Jeffrey Owen Stover, owner of Chico Sports Club and a former San Francisco 49er, attributes his interest in rehabilitation and fitness to a successful career in college and professional sports.

Jeff grew up in Corning, Calif., a small town with a population of just under 6,000 people. A 6-foot-5 senior at 240 pounds, he was named the number two shot-putter in the nation.

After his high school graduation in 1976, his shot-put honors allowed him to travel to national track meets to compete. Here, Jeff received the recognition needed to attract the attention of college scouts. Jeff was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Oregon, one of the most prestigious track universities in the nation.

Jeff continued to break records for shot-put in college. In 1979 he won third place for shot-put in the NCAA Track Finals. In 1980 he was named PAC-10 Champion shot-putter, throwing the fourth best shot-put in the world. Jeff set his goals high, and with record-breaking stats, he made it to the 1980 Olympic trials. Due to the 1980 U.S. boycott of the Olympics, he never competed.

Jeff left the University of Oregon that year and returned to Chico to work in construction with his father. He continued working towards his dream of competing in the Olympics, training four hours a day after work, but found it difficult to break into Olympic competition without corporate sponsorship. So with his hopes of becoming an Olympic shot putter dwindling, and not wanting to look back at his life with regrets, Jeff decided to give football a try.

"I contacted a friend, Leon Donahue, then head football coach for Shasta College. He had played for the San Francisco 49ers. I told him of my dream of playing professional football and asked if he could help", said Jeff. Donahue contacted a few different teams on Jeff's behalf. However, they weren't really interested. Donahue then contacted Billy Wilson, also a former San Francisco 49er, who at that time was scouting for the 49ers.

"Leon really built me up to be a star", says Jeff. "He told Billy Wilson I was 290 pounds, 6-foot-5 and could run a 4.7 second 40 yard-dash. At that time, I had no idea how fast I could run. The farthest I ever got was 7 feet across the shot rink."

Donahue secured a tryout for Jeff in March of 1981; right after the 49ers had won their first Super Bowl. Due to heavy rain at the 49er's work-out facility, the field was too wet to try-out on, so they sent the prospects, 50 to 70 men, to an air hanger at Moffet Air Force base. The tryout centered on agility drills, with the most weight placed on a timed 40-yard dash. Approximately 12 coaches oversaw the tryout. The athletes lined up at one end and the coaches, with stop watches, at the other.

"When I ran through the line of coaches, I turned around and one coach asked me how much I weighed", said Jeff. "I told him 290 and he shook his head and said they must have timed me wrong. They had all clocked me at 4.7 seconds." Stover had to run the dash five more times. When he left the tryout, the San Francisco 49ers had signed him to a four year free agent contract.

Jeff's eight year career with the 49ers began with a few tough breaks. During his third game as a rookie, he was knocked out cold.

"The next thing I remembered was waking up on the bench. Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds put his arm around me and said, ‘welcome to the NFL'", said Jeff. Jeff's career was filled with great accomplishments and many trials. He was four time player of the week for the 49ers and played in two Super Bowls. "It was an unimagined accomplishment. Playing in two Super Bowls was the best time in my life. I'll never forget that feeling," said Jeff.

Jeff's career had its down falls too. During his eight years, he suffered various injuries and underwent 18 surgeries.

"The hardest time is sitting on the sidelines and watching your friends play. It really is a team sport and when you're on the bench, you're not a part of the team", says Jeff. The main reason for Jeff's retirement in 1989 was his injuries. "After a while you have to question if fame and money are worth the exchange for your health", he said. It was Jeff's injuries and subsequent recoveries that got him intrigued in rehabilitation and fitness.

In 1989 he purchased what was then the Sports Medicine Center in Chico, Calif. Jeff has spent the last four years researching facilities across the nation and created a fitness facility to fit not only the needs of the entire family, but also the individual and athlete in rehabilitation. On-site physical therapy, an exercise physiology lab, full-size gymnasium and 25 yard pool are just a few of the features Jeff included when he designed the all new Chico Sports Club.

In January 1991 the doors to the new Chico Sports Club, a 63,180 square-foot facility, opened offering programs for the entire family. It is staffed with fully certified and degreed personnel specializing in exercise physiology, cardiac studies, fitness and nutrition.

On the opening day of the club Jeff commented, "It is like a dream come true. It's been a lot of hard work putting something of this magnitude together, but it was definitely worth it."

January 15, 1991