Qualifies for next round; participation was “accidental”
By Luke Johnson
If you aren’t into basketball and were watching TV on Monday night, June 12th, you might have seen a familiar face. Without telling him, Anthony Trucks’ wife signed him up for NBC’s hit competition show American Ninja Warrior.
“This was accidental,” Trucks said. “My wife started filling out the application without me knowing.”
Trucks finished in 10th place out of 135 competitors in the regional qualifier that aired June 12 – the same night the Golden State Warriors clinched the NBA Championship – but still reached over five million viewers. Trucks was one of 30 to move onto the next round which will broadcast July 24.
“My wife pushes me into doing a bunch of things because she knows I’m capable of doing them,” Trucks said. “Not that I don’t think I’m capable, but she always has the desire to see me do well – which is awesome.”
Trucks is a locally renowned owner of Trucks Training gym, as well as an author, speaker and former football player.
He recorded 99 tackles and 11 sacks his senior year at the University of Oregon. His 15 sacks in a single season at Antioch High School (Class of 2002) is the third most in school history despite missing three games. He then played on the practice squads in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
To prepare for the show, Trucks trained at APEX NorCal in Concord – which is self-labeled the “Parkour and Ninja Warrior Gym.” It is owned by Alan Connealy who has appeared on American Ninja Warrior several times.
“I went there because it’s not your typical kind of training,” Trucks said. “Overall, I worked on grip strength stuff, and hanging from obstacles and tried to cut some weight.”
Trucks was the heaviest contestant to advance in the regional qualifier at 225 pounds. “This truck has no breaks,” he said during his preview on the show.
To watch his performance on the June 12th show, click here. To watch the complete episode of the Los Angeles regional final, click here. To learn more about Trucks and his compelling life story visit www.anthonytrucks.com/about/.
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