Oders Dell Wilson Jr. (September 12, 1954 – October 29, 1991) was an American world champion powerlifter and world champion strongman competitor.

Strongman/Powerlifting

"O.D." Wilson came very close to being the first American since Bill Kazmaier to win the World's Strongest Man title in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

. Leading the competition with a comfortable 5½ points before the last event - an unprecedented 200 m race with a 100 kg weight on the back - the very heavy 400 lb Wilson lacked the endurance and running speed to complete the course quickly and ended up losing by just half a point to the much lighter Jón Páll Sigmarsson in the overall competition. Wilson vowed to win the

1991 World's Strongest Man The 1991 World's Strongest Man was the 14th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland. It was his first title. Henning Thorsen from Denmark finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Gary ...

title, but a back injury sustained just before the competition, a

prolapsed disc Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

, hampered his performance and he finished in fifth place. Wilson was known by the nickname "Nightmare", as he was an incredibly massive man, but he was known for his genial character and big heart. Wilson spent 12 years in the military, eight of which were spent overseas in Germany,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and Korea.David Webster, ''Sons of Samson - Volume 2'', page 61, (Ironmind Enterprises Inc: Nevada City), Prior to putting on weight, Wilson was a 200 m

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

athlete, a basketball player, boxed for two years in the Army, and was an avid racquetball player. When Wilson was not competing, he was a security guard and a bodyguard to various celebrities, including

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

. Wilson was a very successful powerlifter, rising to fame in the mid-1980s. He was a five-time U.S. Services champion and a five-time U.S Army titleholder. Wilson won the 1988 USPF National Super Heavyweight Powerlifting title, as well as the 1988 IPF World Powerlifting Championships. Some of Wilson's training partners were also notable World's Strongest Man competitors including

Rick "Grizzly" Brown Rick "Grizzly" Brown (April 4, 1960 – January 2, 2002) was an American powerlifter, strength athlete and professional Strongman competitor from Berkeley, California.David Webster, ''Sons of Samson - Volume 2'', pages 76-77, (Ironmind Enterpris ...

, Bill Kazmaier and James Perry, who competed in the

1992 World's Strongest Man The 1992 World's Strongest Man was the 15th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Ted van der Parre from the Netherlands after finishing fourth the previous year. It was his first title. 1991 winner Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland fini ...

. Wilson set multiple world records throughout his career; at the 1989 Armed Forces Championships, O.D. Wilson squatted 1002 pounds (445 kg), benched 552 pounds (250 kg), and deadlifted 876 pounds (397 kg) for a then, all-time total record of 2430 pounds.Powerlifting USA article about O.D. Wilson lifting at the Armed Forces Championships 1989
/ref> Wilson's weight at that meet was measured at 400 lbs (180 kg), his height was measured at 6’ 7” (201 cm). It is believed that he had one of the biggest ever quadriceps, measuring a phenomenal 42 inches. Wilson's shoe size was 23 and his ring size was 26, while the ring size for the average adult male is between 10 and 12. Wilson also appeared in a 1989 science fiction action film ''Cyborg'' featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme. He is considered by many to be the strongest man to never win the World’s Strongest Man contest, along with

Riku Kiri Riku Kiri (born April 5, 1963 in Kotka, Finland) is a Finnish former strongman and powerlifter, best known for competing in the World's Strongest Man competition, narrowly missing out on capturing the title on more than one occasion. He has been ...

and

Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone (born September 28, 1981) is an American former professional strongman athlete from Woodbridge, Connecticut who placed runner-up at the 2008 World's Strongest Man. Derek Poundstone is a ...

Death

On October 29, 1991, while being interviewed on a radio program just a few weeks after the

competition, Wilson complained of chest pains and went outside for some fresh air. Within moments, he collapsed and died of cardiac arrest. He was just 37 years old.

Personal Records

Powerlifting * Squat – 454.2 kg (1002 lbs) ''equipped'' *

Bench Press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

– 257 kg (566 lbs) ''equipped'' * Deadlift – 397.5 kg (876.3 lbs) * Total – 1102.2 kg (454.2/250.4/397.5) / 2430 lbs (1002/552/876.3) ''equipped'' (2/16/89 USPF) :→ former all-time world record in super heavyweight class (regardless of weight class)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, O.D. 1954 births 1991 deaths American strength athletes American powerlifters People from Winter Haven, Florida Sportspeople from Winter Haven, Florida