Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Power Team Invades Gurdon

John Jacobs's Power Team will be paying a visit to Gurdon this week.

Jacobs, who founded the Power Team 10 years ago, has gathered a group of world class athletes who perform some of the most amazing exhibitions of strength, power and speed seen anywhere.

Along with the feats of strength, the team delivers a message of inspiration and motivation to its audiences.

The feats of strength are performed to catch the attention of those on hand, and once this is done, the message is delivered. The Power Team pushes the epistle about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and AIDS. Their's isn't a "safe sex" missive, but on of "true love waits."

The Power Team has held more than 7,000 public school assemblies and performed in more than 40 nations around the world.

They have also been featured in several television programs and magazines, including Walker, Texas Ranger, Entertainment Tonight and People.

Jacobs, after moving from New Orleans to Evansville, Ind., accepted Christ as his savior when he was nine-years-old and preached his first sermon at the age of 13.

In high school he got involved in athletics, primarily football and weight training. He placed second in the nation in weight-lifting as a teen and would use his physical prowess as a witnessing tool in high school.

He began a prayer meeting in his school with three students. But, by the time he was a senior, this meeting had grown to more than 300 teens meeting at 7 a.m. to pray for their school.

Jacobs went into the ministry full-time at the age of 17.

When he was 18, he saw an evangelist at his church use karate demonstrations to draw the crowds in to hear the preaching. After inviting many of the toughest athletes and men in his town, Jacobs saw them come and watch the demonstration and end up getting saved.

He then began getting the idea to use his strength to win people in a similar demonstration.

He attended five years of Bible school and Bible training. During these years Jacobs began the Power Team.

At first he was alone, using feats of strength in evangelical services, prisons and youth groups. Along the way, he asked some of his ministry friends who had athletic backgrounds to join him.

Then the crusades started being held in churches. By the time he was 26, Jacobs was preaching in the largest churches in the nation.

His crusades became a weekly television show.

This was 10 years ago. Now, the Power Team continues to grow and has nine evangelists with world-class athletic backgrounds involved.

They use a program combining feats of strength to gain people's attention and get his message across.

Jacobs is 6-4 and tips the scale at 320. He can snap two pair of handcuffs, curl 350 pounds, bend three inches of steel with his teeth, rip large phone books in half, break 40 baseball bats in a row and bench press 600 pounds.

He has 23-inch biceps and measures a full five-feet around the chest.

Also appearing locally will be Jeff Neal, a former NFL player with the former Houston Oilers.

Neal was named the NFL's strongest man in 1993 when he bench pressed more than 600 pounds. He is also a champion power lifter.

Neal has a master's degree in education and is working on his doctorate.

His act consists of bench pressing more than 400 pounds 30 times while another team member lies sandwiched between a bed of 2,000 nails.

Gurdon's -own Trey Talley, 6-0, 260, is also on the team. He is a former Mr. Teen Arkansas body-building champ and placed sixth nationally in bodybuilding.

Talley has a degree in horticulture from the University of Arkansas and is called "TNT" because he is like dynamite, exploding through a 10-foot wall of ice.

Shawn Harper is expected to be on hand as well. Harper, 6-4, 310, spent seven years in the NFL after completing his college career with Indiana University.

He has a degree in criminal investigation and sociology. His act consists of running through an eight-foot wall of ice and breaking 4 2X4s with one flex of his chest.

Leonard Larramore, 6-, 330, should be there as well. Larramore played with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.

He bench presses more than 500 pounds and can break a four-foot wall of concrete with one blow from his forearm.

They will perform at the Gurdon High School gym April 12-16, at 7 o'clock each night. There is no admission, but a donation of $2 is suggested.