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Dallas “Big Country” McCarver broke a bodybuilding world record at the 2012 IFBB North American Championships where he became the youngest pro bodybuilder to win as overall champion at an event such as this. He was only 21 years old. For the next five years, McCarver became one of the most well-known bodybuilders. He was recognized as not only one of the strongest bodybuilders, but also one of the most dedicated to his craft.
Unfortunately, McCarver passed away on August 22, 2017 at the young age of 26 years old. His roommate and fellow IFBB competitor Josh Lenartowicz came home to find McCarver on the floor, unresponsive, and with food lodged in his throat. Josh called 911 immediately, but unfortunately, it was too late. The last person to talk to him was his girlfriend Dana Brooke, a popular WWE competitor. Brooke says that their last conversation was normal and ended with their standard “I love you. Goodbye.”
McCarver’s untimely death at such a young age is truly a tragedy. However, out of respect to “Big Country” and his amazing accomplishments, we will remember him not by the nature of his death, but by his character. McCarver did not become the youngest successful professional bodybuilder easily. Bodybuilding is a sport that requires a strict diet and exercise routine, as well as passion, patience and dedication to find a training routine that works right for your own body. Without these character traits, it is impossible to get far in the bodybuilding world. However, McCarver embodied them all, which is how he was able to show noticeable gains with each show. “Big Country” became interested in bodybuilding while playing football for his high school team and eventually participated in his first competition in 2011.
McCarver was born in Tennessee and with his 6ft frame, when he bulked up, he was big. The rate of McCarver’s muscle growth was astounding and his numbers prove it. Weighing in at 294 pounds, his lean body mass was just over 269 pounds. That’s a crazy amount of muscle! For the record, at his peak, Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed 229 pounds, had a lean body mass of 213 pounds and had only 7% body fat. McCarver and Schwarzenegger’s stats are pretty comparable, aside from the fact that McCarver was significantly larger.
However, McCarver did not enter the bodybuilding world with these stats; they are the product of hard work and dedication. In fact, over the course of the six years that he competed in bodybuilding shows, he went from roughly 250 pounds to just under 300 pounds, most of which was pure muscle. “Big Country” became successful right out of the gate. He took first place at his first competition, NPC Battle at the River Championships, in 2011. Following that competition, “Big Country” placed first in the IFBB North American Championships, which truly jump started his career and made him well-known in the bodybuilding world. In 2015, he again placed first at the IFBB California State Pro. His only major loss was later in 2015 when he placed 13th at IFBB Olympia Weekend. McCarver’s most successful years were actually when he first began competing on a large scale in 2012 until 2015. It is quite rare for a bodybuilder to gain so much success when they are new to the sport, but “Big Country” was an extraordinary competitor and athlete.
McCarver took home many medals from the bodybuilding competitions that he competed in and he deserved them all. His rising fame in the bodybuilding world could be attributed to his desire to be a unique contestant, as well as his refusal to quit. McCarver was at the top of his game and made sure that his posing and routines were creative and innovative. Due to his background in football and passion for sports, he was more athletic than most of his competitors and frequently incorporated activities like split jumps into his posing. For a man weighing in at just under 300 pounds with an astonishingly low body fat percentage of 8.5%, split jumps are definitely not easy. Muscle weighs significantly more than fat, which means that McCarver had to work extra hard to not only perform these tricks on stage, but do so with ease.
But that’s just who McCarver was- he was someone who constantly pushed himself to prove that he was capable of anything he set his mind to. However, “Big Country” was careful not to let his ego get the best of him. In early 2017, McCarver partnered with Redcon1 and released a clothing brand called OYE, which stood for Outgrow Your Ego. The clothing line featured items ranging from hats to tank tops and were available for both men and women. McCarver was dedicated to his craft but made sure that his success- of which he had quite a bit- never went to his head. In fact, he frequently posted pictures to Instagram with captions that reminded his fans that in order to achieve success, they must remain humble and, most importantly, work hard. He had a following of over 475k people and was looked up to by many. There were hundreds of young men who aspired to enter the world of bodybuilding and due to McCarver’s quick fame, dedication and incredible physique, he served as an inspiration to them. He was very dedicated to his fan base, as is evident based on his encouraging Instagram posts and desire to make a difference in the lives of others. McCarver was an incredible young man and his accomplishments, as well as his character, will never be forgotten.
