Lee Haney is a known retired American bodybuilder and a multiple Mr.Olympia winner from 80’s and 90’s. Today he is more known for his training program and education through Christianity. Lee Haney and a bodybuilder named Ronnie Coleman are the only two bodybuilders in history to win eight Mr.Olympia titles.
It is also known that he was the Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during President Bill Clinton’s presidency which describes the amount of trust President had in him to appoint him in such a mess. Total-Lee Awesome was his known nickname while he was competing.
Early years
He was born as on November 11, 1959 in Fairburn, Georgia in United States. He has spent most of his childhood in a place called Spartanburg in South Carolina. He was very active during his childhood and was always into various sports, but couldn’t find one that fit him 100%.
Ever since he was a little boy he was fascinated by muscular and strong men.
He often spoke of mythological Hercules with great admiration and passion. Not only did he enjoy the inspirational story of Hercules, but he was also very interested in the idea of how Hercules got so strong.
He enrolled the Spartanburg Methodist College where he graduated. He was very determined and it was never an issue for him to learn.
Career development
He often bought bodybuilding magazines and he covered all his room walls with posters, mostly of Robby Robinson, also known as Black Prince, whom he greatly admired.
He got into the covers of many magazines and some of them are Pumping Iron, Muscle and Fitness, Muscle Builder.
He was 12 years old when he asked his parents to buy him weights as a present for Christmas.
Weights came with a training guide and that was his entrance to the world of powerlifting. He enioyed the feeling of being able to progress and became a true enthusiast.
Lee started going to a local YMCA. Danny Rogers first spotted his balanced physique and motivated him to continue his work.
Danny has been Lee Haney’s training teacher for four years and soon Lee gained an incredible physique.
Other than weight lifting, he was interested in football and athletics but it was only because he liked the sports. He found love in bodybuilding.
He was 16 years old when he entered the 1975 Mr. South Carolina show but without being noticed.
In 1977, Lee gained a football scholarship but decided not to take it because his dream was to be a great bodybuilder. He left college, with the permission of his parents and started working on becoming a professional bodybuilder.
In 1979 he entered the contest for Teen Mr. America and won. This was a crucial moment in his life when he realized that he is becoming better and more popular and that he can probably live from this.
In 1982, he won at Junior National contest and the World Amateur Championships in the heavyweight division the same year.
He was only 25 when he became Mr. Olympia in 1984. This was a huge achievment for someone his age.
He won seven out of seven Mr.Olympia titles. He broke the record set by a bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1979 Lee became Teen Mr. America – which was an enormous success for him.
He was Olympia Winner for eight times, the last time in 1991. He gained huge respect from his teammates because of this.
Haney decided to turn his knowledge about bodybuilding, fitness and healthy living, into a business so he has created his own training program called “TotaLee Fit with Lee Haney,” which is connected to Christianity.
He was very young when he retired from bodybuilding – he was only 31. He decided that he doesn’t want to do this for the rest of his life.
Lee became an educator and devoted his life and Christian character to helping others. He helped a lot of athletes and celebrities to get in shape.
One of most known world boxers Evander Holyfield hired him to make him training programs while he was trying to defense his heavyweight titles.
He also helped one NBA player to recover from his injury. This was a beautiful part of his career where he started to help others.
Gary Sheffield admired Lee for a long time and finally decided to choose him to become his lead trainer. He was very proud that someone choose him.
Other than training, Lee found joy in charity work. He has bought a farm very close to their real home and opened the “Haney Harvest House”. This was a place meant to help children to find shelter and security in rough times.
He gained a degree in counseling for youth and devoted a lot of his time to this cause.
He has written several books, most noted was “TotaLee Awesome: A Complete Guide to Bodybuilding Success”, he was a his on radio and TV too.
Undatisfied with the quality of supplements on the market, he launched his own line of supplement products called “Transformation Now”.
He has his own site called leehaney.com where he coaches and gives tips to people.
Personal life:
His wife Shirley Draper Haney is a part of it all and she is also a great Christian and charity worker. They have two children who live with them in Atlanta.
He has a son Joshua and a daughter Olympia which he adores. His daughter obviously has a name related to his career and he says that his children are a huge part of him.
He tries to keep them safe as much as he can, but it is hard when media is all around him.
Lee and his family live in Fayette County in Georgia, United States. He tries to have a peaceful life and tries not to get into media too much so he can keep his private info truly private.
Quick Summary:
Full name: Lee Haney
Date of birth: November 11, 1959
Birthplace: Fairburn, Georgia, United States
Age: 59
Profession: bodybuilder, fitness trainer, life coach
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 118 kgs
Net Worth: $15 million
