Richard Gaspari
Bodybuilder
Personal info
NicknameThe Itch
The Dragon Slayer
Rich Gaspari
Born (1963-05-16) 16 May 1963
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Professional career
Pro-debut
  • 1985 IFBB Night of Champions
  • 1985
Best win
  • IFBB Mr. Olympia Runner-up, three times
  • 1986, 1987, 1988
Active1985-1996

Richard Gaspari (born May 16, 1963) is an American retired professional bodybuilder, and a former member of the IFBB. He came in second place at the 1986, 1987, and 1988 Mr. Olympia competitions.[1]

Gaspari grew up in Edison, New Jersey; as a teenager he would sneak into Rutgers University weight room to take advantage of the exercise equipment.[2] He became a professional bodybuilder in 1984, entered the 1985 IFBB Night of Champions and placed 2nd, then placed 3rd for his first participation at Mr. Olympia that same year. Richard was a three-time runner-up at the Mr. Olympia contest (the most important in the professional circuit) during the long reign of Lee Haney at the top. He also won several secondary IFBB Grand Prix competitions during the same period. He was particularly praised for his hitherto-unseen level of conditioning and definition, being the first athlete to exhibit striations on the gluteal muscles.[3][4]

Richard Gaspari was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2011, he was awarded with the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award.[5] He was featured on the cover of the October, 2011 issue of Iron Man, 23 years after he last appeared on the cover of the magazine.[6] In 2013 he was presented with the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

In 1997, Gaspari started his own supplement company, Gaspari Nutrition. In 2005, the company became the subject of controversy after a client’s investigation implicated Gaspari Nutrition in a ring of supplement companies engaged in covertly spiking some of their products with a variety of steroids and/or their derivatives while deceptively mislabeling their ingredients, FDA violations which resulted in a lawsuit upheld in 2017. Shortly after, Gaspari filed for bankruptcy and sold the company.[8]

Gaspari resides in Toms River, New Jersey.[9]

Competition history

  • 1983 NPC Junior Nationals Overall Winner
  • 1983 NPC Junior Nationals HeavyWeight, 1st
  • 1983 NPC Nationals HeavyWeight, 5th
  • 1984 NPC Nationals Light-HeavyWeight, 1st
  • 1984 World IFBB Amateur Championships Light-HeavyWeight, 1st
  • 1985 IFBB Night of Champions 2nd
  • 1985 IFBB Mr. Olympia 3rd
  • 1986 IFBB Los Angeles Pro Championships Winner
  • 1986 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
  • 1986 IFBB World Pro Championships Winner
  • 1987 IFBB Grand Prix France Winner
  • 1987 IFBB Grand Prix Germany 2nd
  • 1987 IFBB Grand Prix Germany (2) Winner
  • 1987 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix England 2nd
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix France Winner
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Germany Winner
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Greece 2nd
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Italy Winner
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Spain (2) 2nd
  • 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Spain Winner
  • 1988 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
  • 1989 IFBB Arnold Classic Winner
  • 1989 IFBB Mr. Olympia 4th
  • 1990 IFBB Mr. Olympia 5th
  • 1991 IFBB Arnold Classic 7th
  • 1991 IFBB Mr. Olympia 10th
  • 1992 IFBB Arnold Classic 13th
  • 1994 IFBB Chicago Pro Invitational 16th
  • 1994 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational 15th
  • 1994 IFBB Night of Champions - Did not place
  • 1995 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 5th
  • 1995 IFBB Night of Champions 12th
  • 1996 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 11th
  • 1996 IFBB Florida Pro Invitational 12th
  • 1996 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational 16th

References

  1. ↑ "Mitos do Bodybuilding: Rich Gaspari".
  2. ↑ Gaspari, Rich. "Rich Gaspari | How He Started as a Skinny Kid & Ended Up 3x Mr. Olympia Runner Up", Muscular Development, February 3, 2017. " I lived in Edison, New Jersey, and Rutgers University wasn’t too far away."
  3. ↑ "How a Tiny, Red Male Thong Changed Pro Bodybuilding Forever". MEL Magazine. 18 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "How to Get Striated Glutes". musculardevelopment.com.
  5. ↑ Iron Man Magazine. "Rich Gaspari Receives The Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award". Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  6. ↑ Iron Man Magazine. "Rich Gaspari October 2011 Cover". Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement. "Rich Gaspari Receives The Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Stech, Katy (2014-12-31). "Bodybuilder's Supplement Company Sold Out of Bankruptcy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  9. ↑ "Mayor Reina issues proclamation for Jackson resident Rich Gaspari", JTown, May 15, 2011, Backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 22, 2012. Accessed November 22, 2017. "Jackson resident Rich Gaspari, CEO and founder of Gaspari Nutrition has had many honors bestowed upon him in his life including Mr. America, Mr. Universe and three time runner up for the coveted Mr. Olympia title."
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