Denise Lynn Rutkowski is a former American

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

female bodybuilder Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

Bodybuilding career

Her professional bodybuilding career was brief, and ended shortly after finishing 2nd in the Ms. Olympia contest in 1993. Her sudden retirement shocked the sport, as she was seen as an easy contender for the Ms. Olympia in 1994.

Contest history

* 1988 NPC South Texas - 1st (MW) * 1988 NPC Spring City Classic - 1st (HW) * 1990 NPC Steel Rose - 1st * 1990 World Gym Classic - 1st * 1991 NPC Orange County Muscle Classic - 1st (HW & Overall) * 1991 NPC California State Championships - 1st (HW & Overall) * 1992 NPC Nationals - 3rd * 1993 NPC USA Championships - 1st (HW & Overall) * 1993 IFBB Jan Tana Classic - 1st * 1993 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd

Personal life

During her bodybuilding career she arrived in San Diego, CA in 1989 from Texas and lived at Mission Beach while training at Gold's Gym Pacific Beach. She lived in San Diego until 1991, when she won the Orange County Muscle Classic and California State Championships, and thereafter moved to Venice, CA to train at Gold's Gym,

Venice Beach, California Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

, and had an interest in improving the quality of life for underprivileged children in the neighborhood. She spent time traveling with youth from Venice, California to WWF shows, Disneyland, and sporting events. In 1994, she went back home to

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

and she entered Calvary Cathedral International Bible College for two years. By 1996, Denise was going around the country spreading the word of God at various religious revivals. In 2001, Denise started training again, and returned to a better physical condition. In 2012 and 2013, she was arrested for evading arrest in

Tarrant County, Texas Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of ...

Television appearance

In 1994, she had a brief appearance on the show Dream On, in the episode Blinded by the Cheese.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutkowski, Denise 1962 births Living people American female bodybuilders American people of Polish descent Professional bodybuilders Sportspeople from Fort Worth, Texas Sportspeople from Los Angeles Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from San Diego 21st-century American women