30 Facts About Ken Sprague

Kenneth Ray Sprague was born on July 14,1945 and is an American bodybuilder, businessman, author and school teacher.

Ken Sprague is best known as the owner of the original Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, which he purchased and managed between the years 1972 and 1979.

Ken Sprague competed in numerous Amateur Athletic Union championships and won the Mr Cincinnati bodybuilding title in 1967.

Ken Sprague sold Gold's in 1979 and later moved to Eugene, Oregon to focus on his family.

Ken Sprague wrote and published several books about bodybuilding and worked as a teacher of mathematics and science.

Ken Sprague was born on July 14,1945, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Homer and Ethel Ken Sprague.

Ken Sprague grew up in Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in a very well to do family cultured in art, politics, and athletics.

Ken Sprague's mother was a ballet dancer, his father a contractor, and his two brothers were both honored athletes who attained Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Since childhood, Ken Sprague was led to develop passion for sports.

Ken Sprague found a job, and because he was a minor, sued his parents for guardianship to clear the way for him to marry Thrower.

Just after the age of 18, Ken Sprague was encouraged by a national Olympic lifting coach, to get involved in the sport.

Ken Sprague competed for the next five years, winning in numerous AAU championships and receiving the Mr Cincinnati bodybuilding title in 1967.

Ken Sprague began attending University of Cincinnati on a track scholarship.

The scholarship lasted for one semester and Ken Sprague was forced to combine his studies with work and family.

Ken Sprague sent a photo of Sprague to the COLT Studio in New York City and shortly afterwards, Sprague was invited to pose for them.

The response was instant and Ken Sprague was asked to travel to California to do more modeling.

Carter indicated that Ken Sprague worked as a male hustler besides his work in porn.

Ken Sprague later stated that he had made a great deal of money, but not in the way that Carter portrayed it.

Around that same time, Ken Sprague became a member of Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles.

On May 26,1972, Ken Sprague became the new owner of the Gold's Gym in Venice, California.

Ken Sprague himself produced several all-male 8mm short films, which were later released as two feature films, Loadstar and California Supermen, under his own company Dakota Productions.

Ken Sprague soon figured out that he could make just as much, if not more, in the legitimate filmmaking.

In spring of 1975, Ken Sprague acquired a secretarial position in the Amateur Athletic Union.

Ken Sprague was approached by the chairman for the newly formed AAU Physique Committee about bidding on the Mr California contest.

Ken Sprague complied with a $1,000 offer and won the bid to run the 1976 contest.

When trying to land a bid on the 1977 Mr America contest, Ken Sprague was confronted by the AAU board about his porn past as Dakota.

Ken Sprague left the meeting and filed defamation lawsuit against each member individually.

On January 17,1976, Ken Sprague filed a lawsuit against Joe Gold that blocked him from opening a new fitness center World Gym because of the non-competition clause in the initial sales agreement.

Ken Sprague eventually did relent and let Gold open the gym under conditions that Gold could not use any variation of his "Gold" name, no photos in the gym for three years, plus a monetary amount.

Ken Sprague sold Gold's Gym in 1979 to Pete Grymkowski for a reported $5 million.