Joe Amlong

[fastfor40]

Several times I referenced a guy who ran the base gym at the Air Force Base at which I was stationed in the late '70s.  His name was Joe Amlong, a rugged-looking guy in his early 40s who was a retired captain.  The guy was as friendly and humble as they come, and was always willing to help anyone with training needs.  He told me he was a member of the English Rowing Team that took gold in the Pan American games in the early 1960s, and he talked about meeting Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), Johnny Unitas, and Billy Mills, the man who won gold for the US in the 10k at the 1964 Olympics.  I am not so sure I ever took most of what he told me too seriously, so I humored him a bit, and we got along well.  However, I suspected there was something special about this guy by the way the senior officers on the base treated him with a respect reserved for those of their own rank, and the day I saw him training a young powerlifter, and to make a point, Joe deadlifted 405 lbs with no visible strain or effort.  Joe offered to help me, but at that time I was a smart-ass, full-of-myself punk who thought I knew what I was doing, and certainly didn't need the help of the 40-ish, gray-at-the-temples has-been.

I kept in contact with my lifting buddies from back then, and in February one of them mentioned that the guy who ran the base gym, Joe, died in July 2019.  For some reason I often reminisced about Joe at different times during the years after my discharge, and news of his passing shook me a bit, to my surprise.  The guy who contacted me reminded me of how we thought he was a nice guy, but kind of a goof, and then he wrote, "Damn; this guy was the real deal."  

I am attaching a YouTube video of Joe's appearance on the old television show, "I've Got A Secret."  I also learned he met Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during his competition days, and was a big deal nationally in the months following his 1964 Olympic victory...and he never said a word about any of that stuff when we talked.  After seeing the video, I realized there was a good reason he knew and stayed in contact with Billy Mills.

Yep; I shed a tear when I found out he died, and then saw the videos and newspaper interviews and clippings.  RIP, Joe. I wish I'd hadn't been such a bone head when I knew you...  





en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Amlong

[pierinifitness]

Fast, that was a great reflective share that I enjoyed reading, thank you.

[macky]

I think we've all been there where you were to some degree or other, Fast.  It's a great pity that our maturity and experience is out of synch with our youthful strength and health.   

Great read, thank you.