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FLEX | JANUARY ’18
26-year-old struck down in
his prime so suddenly and so
wretchedly? I spoke at length
the next day with Matt Jansen.
Given the trauma he was going
through, it tells you all you want
to know about Matt’s character
and loyalty that he wanted to go
on the record about his friend,
although at times, quite
understandably, he became
emotional. Through Matt, I gained
a deeper understanding
of the young man we had lost.
Instead of the normal format
of an article, I will tell the story
of Dallas McCarver interspersed
with Matt’s thoughts on his
best friend.
DALLAS THE
WUNDERKIND
In an era of bodybuilders usually
not turning pro until they’re in
their late 20s, Dallas McCarver
bucked the norm. Originally from
Jackson, TN, he won his pro card
at age 21 by winning the super-
heavyweight and overall titles at
the 2012 North Americans with
241 pounds distributed on his 6'
frame. Given his dimensions, he
As the pace of the story went
into overdrive, we learned that
this was no hoax. This was fact.
Dallas McCarver, one of the most
promising bodybuilders on the
planet, had passed away at age
26. Twenty-six?
Late on Monday evening,
Aug. 21, Dallas returned to his
Boca Raton home after a workout.
Just before midnight, Australian
bodybuilder Josh Lenartowicz,
who was staying with Dallas to
complete the last three weeks of
his Olympia prep, returned from
the gym. What he found was
shocking. Dallas was facedown
on the floor, his face was blue,
and it seemed he had choked to
death on something.
Josh heroically performed CPR
on his host and then handed that
over to the paramedics when they
arrived. Dallas was transported
to the hospital and pronounced
dead shortly after arriving.
The bodybuilding world
went into almost universal shock,
which was pretty unusual in my
experience. (See “The Dallas
Wowboy,” opposite page.)
How to make sense of a