Karl Bivans achieved fame as Millersville’s first track & field national champion and All-American in 1971, when he captured the NCAA College Division discus championship.
A two-year team captain, Bivans earned Outstanding Field Athlete honors in the 1970 and 1971 PSAC Track & Field Championships. He helped lead MU to consecutive PSAC team titles in 1969 and 1970 and a runner-up finish in his senior year.
Bivans earned three PSAC titles, including two discus crowns in ’70 and ’71 and the’70 shot put championship. His personal collegiate bests were 52-9 in the shot put, 179-3 in the discus (school and Biemesderfer Stadium records that still stand), and 205-0 in the javelin. He holds the PSAC meet discus mark (170-5, 1971). In addition, he was a two-time competitor in the Penn Relays.
On the gridiron, he played offensive and defensive tackle for the Marauders and handled kicking duties for Coach Gene Carpenter’s first MU squad in 1970.
He received the Elwood J. Finley Award in 1971 as MU’s outstanding senior male athlete.
From 1980 to 1983, Bivans served as volunteer strength and conditioning coach for the Universityof Miami (Fla.) football team.
Beginningi 1986, Bivans earned notoriety as a powerlifting great. He won his first national and world titles (World National Powerlifting Federation) in 1992, and also achieved the same crowns from two sanctioned organizations, the American Powerlifting Federation and World Powerlifting Congress
He has captured 10 national and eight world titles overall and set more than 50 state, national and world records, and won a gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Bivans was cited in the Guinness Book of World Records as part of a 60-man team that set a mark for heaviest deadlift on one combined and connected bar: 20 tons!
His personal lift records include: 903 lb.(squat), 605 lb. (bench press), and 805 lb. (deadlift).
Since 1996, Bivans has served as head coach of the Miami Powerlifting Team which has captured four national team titles, 20 Florida state champions, 45 national champions, 35 world champions, and the 2002 Drug Free Amateur World Powerlifting Congress Team Trophy. Under his direction, MPT has earned 14 gold medals and 188 world records.
He earned a bachelor's of science education degree in secondary education/industrial arts in 1971.
In his spare time, Bivans is a retired real estate and mortgage broker and property manager.
