A family of record-breaking, state-champion powerlifters hails from Mexico. They walked the halls of Mexico High School, participated in FCA sports, and attended the local church.

Behind the scenes however, the tight-knit Duncan family had an unusual way of spending time together. Together, they competed all over Missouri in powerlifting, building muscles and a bond stronger than most.

A history of powerlifting

The sport of powerlifting as we know it today, is a barbell sport generally defined by three main lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. It evolved from the much older organized sport, Olympic weightlifting, which can trace its origins back to the late 1800’s.

Olympic weightlifting originated in ancient Greece as a field event in the Olympic Games in 1896. The two competition lifts associated with this sport are the snatch, and clean-and-jerk.

It wasn’t until the 2000 Sydney Olympics that the first women’s division in weightlifting was added.

Powerlifting became its own, organized sport around the early 1950’s with its own set of rules and regulations though, according to, A History of Powerlifting in the United States: 50 Years After New York by Joe Warpeha, it wasn’t until 1964 when the sport had its first “unofficial championship”

A rough start

William (Bill) Duncan was born in Kentucky in December, 1958. His father, a MU Alumni, was an FBI agent in Buffalo, NY before moving to Louisville. Eventually, Bill’s grandparents got older and moved to Mexico and his family followed.

“If I go to my front door and look out, I can see my house where I grew up,” Bill explains.

Inspired by his father’s legacy, Bill decided to go to MU after graduating from Mexico High School in 1976.

That first year at MU was tough for Duncan as he tried to find a way to fit in.

“I became a drunken frat boy, just about flunked out of MU, walked onto the wrestling team and about six weeks after I started, I dropped out because I was failing my first round exams,” says Bill. “Not a good start.”

He transferred to Missouri State where he completed his Bachelor of Biology with minors in chemistry and secondary education.

From the time he graduated from Missouri State until 2006 when he came back home to Mexico, it was a whirlwind for Bill.

“I had an interest in language that I indulged with summer courses in linguistics at a university in Oklahoma,” says Bill.

Bill became involved in SIL, a global nonprofit that specializes in scripture translation and education. He went to China and lived there from 1987 to 1990 before returning to the states to pursue master’s degrees in linguistics and Asian studies at the University of Oregon.

From there he went to Nashville where he taught English to international students, coming back to Missouri for a brief stint before moving to Thailand where he met his wife and taught at an international school.

After Thailand, he moved to Maryland where he taught high school and college chemistry and also worked for the government in Chinese translation.

“My Bachelor of Biology got me started and it's been my bread and butter since then, but linguistics and Asian studies and Chinese literature has also kept me alive,” says Bill.

Linguistics and lifting

Those six weeks at MU when Bill was on the wrestling team was his first introduction to weight lifting and it stuck with him.

“I was a chubby little boy; I wasn’t good at sports,” says Bill.

But weightlifting came naturally for him. So, when he transferred to Missouri State and needed to fulfill a P.E. requirement, he chose a weightlifting class.

Bill’s first job after college was in Steelville teaching science and coaching cross country. He started going to Vessell’s Fitness Complex in Rolla where he met Don Schafer who he trained with.
“I started competing in powerlifting at a meet that was on the base at Fort Leonard Wood,” remembers Duncan.

With that taste of competitive powerlifting lingering when he moved to China, Bill organized a postal meet.

“That is literally what it sounds like,” explains Bill. “You lift, you mail your results to the other side, they mail you their results and you figure out who won.”

Bill lifted in a Chinese gym which was nothing more than a wooden shed with an exposed bulb dangling from the ceiling. The once concrete floor had withstood so much abuse from the weights it was nothing but dust.

His hunger for competition grew in China. He competed in the Beijing Municipal College weightlifting Championships in some less-than-ideal wingtip shoes.

Bill continued to allow his career in teaching and his passion for linguistics to take him all over the world, finding local competitions to compete in along the way. Over the last 41 years he has competed in at least half a dozen organizations and more competitions than he can count.

“Language is kind of like powerlifting; it’s just something I picked up,” jokes Bill.

A family affair

Bill has three children: Daniel who is 32-years-old, Noah who is 27-years old and Esther (Ruthie) who is 22-years-old.

“Only my oldest and myself are involved now,” says Bill. “All three of the kids have competed in powerlifting.”

Bill’s oldest son Daniel started lifting weights when he was 10-years-old. Daniel had been coming to the gym with his father and siblings for years at this point watching him train, coach and referee at meets.

“Daniel wanted to do it so I got permission from my building supervisor to let him do it,” says Bill. “He started training at the gym with me on Saturdays; I was putting on meets and he was a guest lifter.”

At 10-years-old, Daniel, who weighed in at 130 pounds, deadlifted 145 pounds at his first meet. He had registered at the last minute but was glad he did as he set a record with that lift.
After that, seeing his older brother compete had Noah itching to do the same.

“My kids are uber competitive,” says Bill.

His daughter Ruthie also followed suit showing an interest in weightlifting early on. What went from the little sister with a burning desire to be involved led to a full blown competitive career.

“She did her first meet at the (Mizzou)Rec when I was involved in the MU strength club and she dead lifted 85 pounds at 5-years-old,” says Bill who was beaming with pride.

When Bill started moving training equipment into the house, they began training with their father at home.

“My dad was my coach,” says Ruthie. “I just did what my dad did then as I got older and learned, I would figure it out myself.”

The Duncan family competed all together at least once a year. Their last meet as a family was at the 2018 USPA Red White and Blue Powerlifting Championships in Waynesville.

“Everybody but mom competed,” says Bill. “Daniel’s wife competed, Daniel competed, Noah competed, Ruthie competed, I competed, all at the same meet.”

The family often spotted each other on their lifts, Ruthie especially.

“I would always want my brothers to be my spotters,” says Ruthie.

Coming full circle, Bill is now working at MU as a mentor of student athletes. He has a degree in positive coaching from MU.

Daniel, who now lives in Kansas City, still trains and is flirting with a 2000 pound competition total.

After her last powerlifting meet, Ruthie went to study exercise science at Lindenwood University where she was on the Olympic Weightlifting team. She also still trains but on her own time focusing on crossfit and Olympic weightlifting.

Bill just celebrated his 66th birthday but, like his kids, his powerlifting career is far from over. Despite two knee replacements and a pacemaker, Bill continues to train with one last record in his sights.

“I want to squat 600 pounds again by the time I’m 70,” says Bill.