Richard W. "Rick" Stephenson (born 1955 or 1956 in

Yuba City Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical ...

) is an American bodybuilder and former

United States Army Ranger United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

Biography

He was involved sports since his youngest years and was a high school

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

. He started to work out as a 14-year-old. After high school he enlisted to the military and was promptly sent to West Germany. In 1979, he was accepted to the

San Diego Mesa College San Diego Mesa College (Mesa College or Mesa) is a public community college in Clairemont Mesa in San Diego, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges and the San Diego Community College District. It is the largest community ...

, where he majored in aviation occupations. He never finished college but in the meantime was selected for the

United States Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

—a special operations unit of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. He graduated from the

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

military school for special forces soldiers, and considers years of torturous trainings at the camp the most rewarding times of his life, admitting: "Your body can stand ten times more than you think it can." Stephenson's bodybuilding debut was the Gold's Classic in Los Angeles, organized by the

National Physique Committee The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is ...

(NPC), where he placed second in the light-heavyweight category. Stephenson was featured on the front page of ''

Muscular Development ''Muscular Development'' is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine first published in 1964. It was founded by Bob Hoffman. History John Grimek was the editor from 1964 until its sale in 1986 to Twinlab.

'' in May 1989. He is tall and had a competition weight of . He lives in San Diego, California, with his Swedish-born wife Agnetha Stephenson, née Roca, whom he married in the 1980s. He has five sons: Erik, Niklas, Mattius, Alek, and Derrik. Erik (b. 1992) is a soccer player and Niklas is a professional baseball player. Stephenson is a co-founder of the TG Gym San Diego.

Bodybuilding titles

* 1981: Gold's Classic – NPC, Light-HeavyWeight, 2nd * 1981: Nationals – NPC, Light-HeavyWeight, 11th * 1985: USA Championships – NPC, Light-HeavyWeight, 4th * 1987: California Championships – NPC, 2nd * 1988: California Championships – NPC, HeavyWeight, 1st * 1988: California Championships – NPC, Overall Winner * 1989: USA Championships – NPC, HeavyWeight, 3rd * 1990: Nationals – NPC, HeavyWeight, 4th

References

External links

Rick Stephenson's profile at MuscleMemory.com

Gallery of Rick Stephenson's photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Rick 1950s births American male bodybuilders Living people People associated with physical culture People from Yuba City, California Sportspeople from San Diego United States Army Rangers