09/10/2026
THROWBACK — MR. ARIZONA 1999
That’s me on the left at about 176 pounds, fresh off winning the middleweights. Standing next to me is a guy I’ve always called the Godfather of Arizona Bodybuilding — Rusty Jeffers.
Rusty is five years older than me, but when I was coming up in my early 20s, he was someone I looked up to. He’d already been competing since the ’70s, winning three Teenage Mr. Arizona titles, and he took the time to teach me a few things along the way—including helping me with my posing before my first guest posing appearance.
I’ll admit, I thought he was a bit of a hard ass back then 😂. But looking back, I appreciate it even more.
In this picture Rusty was probably 210–215 pounds, and standing next to him lit a fire under me. After this show, I made up my mind: the next time I stepped on the Mr. Arizona stage, I was coming back to win the whole thing.
Two years later, in 2001, I came back at 198¼ pounds, won the light-heavyweights and then the Mr. Arizona Overall.
That’s one of the things I love about bodybuilding. Sometimes seeing someone ahead of you doesn’t discourage you—it shows you what’s possible.
And all these years later, Rusty is still doing exactly that. This past weekend, he won the Over-60 World Championship.
That’s longevity. That’s passion. And that’s a hell of an example.
Rusty doesn’t live in Arizona anymore, but I still have a signed picture of him hanging in Deezel Muscle.
Some people leave more than trophies behind. They leave an impact.
Much respect to a true legend of our sport. 💪
