Bill Clark and the Zercher Lift
by Al Myers
The founding father of the USAWA, Bill Clark, making a 405 pound Zercher Lift.
I recently found this picture of our USAWA founder, Bill Clark, performing one of his favorite lifts, the Zercher Lift. The Zercher Lift was named after the famous old time Missouri strongman Ed Zercher. This picture was taken in the early 1960’s at a meet at the Leavenworth Prison, which Bill was promoting. Bill’s best lifetime Zercher Lift was 455 pounds – which would still be the best at most USAWA meets today. In a true Zercher Lift, the bar is taken from the platform, and not from a rack or stands. Notice that Bill is not even wearing a belt!