Gail Gleason Crick - In Memoriam

A Life Well Lived

Gail Gleason Crick was born on March 24, 1931, in the hills of Kentucky, to Rollie and Verdie (Malone) Crick. Four years later, the family made their way west to Cottonwood, Arizona - a journey that would set the course of a lifetime shaped by the American Southwest.

At nineteen, Gail followed the call of copper and community to Globe, Arizona, where he took his place among the hardworking men of the mines. He would spend his career there, retiring from Pinto Valley Mine - one of the most significant copper operations in the state.

As a teenager still living in Cottonwood, Gail had ordered his first set of weights from a magazine - carrying them home from the post office himself, stopping to rest along the way because they were so heavy, then teaching himself from the exercise book tucked inside the box. That early foundation took hold. By 1952, in Globe and working the mine, he was training in earnest. Within fourteen months he was winning competitions. Within a few years he was one of the finest physiques in the country - training outdoors in the Arizona desert, after shifts at the mine, with no coaching culture around him. Just iron and will.

He was not a man of many words. What he had to say, he said through his actions. He lived ninety full years - long enough to hold great-grandchildren in hands that once lifted champion weights. He passed away on December 27, 2021, in Central Heights, Arizona.

1931 Born in Kentucky

1935 Family moves to Cottonwood, Arizona

1950 Relocates to Globe, Arizona - begins work at the mine

1951 Marries Betty Scott of Claypool, Arizona

1952 Begins serious competition training — first encountered weights as a teenager in Cottonwood, ordering them by mail and teaching himself from the exercise book

1953 Wins physique championship at his first-ever AAU meet - after 14 months of training. Featured in Strength & Health Magazine.

1956 Wins Mr. Southwest title, El Paso, Texas

1957 Runner-up, Junior Mr. America - AAU, El Paso. Also wins the national junior lightweight (148-lb) weightlifting class.

1960 Junior Mr. America - AAU Southwest Region Champion. Invited to the U.S. Olympic weightlifting trials (for the Rome Games).

1961 Competes at Mr. America - AAU, Santa Monica. 8th in a field of 28.

1965 Breaks the world record in the middleweight squat — 504 lbs. Arizona state record in the clean and jerk — 310 lbs.

1972 Returns after 7 years, age 41. Wins Region 10 Olympic Weightlifting Championship. Elected to the Arizona Weightlifting Hall of Fame.

2021 Went home, age 90

The Bodybuilder

While most national-level competitors trained in coastal gyms surrounded by like-minded athletes, Gail was doing it in the Arizona desert - after shifts at the copper mine. His first weights were ordered by mail as a teenager in Cottonwood — he had to carry them home from the post office, stopping to rest along the way because they were so heavy, then taught himself from the exercise book that came with the set. By 1952, training in earnest, he was winning competitions within fourteen months. At 5 feet 4 inches and 151 pounds, he was often the smallest man on the stage. He held state weightlifting records in three classes simultaneously. He won the Most Muscular Man trophy. He lifted twice his bodyweight overhead. What followed was nearly two decades of national-level achievement — including a world record, induction into the Arizona Weightlifting Hall of Fame, and a regional championship at age 41.

"Developing his muscle power in the copper mines of Miami, Gail Crick of Claypool - the 1954 California and Arizona champ in the 132-pound division - stands a good chance of becoming the nation's featherweight champ. He's the only man in the state to put double his body weight over his head. In this case, 260 pounds... and he weighs but 130." Arizona Daily Star, June 1954

1953

AAU Southern Arizona Championships

Physique Champion · January 31 · Tucson YMCA

After just 14 months of self-taught training, Gail entered his first meet at the Tucson YMCA and walked away with the physique championship - Art Perry 2nd, Jim Drinkward 3rd. The Tucson papers called him "an unheralded newcomer from Claypool." They would not say that for long.

1954

AAU Junior National Championships · Tucson

California & Arizona Champion · June 18-19 · Tucson High School Auditorium

After winning the Arizona state title in the 132-pound class, Gail's Tucson YMCA team defeated the Oakland team 12-10 to take the California championship as well. At the Junior Nationals in Tucson he held both state titles and was closing in on two junior national records. At 130 lbs, he was putting 260 lbs overhead - double his bodyweight - something no other man in Arizona had done.

1956

Mr. Arizona

Runner-Up · March 12 · CYO Center, Phoenix

Finished second at the Arizona state physique championship behind Bob Troch of Tempe, with Jim Glaspar of Phoenix third. Six weeks later he would return to the stage and win the Southwest title outright.

1956

Mr. Southwest Physique

Champion · El Paso, Texas · April 21

Won the Mr. Southwest title in El Paso on April 21, 1956 - Bill Luman placed 2nd, Harry Carter 3rd - in front of a near-capacity crowd at Liberty Hall that included world champion Paul Anderson. Ironman Magazine covered the event. That same year Gail competed in the U.S. Olympic weightlifting tryouts for the Melbourne Games, adding an international dimension to an already remarkable year.

1957

Junior Mr. America - AAU · El Paso, Texas

2nd Place · May 18 · Liberty Hall, El Paso

At the same El Paso meet, Gail competed across two disciplines on the same weekend: he won the national junior lightweight weightlifting championship with a 705-lb total at the Armed Forces YMCA, then stepped onto the Liberty Hall stage for the physique contest. Jim Dugger of Atlanta - a Little All-America football player - took first, with Gail runner-up and Mellessio Villegas of Mexico City third (named "most muscular"). Bob Hoffman, who had judged lifters at every level, said Gail "should even make the 1960 Olympic team."

