workings , never drove him to be a bodybuilder . He used to say that the only time he wished he was a normal size was when he was around kids , because he didn ’ t want them to be scared of his look . He wanted to be normal so the kids felt comfortable . He had a great affinity with kids , and one of his goals was to open a home for disadvantaged inner-city kids . If you wanted to see Dallas really light up , put him among a bunch of kids : He was a 300-pound teddy bear .
“ We would talk about the future and what we would be doing 10 years down the road . [ At this point Matt breaks down ] Aside from my wife , Dallas was the only other person I talked to about such things . I believed in my heart that we would win multiple Olympias together and travel the world , and he would fulfill his ambition of opening that home .
“ I spent a week in Boca with Dallas during his last days , and I went home the day before he died . We had a blast of a week .
“ We had so much fun doing things other than bodybuilding — that ’ s how we really bonded . Bodybuilding was our life and passion , but we had fun joking and discussing about football . It was important for Dallas to give bodybuilding a mental break because there was so much pressure on him at such a young age . He had to have someone in his life that he could shut off with , and I was that guy . And he was that guy for me .”
DALLAS THE FUNSTER Dallas had a fun-loving nature , as exemplified in a video interview I did with him in 2016 . He started off by instructing me playfully how to conduct interviews . I mimicked nervousness and started biting my nails . He asked , “ You got it ?” I nodded , and then I began , “ So I ’ m here with Justin Compton .” Dallas clapped his hands and let out a bellow of a laugh that would have woken Congress .
In that same interview , he told me , “ I work out hard and diet hard , but I refuse to be miserable about it all . When you put everything you ’ ve got into something you love , it brings a lot of joy . Some guys are really hard on themselves . I think if they took a minute to enjoy it , it might actually have a positive influence for them in the long run . At the end of the day my goal is to do the best I can and to be the best I can .”
Matt : “ We went to Barcelona for the 2016 Arnold Classic Europe . [ Dallas was ninth .] We were supposed to have a room each , but when we checked into the hotel we had only one room with a small bed that wouldn ’ t have held Dallas ’ left leg . But he was undeterred ; all he wanted to do was ride round Barcelona on a mountain bike . So the general population was treated to this mountain of a man with a big smile on his face riding around on a mountain bike .
“ We did not work together for the early 2017 contests , and our relationship became a little strained . But we finally got back together , and as I sit here today with him gone , it drives home to me that if you ’ ve got an issue in life with someone you love , make sure you reach out and resolve it . If I hadn ’ t reached out to Dallas and gotten our close relationship back on track , his passing would have been even more difficult to process .”
THE LAST ROUNDUP One sentence of my 2016 interview with Dallas resonates with me even more after his passing . He told me , “ As with most things in life , if I can ’ t do it and enjoy it , I don ’ t want to do it .” Take a deep breath before digesting the next sentence : “ My life is too short and everybody ’ s life is too short to live an unhappy or unfilled life .”
Well , Dallas ’ 26 years were too short . Some say that when you pass away , your whole life flashes in front of you . If Dallas experienced that sensation , he would have observed a young man universally loved , one who was larger than life and admired and who will forever be remembered as a shining example of how a life should be lived , no matter how short .
On Sept . 12 , 2017 , Jordan Jansen gave birth to her and Matt ’ s first child , a son . His name is Dallas . And so the circle of life and Dallas ’ legacy goes on .
126 FLEX | JANUARY ’ 18