(Oct. 31, 1914 – Dec. 16, 2009) Joe Loprinzi left his mark on the state as a fitness and weightlifting coach and athletic guru enough so that the Multnomah Athletic Club named a wing after him.

Born in Portland in 1914, Loprinzi grew up in an athletic family that included three brothers. As a 9-year-old, Joe Loprinzi took in a strongman show at a local theater and delved into weightlifting. In 1930, Joe Loprinzi and his brothers opened a gym, the Portland Barbell Club, and four years later were accepted as members in the MAC. In 1937, Joe Loprinzi, who had frequently competed as a weightlifter for the club, began working as a fitness instructor and weightlifting coach. He later turned his coaching skills to numerous other sports.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Loprinzi, who served in the Navy in World War II, offered fitness advice to viewers of the KGW TV morning program.

In 1988, the MAC created the Joe Loprinzi Inspirational Award, given annually to the club member who best exemplifies the spirit for fitness he exhibited. The Multnomah Athletic Foundation later named a scholarship for him.
In 1997, upon Loprinzi’s retirement after 60 years of service, the MAC announced it would name its new West Wing for him.

Loprinzi, affectionately called “Mr. Mac” was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. He passed away in 2009 at age 95.