If retirement is supposed to be spent taking it easy, Bob Levy never got that memo. He took up powerlifting at age 68, and in the ensuing six years he became a world record holder with multiple titles to his credit. At a time when his contemporaries are content if they can play 18 holes of golf without pulling a muscle, Levy can be found in the gym training to bench press the equivalent of a refrigerator.

“With powerlifting, it’s you and that bar. There’s nothing subjective about it. You either lift it or you don’t.”

 
“With powerlifting, it’s you and that bar. There’s nothing subjective about it. You either lift it or you don’t,” he said. “I’ve got a huge motor. I like to win, and I like to be the best.”

Levy can make a pretty good case for being the best. In 2021 he was ranked No. 4 in the world. He competes in full power events, which are comprised of the bench press, squat and deadlift. At 335 pounds, Levy has the best all-time mark in the bench press for his age and weight division, and he has claimed the top spot in bench for the past three years. The accomplishment is all the more impressive considering he is competing at the higher end of his age division (70-74 years) and the lower end of his weight class (220 pounds), giving away about 15 pounds to his rivals.

Powerlifting didn’t come entirely out of the blue for Levy. After his playing days as a member of the Bulldog football team, he got into coaching. He was an active member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and served as the strength and conditioning coach at Southeast Missouri State University and William Penn University. He has maintained a home gym for years, but his true motivation for the sport came from retirement boredom.

“I was just training, and I was getting bored,” he said. “I would go to the weight room and the gym, and I still enjoyed it, but I’m still very competitive and was looking for another outlet.”

Levy and a fellow lifter decided to try a powerlifting meet for fun, and his competitive drive immediately found a direction.

“We went and had a little success, and I really kind of threw my heart and soul into it,” he said.

A little success, is putting it mildly. Levy has competed all across the U.S. and at international meets, in addition to hosting training seminars in Switzerland and Cancun. Despite missing several events due to the pandemic, he has managed to take first in nearly 20 events since 2018. Levy, however, would be the last person to tout his accomplishments. The only people he cares to impress – or, more accurately, intimidate – are fellow competitors. With his track record, his reputation often precedes him.

“I like walking into a competition, and they know,” Levy said. “They know ‘he’s here.’”

Discipline has been a key component to Levy’s success. He watches what he eats, and although he spent “too many hours” in the Tap Room as a student, he hasn’t had a drink in more than 50 years. The dedication to discipline can be traced back to his time on the gridiron, particularly under coach Russ Sloan in the late 1960s. Coming out of the tiny western Missouri town of Lexington, Levy was just looking to keep his playing days alive for as long as possible.

“I wasn’t a very good player,” he said. “I was just an average guy, but pretty tough physically.”

Levy was a walk on to some talented Bulldog teams that ultimately won three MIAA championships. He eventually earned a scholarship and was one of the first captains selected by Sloan once he became the head coach.

“I’m as proud of that as probably anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Levy said. “He is an incredible leader and an incredible man.”

Due in part to his success as a student-athlete, Levy cites his time in Kirksville as some of the best years of his life. He met his wife Carol (’71) while they were in school, and they have been together ever since. He also appreciates the education he received, especially while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education (’71) and a master’s degree in secondary school administration (’74).

“I had some great teachers, phenomenal teachers that taught you a whole lot more than education.”

 
“I had some great teachers, phenomenal teachers that taught you a whole lot more than education,” he said. “Clifton Bell may be one of the best teachers that ever lived.”

Levy always planned on going into coaching, and he did so for a number of years at the high school and college level. Although he is a self-described “meathead,” his talents and education ultimately directed him into administration. While interviewing for a coaching position in Sweet Springs, Missouri, he ended up leaving with a different job title – principal.

“He interviewed me for two hours and never asked one football question,” he said “The rest just kind of fell in place.”

After his education career concluded, Levy returned to his hometown of Lexington. To push himself, he plans to drop down a weight class for his next event in Arkansas in October. While he enjoys the competition of his still relatively newfound sport, what motivates him to continue is something else.

“I love the people, and they treat you with respect. I think they treat us old guys a little differently, which is nice,” Levy said. “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of success, and I’m going to continue. As long as the good Lord says I can get under the bar I’ll keep going.”