A Not So Typical College Life

            Alex Truman graduated Butler Area High School in 2009. Truman then went on to further his education at Slippery Rock University, where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology in May 2013. The time Truman spent at Slippery Rock University shaped his life and helped him become the person he is today.

            Truman came to Slippery Rock University in August 2009 as an All American Strength Athlete, winning the International Powerlifting Pennsylvania State Championships his junior year of high school and the North American Strongman Teenage National Championship just weeks before the start of his freshman year at Slippery Rock University. 

            During his freshman year at Slippery Rock University, Truman became very involved in campus life. Becoming a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity and the Body Building and Fitness Club. They kept Truman busy throughout his first year at Slippery Rock University. Truman promoted, organized, and officiated the 2009 “Strongest Man in the Rock", a strongman competition held in Slippery Rock, which all proceeds were donated to a Slippery Rock University athletic scholarship. Pulling a plane weighing over 100,000lbs with one of his mentors, Mary Jacobson, also helped Truman and Jacobson donate over $10,000 to the Special Olympic event. Even with all of his activities, Truman still maintained grades that landed him on the Dean's list.

            Throughout the summer following his freshman year of college, Truman completed over 400 volunteer hours at a local park and worked as much as possible. During this same time Truman also won the 2010 North American Strongman Teenage National Championship. 

            As summer ended, Truman was back to taking classes, training at the ARC, and working at Ginger Hill Tavern as a security guard. Truman began training over 25 hours a week for strongman and powerlifting, as he had big plans for the following year. Throughout his sophomore year, Truman won multiple National Strongman Championship qualifying events.

            Junior year at Slippery Rock University came quite quickly for Truman. He had decided to become a Criminal Justice and Criminology major, apply for a Professional Card through the International Powerlifting Association, compete in The World’s Strongest Man, and continued working to pay for his education. On November 19^th and 20^th Truman competed in the 2011 International Powerlifting Association National Championships, winning the Professional division at 220lbs and proving he deserved the Pro Card.

As junior year concluded for Truman, he was working at Y.E.S. Academy counseling overly aggressive youths. Truman had planned to compete at Worlds Strongest Man in the upcoming year. Events occurred that caused the International World Championships to be held in York, PA in 2012. Although Truman was focusing on his upcoming strongman events, he could not pass up the opportunity to compete for a professional world title in powerlifting in his home state. Truman won the 242lbs men’s open professional division, and the Overall Best Lifter award for the men’s professional division.



Entering into his senior year at Slippery Rock University, Truman had decided to go after the title of Mr. SRU, which had been a goal for him since first hearing of the event as a freshman. Truman also decided he wanted to become President of Sigma Tau Gamma before he finished his Bachelors Degree. In typical Truman fashion, he became the President of his fraternity and went on to win the 2013 Mr. SRU bodybuilding show.

After graduation, Truman continued to work at Y.E.S. Academy and paid off his remaining student debt. Buying a house at 22 years old is not something most do, but Truman did. All the while, Truman continued to train for and win the National Physique Committee 2013 Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix.

Mrs. SRU in 2015 was Julia Bagway. She heard of Truman and here is some input she has about what she has done with SRU Bodybuilding. 

My good friend, Alex Truman, did a lot of things most college students do not do. Truman focused, and Truman didn’t make excuses. He worked, sometimes over 60 hours a week, to pay for his college education. He trained countless hours and went to the gym multiple times a day to become a successful athlete. He studied, maintained good grades, volunteered and participated in an exorbitant amount of campus events and organizations. To you Alex Truman might just be a name. To those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him, Alex Truman is a role model, an icon, and a friend.