Orville Burke

[Steve56]

How good would he have been if his career wasn't cut short?

Crazy physique

[Granite-Dawg]

I was just thinking the same thing the other day. Guy swore he got that big eating chicken wings. Tragic story.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Steve56]

He's still alive

[Curt James]

Steve Weinberger mentioned something a while back about his recovery and that he was about 190-200lbs and looked good. If I remember correctly he was doing a photo shoot with Chris Lund and tore a tricep. When he went under for the surgery there were complications and he slipped into a coma. There was some speculation if any of it could have been avoided if he would of disclosed some stuff to the doctors prior to the surgery. Regardless, that guy was gigantic. He went out when he was just cracking the top 6 at the Olympia as well. This was also during a time when Shawn, Flex, Kevin, ect where still competing so that says a shitload about that guys physique. I have some of the old BFTO tapes on VHS and watch them at work from time to time and he is one of my all time favorites.

^^^^ Rx thread from 2009. He slipped into a coma during surgery to reattach a triceps tendon?

[Curt James]

how did he leave this earth so earily?

Back away from the keyboard!

[nsp]

How good would he have been if his career wasn't cut short?

Crazy physique

I doubt he would have made any more substantial improvements had he kept competing. He was already in his 40's at the peak of his career.

[Curt James]

2001Olympia

1**Ronnie Coleman
2**Jay Cutler
3**Kevin Levrone
4**Shawn Ray
5**Chris Cormier
6**Orville Burke
7**Dennis James
8**Dexter Jackson
9**Nasser El Sonbaty
10**Shari Kamali (King)

[Curt James]

2002 Olympia

1**Ronnie Coleman
2**Kevin Levrone
3**Chris Cormier
4**Dexter Jackson
5**Gunter Schlierkamp
6**Lee Priest
7**Ken Wheeler
8**Markus Rühl
9**Orville Burke
10**Dennis James

[Curt James]

And 2003 Olympia in which Burke did not compete...

1**Ronnie Coleman
2**Jay Cutler
3**Dexter Jackson
4**Dennis James
5**Gunter Schlierkamp
6**Kevin Levrone
7**Darrem Charles
8**Troy Alves
9**Melvin Anthony
10**Ernie Taylor
11**Johnnie Jackson
12**Rodney St Cloud
13**Art Atwood
14**Claude Groulx
15**Lee Priest
16**Jonathon Davie

Where might Burke have landed based on the two previous year's placings? He'd beaten Dennis James twice and Dexter once.

[swingslammer]

Out of all those Olympias you listed Curt, Only Dexter and Johnny Jackson are still competing. Interesting.

[swingslammer]

Two of those guys listed ACTUALLY have passed on.

RIP Nasser and Art.

[Professor X]

^^^^ Rx thread from 2009. He slipped into a coma during surgery to reattach a triceps tendon?

It was the anesthetic they put him under with. He didn't wake up...and sustained mild brain damage. I heard he had to learn to walk again.

That may be more tragic and hard to deal with than if he just died on the table for some people.

He used to be a body guard for Donald Trump.

[warthog]

Out of all those Olympias you listed Curt, Only Dexter and Johnny Jackson are still competing. Interesting.

^^^Priest ? I remember the first pictures I saw of Burke were in an 2000 Olympia preview issue of either Flex or M&S. It had something like pullouts with pics and profiles of all the guys who had qualified and Orville looked sick. I think he also got caught up in the "chase Ronnie "game because towards the end of his career he started developing a huge gut but man, those lats...

[Professor X]

Widest lats ever.


For real. I don't think Yates even filled out in width like that.

[gilbrt]

Such an amazing back and arms . He looks nuts if you watch the either 02or 01 battle for the Olympia. Such shame that some freak accident like that with the anaesthetist could almost cost you your life but definitely your career.