Davis spent a lot of time working out throughout college. In the spring of 2005, he established school records for a tight end in the bench press (460 pounds), power-clean (380 pounds), index (824 pounds), and squat (685 pounds).
His senior year, he added more than 20 pounds to his frame and made even more improvements to his game. The Washington State Cougars went 11-3 that season and reached the Rose Bowl. Davis was named first team All-American by the NFL Draft Report and second team All-American by the NFL Foundation. He also won the Bucky Owens Award as the top collegiate player who does not play in the NFL.
During his college career, Davis set school records for receptions in a season (69) and in a game (11). As a junior, he led the nation with 16 touchdown catches.
Before joining the Cougars, Davis lettered three years in football and basketball at Manassas Park High School in Virginia. As a high school athlete, he played wide receiver, but was mostly used as a blocker because he wasn't big enough to be a true target man.
Davis said after his junior season that he wanted to add 10 more pounds of muscle and become an unstoppable force on offense. He succeeded in doing so and was even drafted number one overall by the San Francisco 49ers.
He threw an amazing 20.36 metres (66.8 ft) in 1985 with a prep shot of 5.4 kilos (12 lb). After graduating from St. Albans High School in 1985, he went on to Texas A&M University, where he beat Randy Matson's school record with a throw of 21.88 metres (71.8 ft) with a 7.26 kilogram (16.0 lb) full-size shot. That same year, 1986, he threw 22 meters (72 feet) again with a 5.4 kilo (12 pound) shot.
His college career ended after one season when he decided to turn pro. He has said that he wanted to see how far he could throw before turning twenty-one and that he felt like he still had more in him. So far, he has thrown nearly 25 metres (82 feet) twice - 1989 and 1990 - with identical shots of 5.4 kilograms (12 pounds).
In 1991, at the age of twenty-one, he threw 26.5 metres (87 feet) with a 6.1 kilogram (13 pound) ball, which at the time was the world record for his age group. Since then, his record has been beaten by many young athletes who have been trying to outdo it. In 1995 he threw 27.5 metres (90 feet), in 1996 he broke this mark with a score of 87.5 metres (297 feet), and in 1998 he improved it further to 88.5 metres (291 feet).
Tales of his incredible feats of strength are frequently circulated. From squat leaping out of four-foot pools of water to comfortably flipping 1,000-pound tires, his peak squat is reported to be 700 pounds and his bench is in the 450-500 range. This is consistent with his 34 reps of 225 in the combine.
From squat leaping out of four-foot pools of water to comfortably flipping 1,000-pound tires, his peak squat is reported to be 700 pounds and his bench is in the 450-500 range. This is consistent with his 34 reps of 225 in the combine.
Mark Henry began his career as a powerlifter. He still holds the all-time drug-tested raw squat world record for the super-heavy category, as well as the overall. His greatest total in powerlifting is 2442 lbs. He moved on to Olympic lifting, where he established US records and finished ninth in the Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Henry weighed 252 pounds and made him one of the heaviest athletes in the history of the sport.
In addition to his world records, Henry's other achievements include winning eight straight international matches, five straight heavyweight titles, and two consecutive Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008). He is the only man ever to win both the World Powerlifting Championships and the World Strongman Challenge.
Henry won his first gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games by defeating Russia's Vladimir Kolesar in the final of the heavyweight division by knockout. The Russian had defeated Henry earlier in the competition by default when his opponent did not show up for their match. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Henry again won the gold medal by defeating American Todd Hays by technical knockout in the final round. This time there was no confusion about who would be going into the ring against him because Hays had already been eliminated from the tournament earlier in the day after being knocked out by Henry in their semi-final match.
As impressive as these feats are, they could have been even more remarkable if not for some health issues that plagued Henry throughout his career.
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