Born, December 26, 1906 and reared in Arizona, Goodrich’s childhood home was near a river in which he honed his swimming skills, before later becoming interested in putting the shot and running the 100-yard dash in college. His muscular foundation began in 1928 when he first worked out in David Willoughby’s Gym in Los Angeles. On April 23, 1939, Goodrich entered his first bodybuilding competition, the Bronx YMHA (Young Men’s Hebrew Association) Greater New York Best Built Man contest. He beat 54 other contestants to win the tall-class and overall decisions.
Six weeks later, on June 10, 1939, in Amsterdam, New York, Goodrich won the contest that resulted in his national physique fame: the America’s Best Physique Contest, also known as the Mr. America. . It's said that his body was so well developed from his track, gymnastics and aerobic training that he didn't really train per-se for the Mr. America Contest. He just walked in, showed off his body and won.
Later he put his athletic skills and training to use as a stand in/stunt double for such athletes turned movie stars as Buster Crabbe (the Olympic swimmer tapped to become one of moviedoms Tarzans) and Red Grange (a football star turned actor) as well as John Wayne and Ken Maynard.
In 1948, he jointly promoted the Mr. USA contest with Vic Tanny. A few years later, he acted as a talent scout, helping to recruit musclemen for Mae West’s touring nightclub act, long before the first Chippendale’s dancer was born.
As a gym owner with seven locations, his main facility was at 6624 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Mr Goodrich passed away on December 06, 1991
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