World's Best

It has been quite a year for our BFS staff member Stefan Fernhohn. He worked out tremendously hard for the discus and still managed to do 18 BFS clinics. Stefan also had an extraordinary NFL tryout with the Indianapolis Colts. Last April, head football coach Ron Meyer got a chance to meet Stefan. Many football coaches and readers, I'm sure, have been very skeptical of claims made about Stefan in the BFS journals. Coach Meyer was among the skeptical but willing to look at Stefan as a running back. The Upper Limit Posters illustrated on page 97 state the following about Stefan: 6-1'/2270, Squat 820, Clean 440,40-4.3, and VJ-40 inches. Those marks, if true, are inhuman.

They would put Stefan on a higher level than the best NFL players. Well, anybody who's seen Stefan at a clinic or seen our BFS videos has become a quick believer. Anyway, Coach Meyer pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills and said to me, "Greg, I'll bet Stefan can't do those things." I grabbed his money and said, "You're on!" He took his money back and remarked, "No Greg, you're too sure of yourself." It was a wise decision. After the tryout, all the marks and claims were verified. The Colt's staff had never seen any athlete like Stefan. He was also labeled as having "Good Hands." Stefan was promptly offered a two year contract as a running back in Coach Meyer's single back offense.

But Stefan has had a dream since childhood when he first caught the vision of proper training. He wanted to be the World's Best Discus Thrower. In his native country of Sweden and in Europe, Stefan could become a celebrity and make money throwing. After careful thought, he turned down pro football and concentrated on his lifelong dream. This summer the gamble paid off. Stefan threw 229 feet and just barely scratched a throw that sailed 233 feet. Stefan commented, "Had the toe board been legal, I would not have scratched that throw." It didn't matter. Stefan went head to head with the world's best a number of times and won.

He is ranked number one in the world and has the farthest throw in the world in 1987 with his 229 foot effort' His next goal, of course, is the Olympic Gold Medal and a world record. After the Olympics, Stefan would then be able to sign with the Colts in October of 1988. Who knows? Another dream and goal might become a reality and Stefan would become a celebrity in the United States.

From BFS Magazine — November/December 1987. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).