George Herring
Born: November 3, 1959
Hometown: Boston, GA
Current Residence: Boston, GA
What is your Alabama Connection? I attended and graduated from Auburn University and competed on Auburn’s powerlifting team.
Current pursuits in life & powerlifting:
To pass on my strength knowledge to future generations.
Lifting History:
When did you start weightlifting and what inspired you to start weightlifting?
Raised on a farm, was always pretty strong. I was an all-state football player as a 170 pound guard. I had to be strong or get crushed. I set the school bench press record at 405.
When did you get involved with powerlifting and what got you interested in the sport?
I was a college football and baseball player. From a friend I heard about the new strength program at Auburn under Jan and Terry Todd. Because of my size I knew I would never go pro.
When I met Terry he checked me out and told me I had the potential to win a worlds one day.
As a kid I always wanted to be the best at something – ANYTHING!!!
9 years later I won the IPF World Championships for the USA!!!!
Do you have a powerlifting nick name, if so what is it and how did you get it?
Later in life I lived close to Athens, GA. IRON DAWG go figure :)
What weight class(es) did you compete in? 165, as high as 242
What are your best lifts in each category in each weight class?
Gary Lands & George
George's Gym he own's in the NE Atlanta Area
Best Lifts @ 165 lb. Weight Class
Accomplished 10.6x Body Weight Total in 1982
DEADLIFT
TOTAL
BENCH PRESS
EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
SQUAT
395
RAW
1752.6
SINGLE PLY
683.4
672.4
418.8
Best Lifts @ 181 lb. Weight Class
Accomplished 10.4x Body Weight Total in 1988
TOTAL
EQUIPMENT
SQUAT
BENCH PRESS
BENCH PRESS
DEADLIFT
870
470
805
1890
SINGLE PLY
Best Lifts @ 198 lb. Weight Class
Accomplished 10.4 Body Weight Total in 1991
DEADLIFT
TOTAL
BENCH PRESS
EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
SQUAT
2070
755.1
500
SINGLE
840
MULTI-PLY
600.7
Best Lifts @ 220 lb. Weight Class
Accomplished 10.2x Body Weight Total in
TOTAL
EQUIPMENT
SQUAT
BENCH PRESS
BENCH PRESS
DEADLIFT
963.4
644.8
822.3
2246.4
MULTI-PLY
Best Lifts @ 242 lb. Weight Class
TOTAL
EQUIPMENT
SQUAT
BENCH PRESS
BENCH PRESS
DEADLIFT
772.7
SINGLE PLY
How many years did you compete? 30+ years
Between what year and what year did you compete? 1979 to 2011
What is the approximate total number of meets you competed in? 100 or so
List your favorite meets you competed in.
-
All IPF meets - representing the USA!!!
-
Rick Hagedorn’s & Brant Bishop’s WABDL meets!
-
Buddy McKee’s APF meets!
What’s the highest classification you achieved? Elite
What’s the highest score you achieved? 620.15 Wilks
What are some of your powerlifting accomplishments?
-
3 IPF WORLD
-
16 WABDL WORLDS
-
64 world records in all of the many federations
Who are some of the most memorable lifters/people for you in your career?
-
Dale Daniel !! My training buddy !!!!!!
-
All of the lifters at auburn! You to Joe!!
-
Obviously, Jan and Terry Todd!
-
Lamar Gant – dude was the goat!!
-
My dad who inspired me to be somebody!!!
With your name as part of the history of powerlifting in Alabama, what would you like to be most remembered for?
I was drug tested over 70 times - all clean every time. I would hope folks would regard me one to the strongest drug free lifters of all time.
What words of wisdom would you like to pass down to future powerlifters?
Be grateful, humble, if you are on the platform you have already won regardless of your performance that day. Be blessed for the opportunity to compete!!!
What are some of your contributions to sport of powerlifting?
State Chair, Meet Director and pertinent meets, Judge & level & Feds, ways you contributed to other meets (announcer, score table, spot/loader, expediter)
When I moved to Georgia, I opened the longest running gym now at 40 years . I have trained
over 1000 lifters in that time with many national and world champions in various federations.
Passing the torch to our younger generations! Always!!
Thank you to the Alabama Powerlifting Hall of Fame! I will always be grateful !
George Herring
Another of the many covers George made.
George Head Judging a young Jon Grove at a NASA Meet in 1990
George's 1st PL USA Cover
365kg / 804.7 #
