Howard Prechtel – The Supreme All-Rounder

(WEBMASTER’S NOTE: The following was written about Howard Prechtel by Bill Clark in the February, 1990 issue of the Strength Journal.  It is  the BEST STORY I have ever read concerning the life and lifting career of Howard Prechtel.  It is worth sharing again for those who missed it the first time.)

by Bill Clark

Howard and Noi - an uplifting couple.

An All-Rounder is a person who gets a thrill out of lifting anything that isn’t attached – and some things which are.  Possibly no individual in the USAWA more truly personifies the all-round mentality than Howard Prechtel. The 64-year old Cleveland native has been picking up iron for 45 years and seems to be enjoying it more now than ever before.  Training is even made easier by coaching Noi Phumchaona, his wife and fellow all-rounder.  That’s them in the picture.

When Howard lifted at John Vernacchio’s Valley Forge open last November 11th and finished off the day with his exhibition of the Travis Lift, it was simply another chapter in the rather amazing saga of Howard Prechtel and the iron pile.  Howard was born in Cleveland and grew up there, dropping out of school to join the service when he was 17.  He fought at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima and was awarded two Purple Hearts for wounds that eventually were the reason he’s still lifting iron at the age of 64.  After war service, Howard returned to Cleveland, bounced from job to job for a decade, went thru a marriage, and wound up in a hospital with shrapnel from an old war wound threatening his future.

Along the way, Howard had become intrigued by strongmen, such as Warren Lincoln Travis and Louis Cyr.  At age 31, Howard started to work on the things the old-time strongmen did.  Now, 33 years later, he’s still at it.  At the Valley Forge meet, Howard banged out 108 reps in the Travis Lift with 1027 pounds in 75 seconds.  When Travis was at the top of his game, he did 100 reps with 1000 pounds in 75 seconds.  And he was far short of being 64 years old.  That effort, which was done under careful scrutiny headed by USAWA President John Vernacchio, currently is not an approved USAWA record – but the effort is on the table – not dead.

It also is the extension of a remarkable lifting career.  Howard’s efforts have been aimed at three Travis specialties – the Roman Chair Sit-Up, the Hip Lift, and the Back Lift.  He also has returned to Olympic lifting and has captured national and international honors.  He’s lifted in two world masters meets and numerous national competitions. Howard’s record surge goes back to 1961 – not long after his stay in the hospital.  He came up with a one-hand effort of 1020 pounds in the Hand and Thigh.  That was on January 12th, 1961 – more than 29 years ago.  In November, 1963, he broke the mark of Travis which had defied those who tried… he hip lifted 1025 for 105 reps in 75 seconds.  It was 16 years before Howard would beat the mark again.  In May, 1979, he did 108 reps with 1109 in 75 seconds. That effort remains his personal record.

In the Roman Chair Sit-Up, he started in 1973 with 713 pounds and today has raised the mark by over 200 pounds to 932.  His efforts in the Back Lift border on the frightening.  Travis had done 1000 pounds for 3000 reps in 101 minutes, and a total of 5,000,000 pounds in three hours, nine minutes.  In 1980, Howard did 3547 reps with 1070 pounds in 85 minutes to erase Travis from the books with 3,795,290 pounds.  Then, in June, 1982, he made 5460 reps with 1111 pounds in three hours, nine minutes to obliterate Travis’ mark with 6,066,060 pounds.  Travis had done 1000 pounds for 5000 reps in the same time period.

Who knows what Howard will do next.  He still keeps an active schedule as an Olympic lifter.  After all, he was third in the 198-lb class Olympic Trials back in 1956 and loves the overhead lifts.  Plus – he has Noi to train in those lifts as well. He’s become a leader in the USAWA, both on the platform and in the meeting room.  He’s the chairman of the Ohio chapter of the USAWA and a member of the USAWA board of directors.  he holds 60-64 age group records in the bench press feet in the air (90 kg), RH C&J (45 kg), Continental Clean (100 kg), RH deadlift (100 kg), Hack lift (127.5 kg), Hip Lift with traditional bar (648 kg), Jerk from Racks (90 kg), Neck Lift (115 kg), Two-hand DB press (62.5 kg), Two-hand Military Press with BB, heels together (72.5 kg), Pullover and Pushup (82.5 kg), RH Snatch (45 kg), Front Squat (127.5 kg), Steinborn Lift (92.5 kg), and Zercher Lift (137.5 kg).

Howard’s sincerest hopes for 1990 are that repetition records will be approved by the USAWA and that his mark set at Valley Forge will be accepted by the USAWA as a true record.  If the rep records become a reality, look for Howard to load up the back lift again and see if he can get 7,000,000 pounds next time.  If he does, you’d best bet on Howard.  The barrel-chested, short-haired military determination of the 17-year-old fighting a man’s war on Guadalcanal has not diminished one bit.

Gold Cup One

by John McKean

Howard Prechtel as a young man, sitting and relaxing as he poses for a picture with over 1000 pounds on his back!

