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Bill Crawford – 2012 NFHOF Inductee 

(Born: September 3, 1953 - Hometown: Ouray, Colorado) 

Bill Crawford has been a leader and visionary in fitness since 1977.  In 2012, Bill was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame for his lifelong contributions to health & fitness.  Bill served as the NFHOF's Chairman of the Board from 2014-2017.  In 2016, Bill represented the NFHOF in Washington, DC at the Surgeon General's Call to Action for the "Step it Up" Program in collaboration with the American College of Sports Medicine, ACE, MFA, and others. This historic event featured former US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murth, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, along with leadership from Congress, the health care system, and the fitness industry. 

Bill was trained for musculoskeletal evaluation and rehabilitation at the Exercise Science Center of the University of Florida in Gainesville and was personally trained by the late Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus and MedX. Over the past 39 years, Bill has provided fitness training for thousands, exercising muscles in isolation to muscle failure with equalized resistance through the full range of motion using a safe and effective protocol. You may have seen his national TV ads for the Resistance Chair, his features on CNN and Fox News, or read his stories in countless publications. Bill is a recognized fitness columnist, consultant, lecturer, and educator. His fitness program with the U.S. Navy led to the development of his iPhone app: Gym-To-Go and GymToGo.com, featured in Men’s Fitness magazine. Bill has trained major sports teams, athletes and Hollywood celebrities and developed careers of many fitness professionals. 

Bill was born and raised in the rugged mountain town of Ouray, Colorado where being fit is incidental to the environment. He spent his youth competitive skiing, hiking and climbing fourteen thousand foot mountains. Bill has received numerous accolades as a longtime community leader in municipalities across the country investing valuable time serving in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, boards, committees, and volunteer organizations.

Bill has owned and developed fitness centers around the world. Since 1997, Basic Training has been located in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned and operated by Bill and his wife Debbie.  Today the Crawford’s clients enjoy their dedication to personal service and state-of-the-art cardio and MedX equipment.  Their knowledge and motivational skills help people attain their fitness goals.  There is no substitute for decades of Bill’s practical experience and expertise.  Bill continues to promote fitness worldwide. 

William "Bill" Crawford | Basic Training MedX | 4390 N. Miller Road, Ste C-107 | Scottsdale, AZ 85251

 


Sara Kooperman – 2012 NFHOF Inductee 

Sara Kooperman, JD, is the CEO of SCW Fitness Education and WATERinMOTION® and the founder of SCW OnDemand.  In 2005 and 2006, Sara was selected as a Gold Medal winner distinguishing her as a business leader who has contributed to the economic health of her community.  She has also received the Illinois state honor as Business Woman of the year, and is the proud recipient of AEA’s Global Award for Contribution to the Aquatic Industry.

For a decade (2005-2015), Sara Kooperman was the CEO of Les Mills Midwest and grew the Midwest territory from 120 to 600 facilities and clubs, making it one of the fastest growing Les Mills agency in the world.  She is also on the Think Tank Panel of Experts for Gold's Gym Franchisee Association.

As CEO of SCW Fitness Education, Sara has expanded SCW to be the largest producer of fitness instructor training videos in the world offering the SCW OnDemand service.  Elevating others has always been Sara's mission. Building faculty members from college professors to studio owners has  nurtured SCW to offers over 25 nationally recognized and accredited fitness certifications on everything from Personal Training to Pilates, and Aquatics to Aging.


Dave Parise – 2012 NFHOF Inductee 

(Born: September 12, 1960 - Hometown: East Haven Connecticut) 

Dave Parise is the founder of Results Plus Personal Training Center opened in 1986 and the founder of Fit Pros Personal Training / Fit-Pro Academy.  Dave launched Fixmyfitnessclub.com – the How to’s and Why not’s of exercise, with meal prepping in the kitchen with “Eat Great N 8.”  Over the past thirty years I have had the opportunity to study, apply, and teach exercise science, with a heavy concentration on biomechanics, and safety standards.  I have built my reputation thru my analysis of exercise and movement, as well the equipment used in physical training, developing tools and methods to assure optimal safe forces into the bodies of clients, and athletes. I take pride in being a fitness professional who is up to date and with changing philosophies and my strong attention to detail has helped numerous clients, athletes, and organizations achieve there fitness goals. 

  • One of the Top 100 personal trainers in America 2012
  • Selected as one of the most influential personal trainers of all time 2012
  • Featured in Golf Digest- 2000 / 2001-Front cover- feature story
  • Selected as one of the Top 15 industry leaders from the US and Canada by the Association of Fitness Professionals / IDEA
  • Fox Networks’ “Dave Parise’s Corporate Health Tip of the week”
  • Wake up your Workout with Dave Parise WTNH
  • Wrote “Certified vs Qualified” and “Anatomical Profitability” The art of prospecting” for Fitness Professionals.   

