Bodybuilder Who Competed Following Paralyzing Accident Dead at 49
Bodybuilding champion Chad McCrary has died at age 49. McCrary began his bodybuilding career in 2000 and continued competing even after a 2005 motocross accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Fitness profile Bisandtris first confirmed McCrary’s death last weekend. An obituary published last week in the Texarkana Gazette noted he passed away on January 4. A cause of death has not been revealed.
McCrary started at just 160 pounds before beefing up to 240 in just three years. In 2005, he suffered a life-changing accident when he made a hard landing after attempting a 100-foot triple jump during a cross-country motocross race. McCrary entered his next bodybuilding competition just six months later, competing in the wheelchair division.
“I was already evolved in bodybuilding and just carried it over to the wheelchair,” he told Wheelchair Bodybuilding. “[I] just kept lifting, [but] had to modify most all standing exercises to a seated or lying position.”
The Texas native won a variety of prestigious honors throughout his career. Most recently, he placed in the top 10 in the 2022 Wheelchair Olympia, and fourth in the 2022 Arnold Classic. He also worked frequently as a motivational speaker, and with Nick LaToof penned the self-help memoir Answering the Call.
Despite the many professional hats he wore, McCrary’s primary passion was inspiring those around him. “I [want] to just be the best I can be and show myself and everyone else we don’t have to settle or crumble under adversity,” he told Wheelchair Bodybuilding. “You can do whatever you apply yourself to do if that’s truly what you want to do!”
