Archives of the Austin Gym Culture

This is where we are posting pictures of people involved in the Austin gym culture prior to 1990.   These are men and women who have devoted themselves to the sports of bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and physical fitness.   Not all of them entered competition, but many competed at the local level, and a few achieved national and even world recognition.

Later on we hope to provide a chronology along with the story of how it was in the early days.  In broad outline, that story would begin almost 50 years ago when Leo Murdock started the Central Texas Athletic Club at the corner of Enfield and Lamar.  In the late 50's Leo moved the operation to a location at 619 West 13th Street near Rio Grande.  He soon sold the building and business to Jack Woodson who engaged a series of business managers including Terry Todd, Don Hardy & Richard Moos, Benny Hall, Dan Ilse, and Bill Rodgers.  Jack received little, if any, financial gain from gym operations until 1973 when Mike Graham took over the business and changed the name to Texas Athletic Club.  While the gym became a viable business, by 1986 Jack's personal finances had deteriorated to a point where he was forced to sell the building.  Since Mike was unable to buy the building, he closed down the Texas Athletic Club and moved his entire business operation to the Hyde Park Gym, a business he had wisely purchased 3 years earlier.  Although Mike has since sold the Hyde Park Gym, it is still a vigorous enterprise that appears to have a long future ahead under its current owner, Brook Jones, who purchased the business from Dave Goodin in January 2006.

For a biographical interview of Mike Graham and Carol Finsrud published in 2004, click HERE.

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Texas Athletic Club Powerlifting Team - Victoria, Texas 1976
Standing:  Manning Stegall, Joe Spinks, Charlie Rinehart, Bill Johnson, David Gonzales
Kneeling:  Jeff Terrell, Grant Parks, Eric Wilkins, Mike Graham, Roy Hodgkiss, Byron Benoit

In front of Texas Athletic Club - November 1981
Standing:  Who?, Mike Graham, Who?, Who?, Ron?, Joe Bednarski, Bayard Wilson,
Chip McCain, Rory Tello, Mary Alice Horne, Betsy Gee, Terry Gee
Kneeling:  Merle Wiley, Who?, Erik Neineker, Who?, Marc Frazier

Mary Moran -  1988

Congress Avenue Mile Race - 1988
Marc Frazier, Who?, Chris Goley, Jay Hrehor, David Norton,
Charlie Wiedman, Carol Finsrud, Mike Graham

If you have comments, corrections, or old pictures, please contact:
Bayard Wilson:  bayard@bayardwilson.com
Mike Graham:  dombell@ev1.net