gave more time and money to weightlifting and powerlifting than Bob.
Bob was coach of the Olympic Weightlifting Team from 1948 to 1964. His team, The York Barbell Club, won 49 Senior National Weightlifting Team titles. Bob also founded the United States Weightlifting Hall of Fame in York. Due to Bob and other greats of his day, weight training is acceptable and available for athletes and the general public. This is perhaps Bob’s greatest accomplishment. While lifting for sports is common today, it was a real struggle for Bob and his contemporaries to overcome the “muscle-bound and slow” beliefs of his day.
Probably no one has done more for weightlifting and powerlifting than Bob Hoffman. While his financial success strongly contributed to his leadership in weightlifting, his love for strength and power sports cannot be denied. As Bob said long ago, “I love weightlifting and weightlifters.”
It would require a book to tell Bob’s story. For more information about Bob Hoffman and York Barbell, read John D. Fair’s book Muscletown USA. Most of the information in this Bio was obtained from Muscletown USA.
Author: By Strength and Power Hall of Fame Completed: yes Created: Wed Sep 28 19:51:33 UTC 2022 | Last Updated: Tue Dec 26 17:17:51 UTC 2023