Tribute to Red Swaim

Bob Strauss

I first met Red Swaim at a lifting meet in at a meet in Warrenton in the spring of 1972. When he came out to the platform I wondered to myself ..Is that old man actually going to lift? That was Red ! Ten years later at my prime he beat me on the platform and 26 years later I still could not catch Red. Over the years I saw Red win many championships and set many records. Indeed Red was one of my heros in the sport and the hero of many others too. Red was flamboyant on the platform , but it was Red off the platform that we really treasured. Mere words and pictures can not adequately describe a person. Here's just a few words about North Carolina's own Red Swaim.

Red was inspired as a youth when he saw Paul Anderson lift and set records in High Point. After some relatives inspired him to take up weight training , he was hooked. Red trained for many years and built his legendary strength. He competed in some strength contests, even wrestling a bear once. When Powerlifting started out in 1970 in NC, Red was right there. He then cemented his life long friendships with such other lifters as Don Long, Gene Neal , R.L. Gurley ,Tommy Coble, and many others. He was in his mid 30's but soon rose to the top, lifting against many other younger lifters. In The 1970's , Red rose to power in the sport. Then as the 1970's came to a close, Red became one of N.C.'s first master lifters , setting National and World Records in the Masters and winning world and National Championships. In the 1980's Red in his mid 40's could still hold his own against younger lifters , including myself. I could never beat Red. In The late 1980's Red suffered his first heart attack, but came back to again set records. Red lifted in over 100 full meets, more than any other NC lifter. In 1999 after leg surgery, and heart problems , Red came back and at age 61 made perhaps one of his best individual performances. At 198 lbs he squatted 550 , benched 250 and made a 600 lb deadlift !!! Red then had heart problems , had bypass surgery but came back nine months later to deadlift 560 in the Ironboy Deadlift meet. When Red pulled the weight there was not a dry eye in the house.

What made Red so great as a lifter was his determination. Red worked as a carpenter and spent long days toiling framing houses in all kinds of weather and then got to the gym in the evening , worked hard and then produced record breaking performances on weekends. There are many lifters who could not do this. Red came back strong after heart attacks, leg surgery. Deadlifting 560 only nine months after bypass surgery showed the ultimate in guts. Red would miss a lift in a meet get more determined and then come back and smoke the weight. Red never made excuses , he made results. Many lesser men would have quit, but Red kept going. What made Red great on the platform was his sheer grit, determination, guts, and longevity, attributes which make a champion.

While Red was a great man on the platform, he was an even greater man off the platform. At meets, he would be always there coaching, judging, or supporting lifters. Red was always there with his sense of humor and would always praise everyone. There are many pictures that go back over 30 years of lifters lifting with Red in back coaching. Red has helped or produced many champions over the years. At meets he helped everybody and his enthusiasm for powerlifting always showed. Red would always praise a lifter , no matter how much he or she lifted or no matter how good the performance. Red spent much extra time helping with the Special Olympics, and was very giving of his time and energies. Even after Red was not lifting much any more , he was still helping others. Powerlifting was a greater sport due to Red. The Red away from the weights was the same , a fine man who always helped others and made all those around him feel special. To all who knew him , there was not a finer man. Red was a great person in the community, well known and respected by all.

My last meeting with Red was at the last meet I was in. Naturally he was there judging , helping others, and complimenting the lifters. Even in poor health, Red was doing all that he could do for the sport. I was coaching a new lifter, and as I always had done before, introduced the lifter to Red. It was enough to say "This is North Carolina Powerlifting" "This is Red Swaim"