After a season on Penn State's strength staff, Derek spent a year with Marshall S&C for his younger brother's final season. He then moved to Austin, TX to be with his girlfriend - PSU engineering grad. Derek is currently working in a gym, coaching high school, college, and some Canadian Football League players, and training as a powerlifter. Covid has cancelled many of his competitions but he started off pretty well. His first competition a little over a year ago qualified him for the Raw Nationals where he finished tied for 3rd. He hoped to return to challenge for the title, but this year's championships didn't happen. Derek's current PRs: Squat - 860 lbs. Bench Press: 540 lbs. Deadlift: 770 lbs. These are all Raw lifts, which means no equipment, no clothing or straps which provide mechanical advantage, and drug testing. He is among the top 20 Raw lifters in the world. Derek is a big, happy man. And he is very proud of his Penn State roots. BTW, Derek finished at PSU playing at 6' 3", 320 lbs. He currently tips the scales as a super-heavyweight at around 390.
For those who care, Jordan (that other son) completed his degree at Marshall in 3 1/2 years and then his masters in 4 1/2. He is still in school, about halfway to his doctorate in PT school.
As for me, I'm back to coaching at my high school - a love I needed to leave for a while as I chased my boys around watching them play. I've maintained a presence on Marshall's football forum as that's where I have been wasting hours over the past few years, and I've just recently been poking my head back into The Den. Not sure yet if I have the time to devote to both places, but I do miss some of you here. In any case, it's good to visit. Maybe I'll be a little more regular as time goes on.
