Tony Pearson (bodybuilder)
| Tony Pearson | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
Tony Pearson
|
|
| Personal info | |
| Nickname | " The Michael Jackson of Body Building " |
| Born |
January 11, 1957 Memphis, TN |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Professional career | |
| Pro-debut | WBBG Mr. World, 1979 |
| Best win | NABBA Pro. Mr. Universe, 1980 |
| Predecessor | Bertil Fox |
| Successor | Robby Robinson |
| Active | Retired 1994 |
Tony Pearson (born January 11, 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee) grew up in St. Louis, Missouri is an American bodybuilding champion. His bodybuilding championships include individual and couples competitions.
Tony Pearson was born the second youngest of eight children (five girls and three boys). His mother, Daisy Pearson, was a stay at home mom and his father, Sam Pearson, worked as an ice and coal delivery man. Tony grew up during the civil rights era of the early 1960s in Memphis, TN. In 1959, at age two, Tony's parents divorced, at which time he and one of his sisters, Carolyn, were taken to an aunt to raise them. This family member was in her later years and financially and emotionally unable to care for the two young children. In 1970 they moved to St. Louis, MO where he attended Normandy Junior and Normandy High School. In 1973, after years of abuse and neglect, the intervention of his high school counselor and the State of Missouri took custody of Tony from his aunt and placed him in a foster home.
As a member of his school's wrestling team, Tony suffered a knee injury, at which time he started weight training as a way to rehabilitate his knee. Surprised at how quickly his body responded to lifting weights, Tony decided he wanted to become a bodybuilder. Seeing his interest and talent, his coach took him to a "real gym," George Turner's gym in Clayton, MO. This gym was the home to some of the professional bodybuilding elite of the time. Ken Waller, Dave Johns, and Samir Bannout were all connected to Turner's gym. After the first day of training, the owner of the gym, George Turner, said to the young Pearson, "You've got potential kid. I'm going to train you. I think I can make you a champion." Over the next few months he packed on twenty pounds of muscle and six months later Tony told his trainer that he was leaving. In 1976, at the age of nineteen, Pearson moved to California to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional bodybuilder. After arriving in Los Angeles he was homeless for a period of time. After getting on his feet, the young Pearson ventured to the "Mecca of bodybuilding", Gold's Gym in Venice, California. It was there that he was introduced to all of the great bodybuilding legends of the time, just weeks before the 1976 Mr. Olympia competition.
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