Left , Don West driving dragster .
Below , Don West at a weightlifting championship . ( Courtesy photos )
Don West has never been satisfied with just good enough .
Whether it ’ s on the job at Texas Instruments , building a dragster , or lifting weights , he wanted to be the best around and was willing to work hard to achieve that status .
West , who ’ s lived in Athens for the past eight years , grew up in the Dallas area , and despite a small frame , played football at Woodrow Wilson High School .
He went to work for Texas Instruments in 1958 in the fledgling semi-conductor industry . His career started taking off when he began working with integrated circuits . He retired in 2001 , after 42 years in the industry .
“ I was a good engineering student and was very good in mathematics ,” West said . “ My drafting was good enough they took one of my draftings and sent to Texas A & M where it won first place .”
In the late 50s , as a pastime , he joined a hot rod club . and spent much of the ‘ 60s traveling to various drag race events and car shows around the country .
“ I liked cars quite a bit ,” West said . “ One night they wanted to take the car the club had and race it at an AHRA ( American Hot Rod Association ) race in Kansas .”
His partner on the team drove the car to a win in the elimination rounds .
When they were setting times for the cars in his class , West was at the wheel of a 1929 open-wheel roadster for a speed of 111 miles per hour . That was a record at the time for the class .
“ I drove by the seat of my pants . I didn ’ t drive by the gauges or tachometer
at all ,” he said . “ I just had a feel for it .”
West was always up for a challenge and used his skills to help devise a faster race car .
“ I have a hard time hearing anyone say I can ’ t do something ,” he said .
One vehicle was fueled by 80 % nitrogen .
“ I took it into TI and to some chemical engineers and we found to way to make it 1000 % linemen ,” nitrogen ,” he said . he said .
In 1960 , his team ’ s dragster was
He trained Jim Cood who became an entered in the first annual Autorama All-American linebacker at the University of Michigan . Coode asked West how at Dallas Market Hall . Surrounded by beautiful and powerful cars of all kinds he could be so strong at his size . they were surprised by the trophy presentation .
Kong to be as strong as King Kong ,”
“ You don ’ t have to look like King
“ We were standing around as they West said . were giving out awards and heard ‘ The Coode played professional football best engineering award goes to Don in Canada after college . He died of ALS West and George Jackson .’ I went up in 1987 . there to get it and A . J . Foyt gave it to me Often West would show his strength and Johnny Rutherford was there . That in an arm wrestling match . was a real thrill for me .”
“ I ’ ve been on ABC ’ s Wide World of
One room in West ’ s Athens apartment is home to weights that he still
Before cable TV , when sports pro-
Sports arm wrestling ,” he said .
uses regularly and memorabilia , such gramming was limited , especially when as trophies and pictures . football was out of season , ABC would
One trophy is for winning an travel the globe finding sporting events
American Drug Free Power Lifting to televise on the show which had the Association national championship in famous slogan , “ The thrill of victory weight lifting for his class in November and the agony of defeat .” 1996 . He took the event at St . Louis ,
West ’ s arm wrestling was seen
Missouri , with a heft of 408 pounds . nation-wide . West has had a longtime interest in But his most famous opponent was strength and conditioning .
Snoopy . That was in an event in Charles
“ I wanted to be really strong because Shultz ’ home state of Minnesota when I was small ,” he said . he took on a man dressed as the famous
He worked as a strength coach for beagle . certain players at SMU .
“ It was put on TV and I had a lot of “ It was mostly linebackers and down fun doing it ,” West said .
12 | Greater Athens Magazine | July 2022