José Antonio Lopetegui Aranguren (born 1930) is a Spanish former weightlifter who competed in the traditional Basque sport of stone-lifting ( harri-jasotze). Born in Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, Lopetegui was one of eleven siblings; all eight brothers took part in the same sport. He was known by the nickname Aguerre II, with his older brother Luis being Aguerre I. He was able to lift a 100 kg stone 22 times in a minute. The eight brothers attempted to set a record of each lifting 188 kg at the same time, but were persuaded not to by their wives, who considered stone-lifting to be a rural pastime not befitting of their new statuses as urban businessmen. Aguerre I died in 1969, leaving the attempt unfulfilled and Aguerre II the pre-eminent face in the sport. On the orders of General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

, Lopetegui was courted to be a

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

boxer, an offer that would have made him wealthier and more famous nationally and internationally. He turned down the offer as he considered himself to be sufficiently wealthy through his businesses: a bus company, restaurant and hostel. A fellow Basque,

Jose Manuel Urtain José Manuel Ibar Azpiazu (also known as Urtain; 14 May 1943 – 21 July 1992) was a Spanish boxer, who became the EBU heavyweight champion in 1970 and 1971. Biography Born in Aizarnazabal, he was nicknamed Urtain as it was the name of the ho ...

, took up the dictator's invitation and achieved fame before committing suicide. Lopetegui was also the mayor of

Asteasu Asteasu () is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in the north of Spain. References External links Official WebsiteInformation available in Spanish la ...

. Among his children was

Julen Lopetegui Julen Lopetegui Agote (; born 28 August 1966) is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. A goalkeeper, he played 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons, representing Real Madrid ...

, who played for and managed the Spain national football team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopetegui, Jose Antonio Living people 1930 births People from Azpeitia Sportspeople from Gipuzkoa Spanish weightlifters Mayors of places in the Basque Country