1958

Southwestern U.S. AAU Weightlifting Championships

2nd in the Nation · May 3 · Central YMCA, Tucson

The Tucson Citizen ran a photo of Gail mid-lift beneath the caption: "Twice His Own Weight." At 145 pounds bodyweight, he pressed 300 pounds overhead - exactly double - and was rated second-best lightweight lifter in the entire country.

1959

Mr. Arizona

Runner-Up

Finished runner-up at the Mr. Arizona state physique championship - the second time he had placed second at this contest (also runner-up in 1956). The result made him the clear favorite heading into the 1960 regional season.

1960

Junior Mr. America - AAU · Southwest Region

1st Place · May 14 · Tucson Jewish Community Center

Gail won the Southwest Region title at the Junior Mr. America in Tucson - the top physique in his region of the country. Bob Hoffman, one of the most respected figures in American weightlifting, was among those who believed he had a genuine shot at the overall Mr. America crown.

That same year, Gail was invited to the U.S. Olympic weightlifting trials at Cleveland (qualifying for the Rome Games) and to the Blue Ribbon Mr. America event. He declined both - competitors were expected to fund their own travel, and the timeline did not allow enough time to condition properly. He was considered a sure bet to represent the United States.

1961

Mr. America - AAU · Santa Monica, California

8th Place · June 23-24 · Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica

At 5 feet 4 inches and 151 pounds - the smallest man in the field - a 30-year-old miner and father of four left Claypool for the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica to stand among 28 of the finest physiques in the nation. He carried with him state records in three weight classes, a Most Muscular Man trophy, a best total of 800 lbs (equaled by only three others in the country), and a personal letter from the U.S. Olympic Trainer calling him a bright prospect. He finished 8th - ahead of Chester Yorton, who would go on to famously beat Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 1966 Mr. Universe.

"Gail Crick, in 8th place, one of the smallest men in the contest was also one of the most perfectly developed. Here is a man who has such a fine physique that it is almost impossible to pick a flaw. Every muscle is in perfect proportion to the other with a very well balanced development. I would probably be safe in saying that he had the most perfect physique of any man there. … He lives and trains in a remote mining area and has to train alone, but even so he is an outstanding lifter. He would make an ideal Mr. America." Ironman Magazine, September 1961 — judges' commentary on the Mr. America contest

1962

Southern Arizona Weightlifting Championship

Outstanding Performer · October

Named outstanding performer of the meet with a 760-lb total in the 165-pound class - recognition that went beyond placing, awarded for the quality and completeness of his lifting.

1964

Arizona State Weightlifting Championship

165-lb Class Champion · May · Jerry Doyle's Health Studio, Phoenix

At 33 years old, still competing and still winning. Gail took the 165-pound class title with an 815-lb total - his highest recorded total. That same summer he was directing the Jaycee teen weightlifting program in Miami, passing the sport on to the next generation.

1965

World Record · Middleweight Squat

World Record Holder

Gail broke the world record in the middleweight division squat with a lift of 504 pounds - a mark that set him apart not just regionally but globally. He also held the Arizona state record in the clean and jerk at 310 pounds. Shortly after this achievement, the demands of his job and family led him to step back from regular competition.

1972

Region 10 Olympic Weightlifting Championship · Thatcher, Arizona

Middleweight Champion · April 29 · EAC Campus, Guitteau Gymnasium

After a seven-year layoff from regular competition, Gail returned to the platform at age 41 - and won. Competing against men half his age, he lifted a grand total of 795 pounds to take the middleweight title, besting the former junior national champion in the process. The competition was sponsored by the Arizona Barbell Club and drew lifters from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada in addition to Arizona. His press was 265 pounds, the snatch 230, and a spectacular 300 in the clean and jerk - shattering the previous year's mark of 745.

That same year, Gail was elected to the Arizona Weightlifting Hall of Fame - recognition for a lifetime of contribution to the sport. He was subsequently invited to the senior national AAU championships in Detroit, which also served as the U.S. Olympic weightlifting trials and the AAU Mr. America contest. At 41, he was still considered a genuine contender.

In Print

Strength & Health Magazine

June 1953

One of the sport's most respected publications featured Gail as a contest winner - after only 14 months of training. The caption noted his Arizona state physique title and state weightlifting title.

Man of the Month

Physique Feature

A full-page physique magazine feature on Gail, noting he "has repeatedly placed in the top five in the Mr. America competition." The photo was submitted by a fan in Santa Monica, California.

Gibson Pro-Line

40th Anniversary Catalogue

His physique anchored the cover of Gibson's professional strength training equipment catalogue - a national publication distributed to gyms and training facilities across the country.

Letter from the U.S. Olympic Trainer

April 11, 1961

Ray Van Cleef - U.S. Olympic Trainer, Physical Therapist, and former Managing Editor of Strength & Health - wrote personally to Gail weeks before the Mr. America contest, praising his "ambition and determination" and calling him a bright prospect.

Ironman Magazine

1956

Featured in Ironman following his Mr. Southwest Physique victory in El Paso - one of the sport's most widely read publications at the time.

Ironman Magazine

September 1961

Full results and judges' commentary from the 1961 Mr. America contest. The editors praised Gail's "flawless physique" and "perfect proportion," calling him an ideal Mr. America who "trains alone in a remote mining area."