Arthur Dale Atwood (December 27, 1973 – September 11, 2011) know professionally as Art Atwood, was an American IFBB professional heavyweight bodybuilder.

Career

A native of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, Atwood's first NPC (

National Physique Committee The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is ...

) competition came in 2000, where he placed 1st place in the super-heavyweight class of the Junior USA. His professional bodybuilding debut was the 2001 Toronto Pro where he took 1st place. His first IFBB

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...

came in 2002, where he placed 12th. After other various competitions he competed in the IFBB Night of Champions tournament of 2003, where he placed 7th. His first

Arnold Classic The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arn ...

was in 2005, where he placed 14th. He retired from stage competitions in 2006. Atwood has been featured in many fitness and bodybuilding magazines, as well as appearing on the cover of RxMuscle magazine.

Contest history

* 2000 NPC Junior USA, Super-HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall * 2000 NPC Nationals, Super-HeavyWeight, 14th * 2000 NPC USA Championships, Super-HeavyWeight, 7th * 2001 NPC Nationals, Super-HeavyWeight, 1st * 2001 NPC USA Championships, Super-HeavyWeight, 3rd * 2002 Grand Prix England, 7th * 2002

, 12th * 2002 Show of Strength Pro Championship, 12th * 2002 Toronto Pro Invitational, 1st * 2003 Grand Prix England, 7th * 2003 Grand Prix Holland, 8th * 2003 Grand Prix Hungary, 3rd * 2003 Grand Prix Russia, 6th * 2003 Night of Champions, 7th * 2003 Mr. Olympia, 13th * 2004 Florida Pro Xtreme Challenge, 5th *2004 Hungarian Pro Invitational, 8th *2004 Night of Champions, 9th *2004 Toronto Pro Invitational, 5th *2005

, 14th *2005 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 10th *2006 Europa Super Show, 5th *2006 Montreal Pro, 7th *2006 Atlantic City Pro, 10th

Arrest

In May 2007 Atwood was pulled over by police, following a months long investigation into illegal steroid sales. Atwood was offered a deal by prosecutors, avoiding jail, and cop orating in Operation Raw Deal. The operation lead to arrests of more than 120 people in 2008, and authorities confiscated 11 million steroid doses.

Death

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, at about 2:30pm, Atwood was walking through the pool area of the condominium complex where he lived in Dallas, TX when he had a heart attack. Two residents who were at the pool saw him fall in and immediately pulled him out. They were able to revive him and call paramedics, but Atwood died at nearby Baylor Regional Medical Center Hospital in Plano, TX, at age 37 years. The coroner's report showed that Atwood died of a massive heart attack. The report also states Atwood unknowingly suffered a minor heart attack about a month previously.

Career

Contest history

Arrest

Death

References

See also