Howard Prechtel phoned me to describe, in his typical factual but low key manner, his idea for a meet where IAWA World Champions would strive to set individual world records in their favorite lifts. He was most pleased to inform that the Wide World of Sports was VERY interested in TV coverage! Of course a large Gold Cup would be awarded to each successful contestant in this “World Champions Record Breakers” meet (in later years , Gold Cup meet was easier to say & inscribe on trophies!).

Soon, all lifters were wildy excited about this concept, and planned to travel to Cleveland( Lakewood), where the meet venue was a large High school, famous for its legendary football teams, and other athletics. However, as Howard later told me, with a bit of mirth in his normally somber tone, one prominent US lifter wasn’t too thrilled. Seems this specialty lifter had not ever entered or won a World Championship, but, in his own ,rather unhumble opinion, was very worthy of competing ( a legend in his own mind !) in this unique record day event. He phoned, more than once I believe, and pleaded, begged, and implored Howard to let him appear before the TV cameras! But Howard was always very principled, and held his ground – ONLY legitimate world champs would grace the stage!

Another famous lifter was quite excited to demo his skills to a televised international audience. But, though “sparse” of hair,had a bit of vanity to him and often wore an absurdly thick , wavy brown wig when out on the town. So, in preparation for his network debut, he had his wife, a professional hairdresser, dye his sidehair to yield a perfect, flowing brown tone to exactly match the shade of the 6″ muffet that was to be pasted to the top of his bare skull.Only problem was, our boy fall asleep during the dying process, the extra time converting his remaining real hair to jet black!! The hair piece had to remain at home, and fellow contestants had to bite their lips to suppress chuckles when they saw their newly done old pal, the darkest haired chrome-dome in history!

During the meet, everyone marveled at Howard’s organizing skills -the weight set up & appearance of the large auditorium was spectacular! The Gold Cups on display lit up the room to create added excitement & atmosphere of a truly important, historic event. The only disappointment, and it really seemed minor at the time due to everyone’s enthusiasm with the lifting, was that the filming crews never showed.

Spectator involvement may have been the largest ever -as mentioned this was a Saturday at an athletic based high school and most student athletes were there for Saturday training. These kids didn’t even mind sharing their spacious weight lifting room with competitors; they were thrilled to see real competition style lifters warming up beside them. One of the bigger football players , a nice,polite young man, couldn’t help himself but ask my (then) 12 year old son,Rob, what he could possibly be lifting in what was deemed by them a virtual “professional” weightlifting contest. When Rob described his intent to do a hand and thigh with 800 pounds, the senior linebacker almost fainted! And when Rob went off to lift, EVERY athlete crowded in to watch a grade school child pull a hard fought 800 ! In fact, Rob was so intent on this performance that he apparently broke tiny blood vessels in his cheeks and was red faced for a week!!

In this, and following Prechtel meets, lifters were supplied every comfort and convenience by Howard. He was, indeed, a Bob Hoffman of all-round lifting, and even looked like the ole “Father of Modern Weightlifting”, with a similar beneficial demeanor! We’ll miss ya, Howie, your meets and your character were pure quality, and your hard work & dedication to promoting them will forever remain as “golden” as your cups!

Other Tributes to Howard

by Al Myers

I was truly impressed with all the comments made about Howard.  It shows what a great man he was and the  positive influence he had on so many people.

TRIBUTES

Howard Prechtel passed away 9/11/10 Those who had the privalege to compete on the same platform would know he was a great guy, a true lifter of iron, wounded badly in WW2 he had shrapnel in him his whole life. An early mover in USA all round w/tlifting, he invented the Gold Cup World Record Breakers, he was IAWA Int…. Pres. before myself, I was proud to have known him and followed in his footsteps! –  Steve Gardner

A Great man and friend. – Frank Ciavattone

Makes me sad to hear he passed! He was a great guy and teacher! Howie you will be missed greatly! RIP! – Cara Ciavattone Collins

True gentleman.always there to help you rip howard – Andy Tomlins

I was saddend to hear of Howard passing away..He was an outstanding lifter and a wonderful mentor to all in the IAWA, he will truly be missed and never forgotten..a kind and gentle soul – Lori Ciavattone

I am very sad to hear the news. He was a star, gentleman and friend. I will not forget him. – Graham Saxton

This really made me sad. I always referred to him as ‘Uncle Howie’ as he seemed like that favorite uncle that everyone has. Even though he wasn’t a chiro, how many of us did he adjust over the years at the meets with good results? He also reminded me of Jimmy Stewart, with his gentle, polite manner, and kind of deliberate thoughtful way of talking with you. I’ll always remember him and his clodhopper shoes when he went out on the lifting platform. You always felt good after being around him. Rest in Peace, Howard. – Joe Garcia

