VT's Going to the Top

4”.

EDITOR’S NOTE: chart of all the maxes William has done here at Tech, that at Virginia Tech. Before that he was at East Carolina shows his progression in strength and power and his University. In the eight years that I have known Coach Gentry, he has produced many great self made athletes. determination.

Terry Long, History’s Strongest Football Player and William is a good student, will graduate on time, and Robert Washington, History’s Strongest Linebacker, if professional football doesn’t pan out, he plans to go to have been featured in the BFS Journal. In that same law school. There is no way I can tell you how much of tradition, we now bring you William Boatwright. an over achiever he is. William has overcome many obstacles including a broken ankle and ankle surgery in his quest to become an “upper limit” person.

William is a Christian and has avoided many of the pitfalls that athletes fall into. He is very highly respected by his peers and coaches, as is reflected by the players I'd like to write to you about William Boatwright. I voting him to represent them on our player committee. feel as good about this young man as anyone I’ve had This February, William trained for and entered the the good fortune to coach. William will be a senior ADFPA Shenandoah Open Powerlifting Contest in offensive guard on our football team this fall. He is a Woodstock, Virginia. There, he broke the ADFPA starter and has developed into a force on our defensive Virginia state record in the squat at 700 and was redline.

lighted for depth at 750, which he did easily to football William is 6'2" and will play this year at 290 pounds. parallel standards. He benched 400 and narrowly missed He arrived as a freshman the fall of 1987 and weighed 425 and deadlifted a state record 720 to win the meet. His 305 pounds, ran a 5.55 forty and benched 300 pounds. He total of 1820 was also an ADFPA superheavyweight state was much too heavy and needed to lose body fat. record. This was his first sanctioned meet!

With very little “pushing”, he had his weight to 281 William was polygraph tested at the meet and by spring ball and began his transformation into one of definitely has never been on anabolic steroids. By the the strongest players in the country. I have enclosed a way, we randomly test all our players here at Tech for also threw the Shot over 54 feet. Coach Gentry’s Open Letter Continued “street drugs and steroids”.

William was recruited by Virginia and East Carolina but chose Virginia Tech because of the coaches and The week before the meet, William ran a 5.07 for especially the people. He has maintained a solid 2.4 the pro-scouts at Pro-Timing Date at 301 pounds. This GPA and will graduate in four years as a History major. is a full five-tenths of a second faster than his freshman He has done substitute teaching during breaks but has time. His vertical jump improved 9 1/2 inches since his freshman year from 17 to 26 1/2.

William revealed, “I also plan on going to Law School, career path in law. “I enjoy History,”

William's story is very similar to Terry Long’s, as but I’ll do Para-Legal work first.” William has his sites they have similar backgrounds and a tremendous sense set on the University of Richmond or Virginia for Law of positive self-esteem and desire to be successful. Both School. are tremendous competitors. Boat’s best deadlift in As far as the weightroom and preparation, William training was a double at 625 and he pulled 720 because has this to say, “Team unity and intensity are important. that was what it took to win! It’s really an honor to It’s hard to lift in a quiet weight room.

Coach Gentry work with people that will rise to the occasion like so tells us to visualize our workouts before. It helps. I see many of the good players will. myself being successful. I’m self motivated. I take my workouts as a personal challenge. I’m going to win or COMMENTS BY EDITOR GREG SHEPARD the bar’s going to win.” Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia William attended North Hampton High School in (elevation 2,080) deep in the heart of the Appalachian Eastville, Virginia (Enrollment 900 students). His Mountains. It is indeed a beautiful setting for its 23,000 football coach, Noble Palmer, had William on the BFS students.

William’s most memorable game was last Program and so he was already quite strong when he year’s 38-13 win over Virginia in front of 55,000 and entered Virginia Tech. William made the All-District team in both his junior and senior years and North Hampton enjoyed 6-4 and 8-3-1 seasons respectively. He ESPN.

Now you may ask what is a Hokie, the nickname for WILLIAM BOATWRIGHT Continued From Page 18 Virginia Tech. Well, way back in 1896, a student created a special new cheer in a contest. It was a “Hokie” yell.

The name quickly caught on and has been used ever since.

William has this advise on drugs, “Be yourself, Don’t let others influence you negatively. In college, my friends are absolutely not into drugs and in high school my friends also made the difference. Drugs were just not a big deal. I hung with my friends who also happened to be great students and athletes.

Because of his great strength and size, William has been accused of being on steroids. “That's bull,” William exclaimed, “I enjoy lifting. Even when not required to lift, I lift. Hard work and intensity are the key not steroids.

“My mother and grandmother have been the most influential in my life. They’ve taught me to treat all people with respect and make people respect you by your actions. My mother took me to church on a regular basis and now I attend FCA meetings. I will pass their teachings along to my future family. I realize it’s important to teach all kids their responsibilities.” We at BFS again thank Mike Gentry for making this article possible. Special thanks to William Boatwright and his Upper Limit ideals as he concludes, “My team goal is to go 11-0, go to a bowl and win the National Championship. I believe if you are willing to work hard, anything is possible.”

“William Boatwright is a tremendous rags to riches story.

A young man with outstanding character and work ethic, who developed physically and mentally over a period of three years, to become one of the best offensive guards Virginia Tech has ever had. He has overcome many obstacles, such as a broken ankle, to develop his body into the elite category of strength athletes.” “William Boatwright is a tremendous example to young athletes that through character, perseverance, and an outstanding will to succeed, much can actually be achieved”

“If Your Willing To Work, Anything Is Possible.”

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From BFS Magazine — Summer 1991. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).