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USA Weightlifting Saddened By the Sudden and Unexpected Death of Executive Director Rodger DeGarmo
By Cecil Bleiker // U.S. Olympic Committee // August 30, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Weightlifting was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of its Executive Director Rodger Carl DeGarmo, Jr. DeGarmo was on a business trip for USA Weightlifting in Chicago, Ill. where he was conducting a site visit for the recently awarded 2009 Pan American Weightlifting Championships. After a day of meetings and venue tours, Rodger had dinner with his friends and colleagues from USA Weightlifting and then settled in at the home of his friend and colleague Mike Gattone, a USA Weightlifting coach who now works with World Sport Chicago. This morning it was discovered that Rodger had passed away sometime during the night. Efforts were made to revive him, but were unsuccessful.
“It’s a great loss,” said Dennis Snethen (St. Joseph, Mo.), President of USA Weightlifting who was on the trip with DeGarmo. “We at USA Weightlifting are deeply saddened by this sudden loss of our leader and for Rodger’s family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Suzanne and his young daughters Maggie and Paige. Rodger was doing a great job as Executive Director of USA Weightlifting. He loved weightlifting and it showed in his work. He was a weightlifter, a coach, an international referee, high performance director and now the leader of our organization. He was enthusiastic, energetic and hard working and will be deeply, deeply missed.”
Cause of death is not known at this time. An autopsy is expected to be performed tomorrow, Wednesday, August 29 in Chicago according to Snethen.
DeGarmo was only 38 years-old and leaves behind a wife, Suzanne and two daughters, Paige (12) and Maggie (9). He was promoted to the position of Executive Director for USA Weightlifting in March 2007 following the departure of Wes Barnett who took on the role of Team Leader in Performance Services for the U.S. Olympic Committee. Prior to being promoted to the position of Executive Director, DeGarmo served for two years (beginning in March 2005) as the Director of High Performance and Coaching for USA Weightlifting.
Born April 27, 1969 in Portsmouth, Va., DeGarmo was involved in the sport of weightlifting for most of his life. He always considered himself an athlete and a coach at heart. He began his competitive weightlifting career in 1987 for Sayre Park (Ill.) and ended his competitive weightlifting days in 1999 at the USA Weightlifting National Championships. During that time he competed in every national level competition available with the exception of the Olympic Trials. DeGarmo credits Gattone for getting him started in weightlifting coaching at the USA Weightlifting Regional Training Center in Peoria, Ill in the early 1990’s. He attributed his coaching career as a direct result of being blessed by quality coaching when he was lifting by the likes of Don Typer, Roger Nielsen, Larry Hanneman, Mark Colligan and Gattone.
In his short life, DeGarmo built a resume of outstanding accomplishments including being an influential teammate as a coach, staff, administrator or committee member of numerous USA Weightlifting teams that competed at both the national and international level.
DeGarmo’s professional life always had a focus on coaching and athletic administration. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. in 1991 and went on to receive his Master of Education in Athletic Administration from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. in 2000. Prior to joining the staff of USA Weightlifting full time, DeGarmo served in his second stint as the Bob Devaney Sports Center Strength Coach in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2002-2005. He held a similar position from 1996-2000 for the Cornhuskers. He was the Physical Education Instructor for Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis, Mo. From 2001-2002, while concurrently working as Fitness Specialist and Health and Physical Education Instructor for Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill. From 2000-2001 he worked as the Weightlifting Coach, Strength Coach and Athletic Trainer for Metro-East Center for Conditioning and Health, also in Belleville, Ill. Upon completion of his undergraduate course work, DeGarmo worked for Xavier University in two capacities. From 1992-1993, he served as an Athletic Trainer for Xavier University and Princeton High School through Queen City Sports Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1993-1996, he was a Strength Coach, Athletic Trainer and Travel Coordinator for Xavier University.
One of DeGarmo’s athletes that he started at his Team Nebraska Club will compete at next month’s World Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand when Doreen Fullhart (Lisco, Neb../Colorado Springs, Colo.) will represent the United States of America in the women’s 75kg Weight Class.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. We will release more information as it becomes available.
For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, USOC Manager of NGB Media Services at 719-866-4608. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.
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