Sorry to disappoint you but this log is not political but it is timely. I was talking with a friend today about the election and Coaching Log topics and he suggested that I write about who was Our Strongest President. Or most athletic. That is quite a challenge but I’ve narrowed to down to five.
And the five are from recent history.
Why?
Well, it’s hard to get actual facts because in the very early days they didn’t really play organized sports. But they did WORK. And that makes you strong. So, I went with those I could get actual facts on.
And if you Google this topic, it lists a lot of Presidents in this category because they were active. I’m not looking for active. I’m looking to see who was Our Strongest President (or most athletic).
Now, I can’t find any records of U.S. Presidents competing in what we know as modern strength sports, so deciding on the strongest is tough.
I’m going to give you my list of Our Strongest President in no particular order until we get to number 1! Discussing the feats that Our Strongest Presidents did is a rabbit hole you can go deep into, so I’ll keep each description brief.
Up first on the list of Our Strongest President is Dwight Eisenhower, or just Ike as he was known.
Ike was not only one of our country’s best generals, he was an athlete. Ike played both ways for West Point (Army) as a running back and a linebacker. He also broke 80 at Augusta more than once.
Next on the Our Strongest President list is George HW Bush.
Photo credit: Houston Chronicle
Without bringing politics into this article, I have to say, I didn’t want to include him because I think he was a terrible president.
But, fair is fair and he was an excellent athlete. W. played first base for Yale and was runner up in two College World Series.
He was also a fighter pilot in WW2. That is a job that requires a HUGE level of strength and fitness. Those old planes were not like modern ones.
Photo credit: www.jfklibrary.org
Moving along, our next mention is John F. Kennedy.
Despite having a well known history of back problems, JFK was a very well rounded athlete. He swam at Harvard, and was known as an excellent Golfer.
I added him in because when JFK’s boat, the PT 109 was sunk in WW2 he dragged a fellow crewman to shore by swimming while holding a strap in his teeth.
That is fucking savage.
That is strong.
If you know me, than you know he had to be on the list.
Our last addition to Our Strongest President list is my personal favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt.
Teddy had many health issues as a boy, but he fought tooth and nail to be strong.
He lifted weights when only weirdos did that, he boxed, wrestled, studied Judo and much more.
He was known for having Boxing matches at the White
House and also having fistfights with other politicians at Tammany Hall.
I cold go on and on about the exploits of TR, but I urge you to look them up yourself. The things this man did are almost unbelievable.
Photo credit: defense.gov
In the #1 spot, we have a short term President who was mercilessly mocked by Saturday Night Live for being a stumbling buffoon who couldn’t walk without falling.
But Gerald Ford could have been a Pro Football player. He was arguably the greatest athlete we have had in office by record.
Ford played on two national championship football teams at Michigan and was team MVP in 1934. After that game he was quoted as saying “I’d much rather have been the ‘least valuable player on a winning Michigan team.’”
The Packers and other teams wanted him to play pro, but he had other plans. President Ford also ran track and was a boxer.
I wish that I could have found a few who squatted 800 pounds, but sport was different back then.
I hope you enjoyed my Our Strongest President list.
It was fun researching it.
Did you miss last week’s log?
Read it here.
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Vincere vel mori
C.J. Murphy
November 7, 2024