I first met Howard at the 1993 IAWA World Championships in Boston. He came up to me after my first continental snatch and gave me some pointers, and went on to help me throughout the meet. He came over to England for the Gold Cup that year in Burton England. He used to have a disabled girl come and watch him train her name was Becky Summers. He said she had more grit and determination than anyone he had ever met. Sadly she passed away, and Howard created an award in her honour “The Becky Summers true grit award” I remember him telling everyone about her at the awards ceremony, then to my utter surprise awarded me the Becky Summers true grit award. That meant SO much to me. This great man, a war hero, a world champion weightlifter and founder of the IAWA Gold Cup, thought me worthy of this award. This trophy to this day is one on my most prized possessions. I went on to meet up with Howard at every World Championships and Gold cup For around the next ten years, and he was always one of the first lifters i looked for when i arrived at the venue, to both greet him, and also have him adjust my neck. To this day no one has ever crunched my neck as good as Howard. I have been deeply saddened all day today at the news of Howard’s Passing. He was a mentor, father figure, hero, and out and out great man in my mind. – Steve Angell

I met Howard back in 1991 at the worlds and was very impressed with him.At every meet I attended he always helped me out with any adjustments it would take in a 10 lift meet if you know what I mean.Well my story that holds allot of value to me is in 1999 I had knee surgery from a falling off a piece of Heavy Equipment in November and with extensive physical therapy I was able to lift in the 2000 Nationals in May, well my knee was still bothering me and I went anyway I could only go about 80% out a 90% bend.When I got to the meet I had told Howard how nothing was working and he said no problem come over here and stand in front of the wall and put your hands to the wall and push your knees back to stretch out my hamstrings and repeat a few times well I’ll tell you the pain was gone and in a few weeks I was felling great.I straddle deadlifted 501lbs and allot more great lifts and it ended up being one of my best meets for personal records.I use his method all the time and have past it on to other people with knee problems with great results.He was a great mentor and friend and will be missed by all.He was always great to me and my family and the USAWA and appreciate everything did for all of us in the organization.  – Joe Ciavattone Sr.

I first met Howard in 1948, and my first impression of him was “The gentle giant”.  I’ve always thought of him in this way. – Dennis Mitchell

I will always remember Howard’s friendly smile, and how he helped me and many other lifters feel better by giving them those miraculous adjustments before they lifted. It was great to see him last year at the world’s. He was truly at great lifter and a great man. –  Denny Habecker

Howard at the 2009 Worlds

by Al Myers

At the 2009 IAWA World Championships, Howard couldn't "resist the urge" to go to the lifting platform one more time!

One of the BIGGEST SURPRISES of the 2009 IAWA World Championships in Lebanon, PA was NOT any of the lifting, but the unexpected appearance and attendance of Howard Prechtel.   Most of us had not seen Howard in several years, and we were not aware ahead of time that he was even going to be at this meet.  But in WALKS the PIONEER of the USAWA, Howard Prechtel, which took all of us by surprise!  It was a joyful reunion!  Special thanks HAS to go to Bob Geib for bringing Howard to this meet and making it all possible.  For several of us, that was the last time we got to visit with Howard.  I spent alot of time watching him throughout the day – and the ENTIRE TIME he had the biggest smile on his face.  It was obvious to me that he was enjoying himself immensely, as I’m sure it brought back many great memories to him from his days on the lifting platform.   His Grandson Melvin Cooler commented in the latest Daily News story about a quote Howard made to him, and it ringed so true at this time, ““I have forgot about alot of things in life, but I never forgot how to lift weights.”

Howard is one of three men (in my opinion) that shaped the early days and foundation of the USAWA.  Howard’s influence on our organization will ALWAYS be there – and without a doubt he will go down as LEGEND in our organization.

Thoughts from Howard’s Grandson

Dear USAWA community,

I am Howard’s grandson and I would like to thank all of you that have recognized Howard’s achievements throughout the years.  His life was weightlifting.  A man on a mission with 110% dedication.  It was very difficult to talk to Howard without mentioning something about lifting.  Howard was injured in WWII on the island of Iwo Jima and started exercising while in the hospital recovering doing repetitions with a broom stick.  As you can see he went from lifting a broom stick to breaking many world records. When I was 15 years old, he said, “son if you want to be the best, you have to believe that you’re the best and work harder than every other sob out there. No one is going to give you anything. You’re going to have to sweat for it.”  I am 49 years old now, and while visiting him in the nursing home in Cleveland in 2008 he told me the same thing again.  He also added, “How is your lifting going”?  I said, “Granddaddy, all you ever talk about is weightlifting.” He said, “I have forgot about alot of things in life, but I never forgot how to lift weights.”

At 85, he was determined to get back into competition and back into heavy lifting.  He said, “I have to get the hell out of here.  I have to get to the gym, gotta grab some heavy stuff.”  I said, “you really need to slow down.” He said, “that’s the problem, I don’t have time to slow down.”  He was still trying to exercise in the nursing home although the staff was not too happy about him bringing weights into the home for obvious reasons.

Again, thank you all so much for your support. I know that Howard was so proud of this organization and what you have achieved.  When you think about winning competitions, breaking records, or just being the very best at your skill, you better think about Howard. He gave everything he had to the very end!!

Very Sincerely,

Melvin Lynn Cooler

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