Wheaton College All-American Linebacker

Chad is an outstanding young man in every sense of the word. He has proved everybody wrong. Every NFL team has expressed an interest in Chad. This young man will not let you down. Chad has an awesome work ethic. Nobody will ever outwork him. He is tough and hard nosed — “Eats nails and spits rust!” Chad has never missed a practice ora game in three years. Mike Swider The seed was planted. The vision seen. The work ethic established. A strong family, a strong high school program and a BFS clinic at TifÏn, Ohio were part of that development. Chad Thorson remembered the clinic as a 10th grader, “The enthusiasm generated was great and the examples of the different athletes were inspiring.

Istarted doing core lifts because they were geared for a football player not just for a competitive lifter.” Chad attended Columbus academy, a college prep school, in Columbus, Ohio. He helped Head Football Coach Dan Barren’s team to a 10-2 season which included the playoffs in his senior year. Chad at that time was 6-2 and 210 pounds with a 310 Bench, 415 Squat, 205 x 5 Clean, 285 Incline and a 4.9 Forty. He played middle linebacker and tight end. Even though Chad made All-Conference in football, and made the regional finals in wrestling in addition to participating in track; he did not get any offers to play major college football.

Chad reflected back, “ I felt they should have looked at my work ethic and been given a chance. I thought about walking on at Ohio State but I chose Wheaton College in the middle of the summer after talking with Coach Swider for 21/2 hours. He was super.” “Wheaton is a Christian College. I liked that aspect.

The coaches also cared about you. My decision was made. I was going to be a Wheaton College Crusader.” Wheaton evangelical college nestled in a suburb of Chicago. One of Wheaton’s most famous graduates is Billy Graham. The 2500 students at Wheaton study a variety of subjects. Chad, for example, is a political science major with a 2.7 grade point average and is on line to graduate. The students attend a chapel-like fireside meeting three days a week. Different speakers bring timely messages during these forty minute meetings at noon time. Wheaton is one of the top liberal arts schools in America.

@% SWEAT —- OVERCOME - KEEP GOING: Chad spends his summers working in downtown an athlete. The most important lift for me is the Power Chicago at the Board of Trade with the CRT (Chicago Clean. It gives me explosive power. I try to develop my Research and Trade). “My mother and father really legs first and for me, they progress quickly. The next supported me. My dad said if I wanted to go to most important lift is the Squat.”

Wheaton he’d support me one hundred percent. We Chad varies his sets and reps and explains that communicate three times per week. My family is the doing systems like 5 x 5,3 x 10 or 1 set of 8-12 reps over reason I’ve come this far. We support each other. We're a and over again is detrimental to continued progress over very close family,” confided Chad respectfully. “For that a longer period of time. He runs twice a week in the offreason, I probably won’t make a career out of my season at 6:00 AM. In addition, Chad does Plyometrics, experience with the Chicago Board of Trade, but enter consisting of Bounding and Box Jumping, during these into a real estate career with my family.

My dad said to bi-weekly workouts. He also does flexibility work before do something that I enjoy. I got my residential real estate and after every training session. Chad has an axiom, “If license right out of high school. I plan to join my father, you can’t run to the ball, it doesn’t matter how big you my three older brothers and cousins in our Columbus are.” real estate business.”

Under the direction of strength coach Mike Swider, weight. Naturally, Chad was accused of taking steroids.

Chad Thorson has experienced a very sophisticated Chad responded, “I’ve lifted hard and smart with good training program. “I always get asked about my Bench,” nutrition. I’ve done it without steroids. Taking steroids laughs Chad. “People don’t know what's important for THE “YOU'RE READY —TO PERFORM! CHAD THORSON PROGRESS CHART YEAR INTS.

Defensive Player-of-the-year i Football Gazette Regional Player-of- _.

From BFS Magazine — November/December 1989. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).