The World's Strongest Man

 William "Bill" Kazmaier was known throughout his early years as a gifted athlete in the school sports. The result was two years of football in college at the University of Wisconsin before dropping out to pursue his dream as a weightlifter in 1974. It was at this time that he witnessed two of the biggest shifts in his life. The one was physical, studying and practicing the powerlifting sport. The second was spiritual in nature, when Bill read a verse of Psalms 40 that apparently inspired him greatly. It was the culmination of these two things that pushed Kazmaier to follow his dream of becoming a professional in the strength and endurance fields.It took a while before Kaz was able to show the world his gifts. He made it to the top of the list in the world of powerlifting, making a record-breaking 633lb bench press world record (keeping the fact that this was prior to the use of bench shirts) in 1979. Kazmaier participated in the 1979 World's Strongest Man competition, which was a significant milestone in his path. In his first appearance, Kaz would place third, and astonish contestants and judges alike with his brute strength.Despite all of this success, Kazmaier was not in prosperity. Kazmaier was often unemployed and broke in southern California. However, a friend from his past picked him up and brought him to Auburn which is where he'd eventually get a job with the largest barbel manufacturer in the world. Kaz quickly found success at his new position and was awarded international recognition. Kaz also increased his world record bench press weight to 661lbs.