Bob Hoffman, known as the "Father of World Weightlifting" and founder of the York Barbell Club, was the U.S. Olympic weightlifting coach from 1948 to 1964 and also actively promoted the sports of powerlifting and bodybuilding. He served as an official advisor on youth physical fitness for Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Nixon. He founded the York Barbell Company on Broad Street in 1932.