Completed numerous advanced level certifications including: The National Academy of Sports Medicine - American Council of Exercise, Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, Fit-Pros Academy, Resistance Training School Level 1 and 2 – National Education Provider License #540


Frank Ruettiger - 2012 NFHOF Inductee 

(Born:  June 11, 1954 - Hometown: Shorewood, IL) 

Frank "Rudy" Ruettiger has been the owner of Rudy’s Gym for over 45 years and has trained thousands of clients. As a past powerlifting champion and world record holder, Francis or Coach Rudy as he is called, is also a strength coach for Joliet Catholic Academy and serves as a defensive line coach.  Rudy is also a retired police detective serving the residents of Joliet, Illinois proudly for over 30 years.

Coach Rudy teaches “old-school” principles of hard work, maximal effort and grit determination whether in the gym, on the playing field or in the classroom. In many ways, Rudy proudly serves his community!

Training Philosophy - “I teach young athletes the benefits of hard work and hope to instill self-confidence. Remember, it’s easy to quit when times get tough, but if you push through the tough times, you will see that the benefits are very rewarding.”  Client Testimonial - “I would not have made it in my career if not for the guidance of Francis Ruettiger. I owe him everything!” Tom Thayer - Chicago Bears


Sylvia Ulback – 2012 NFHOF Inductee  

(Born: April 6, 1881 – Died: March 2, 1975)

Ms. Ulback was an early fitness guru known as “Sylvia of Hollywood.”  Between 1916 and 1942 "Madame Sylvia," as she was also known, specialized in keeping movie stars camera-ready through stringent massage, diet and exercise.  Sylvia meshed dieting knowledge with her massage training and applied those skills to a growing list of clientele, which included socialites and others in the public eye.

Promoting a three-pronged approach of massage, exercise and diet, Sylvia's effective techniques were said to ‘squeeze off fat’ which were infamous within the ranks of Hollywood.  Her name became popularly associated with Hollywood slenderizing. 

Sylvia authored three books on health, appearance and beauty:   “No More Alibis” (1934), “Pull Yourself Together Baby”  (1936) “Streamline Your Figure” (1939).  “No More Alibis” was sixth on the non-fiction list of bestsellers from August 19 to September 17, 1936.

Between 1933 and 1936, Sylvia had a radio show that promoted beauty and fitness and had a had a column in the popular Photoplay magazine, covering beauty tips, celebrity beauty issues and eventually reader's problems.  The column began in February 1932 and went through 1936. 






Fitness Superstars Gather for National Fitness Hall of Fame Event!

April 29, 2012 - Glendale Heights, Illinois

It was a night to remember as a capacity crowd packed the Glendale Lakes Golf Club for the 2012 National Fitness Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on April 29th.  “The facility was wonderful, the crowd was electric and the event was historic,” said the Hall of Fame’s founder, John Figarelli as a record number of Hall of Fame inductees, current and past, were on hand to celebrate together a most memorable evening.

In attendance, 2012 National Fitness Hall of Fame Inductees, Bill Crawford, Francis Ruettiger and Dave Parise were welcomed by fellow inductees, Bob Gajda (2008), Dr. Phil Claussen (2009), Fred Schutz (2010) and Jim Everroad (2011).  VIP Presenters, Nancy Claussen (2009) and Mark Rothstein (2011) did a terrific job with the introductions of their esteemed colleagues and Tony Little (2006) was hugely entertaining as he presented the “Lifetime Achievement Award” posthumously to “The Godfather of Fitness,” Jack LaLanne (2005 inductee) to which friend and colleague, Gilad Janklowicz (2007 inductee) graciously accepted on behalf.  Jim Whitehead was also present to receive the Hall of Fame’s “Volunteer of the Year” award.

The event started at 6:00pm with a welcoming meet & greet of fans, friends and family alike all sharing in the special moment.  As one person put it, “meeting and mingling with all of these fitness gurus is truly inspirational.”  Another guest said, “I enjoyed the fascinating displays showcasing the History of Fitness.”  Addison’s very own Don Figarelli, “The Don of Sports” was on hand to conduct Red Carpet interviews with these Superstars of Fitness assisted by Mike Tynus doing an excellent job behind the camera.

Since John Figarelli founded the NFHOF in December of 2004, it has grown leaps and bounds and is now the largest such organization of it’s kind.  He is especially grateful to his ever supporting family and to this year’s sponsors, the American College of Sports Medicine and Total Gym Inc. who helped make this event so successful.




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