Jim Schmitz: USA Olympic Weightlifting Coach

Born in Ukiah, California, in 1945, Coach Jim Schmitz has been involved in weightlifting for most of his life. As a young teenager, Jim played many sports and began lifting weights to get bigger and stronger, improving his overall athleticism.

He played football at San Francisco State, graduated with a degree in physical education, and eventually began competing in Olympic-style weightlifting, mostly self-coached and learning lifting technique from Strength & Health magazine.

THE SPORTS PALACE: BUILDING A DYNASTY

As Jim got a little older, he began searching for a local gym in San Francisco and came across Alex’s Sports Palace. He liked the place so much that he became a part-owner. He eventually took full ownership and kept the name The Sports Palace.

Jim continued to compete and also began coaching. Over the years, Jim has coached hundreds of athletes. Some of his better-known lifters include the following.

1 — Dan Cantore — 5-time National Champion and member of the USA Olympic team at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.

2 — Bruce Wilhelm — 2-time National Champion and member of the USA Olympic team in 1976. He was the first American weightlifter to snatch over 400 pounds.

3 — Butch Curry — 2-time National Champion and a member of the USA Olympic team in 1980.

4 — Mario Martinez — 10-time National Champion and a member of the USA Olympic teams in 1984, 1988, and 1992. He won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics.

5 — Ken Clark — 6-time National Champion and a member of the 1984 USA Olympic team

6 — Ken Patera — 3-time National Champion and member of the 1972 USA Olympic team. Ken was the first American weightlifter to clean & jerk over 500 pounds.

7 — Rachel Silverman — 5-time National Champion and a pioneer of women’s weightlifting.

In 1982, the Sports Palace defeated the York Barbell Club for the team title at the National Championships. York had held the title for 29 consecutive years. The Sports Palace would go on to win 7 more national championships.

Jim was a coach for the USA Olympic team in 1988 and 1992 and served as President of the US Weightlifting Federation from 1988 to 1996. From 1992 to 1996, he served on the Executive Board of the International Weightlifting Federation. He was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2020.

Jim has a website, Nevertoostrong.org, and a book titled Olympic-Style Weightlifting (For the Beginner & Intermediate Weightlifter).

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Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)