Bill Starr

Today the world lost a great Coach, Mentor, writer, artist, pioneer, free spirit and I personally lost a very dear friend. Words can't describe how much Bill means to me and my family and the impact he has had not only on my life but the lives of the people who truly call Bill a friend. I am filled with emotions as I write this and the words below are to give a small glimpse into my story with Bill, the love I have for him, and a tribute to the impact he has had on my life and the life of my friends and family.

I was bitten by the Iron Bug in the fall of 1992 and picked up an Ironman magazine to "learn" how to train. I read it cover to cover but there was only one article that made sense to me. It was written as a dialog between the author and his bald uncle who loved to incline press. I was hooked and only bought magazines going forward if they contained articles from "Bill Starr Strength Coach Johns Hopkins University" It was ironic that I was also applying to colleges as the time and I would be lying if the possibility of meeting this person who had now attained mystical proportions in my imagination did not help Hopkins jump to the top of the list. I was lucky enough to get accepted but quickly learned after my first interaction with Bill that I had to earn his friendship. After proving myself, he started to coach me, this grew into a friendship, and over the next year and until today we grew to become very close. "Starrman" became an integral part of my education and growth as an athlete but more importantly as a person. This not only true for me but for countless others over the past 55+ years. Bill never hid that he was human and made some choices he wished he could change but used these experiences too teach us. Bill taught me how to lead, push people to be their best, to give selflessly, gain joy through the achievements of others, and to try to get a little bit better everyday.

In the summer of 1998 Bill lived with me for a few months during his recovery from hip surgery and I would do anything to go back to the nightly talks we would have about life, history, taking risk and having "balls for the curves." Conversation would always loop back to lifting meets of the past, platform strategy, and the training of my crew at Dumbarton. We would talk about his early training years with Sid Henry and for hours talk about lifters that no one had ever heard of, but who did something that impressed Bill. What was so beautiful about Starrman as a coach was that your current abilities, potential, or talent didn't matter as long as you gave him 100%. That's all that Bill asked for. You would do anything to make a lift in the hope that you would get a "Not Bad" with a squeeze on the trap and pinky poke into your ribs as recognition. He knew how to get the best out of his athletes and we all still long for his approval.

I am thankful for Jim Moser's use of the "Iron Grapevine" to get a message out that Bill was in the hospital. Over the past 2 weeks I have been able to spend time with him and these moments I will always cherish. Even though he was very sick his compassion for his friends never ended. One small bright spot during this time is that many old friends have been able to reconnect and share the light that Bill brought into their lives. It was great to hear numerous World Champions and Olympians share how Bill got them into lifting and how these experiences shaped their achievement and the people they became beyond the platform. Bill will always live on in our memories, stories, and in the love he shared in his own special way.

Bill is now in a better place. I see him on a walk with Grimek, Barski, and Smitty sharing stories and planning their quest to finally tame the White Buffalo.

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