Lloyd Ward wants to know how many pushups he can do in 60 seconds.
The MSU alumnus is challenging MSU students tonight during halftime at the men's basketball game versus Georgia Tech.
Ward, chairman and CEO of BodyBlocks Nutrition System Inc., will compete against five students to try to break the Guinness world record for pushups in one minute. The top male and the top female competitors will win a $250 prize.
About 233 students tried out at IM Sports-West and IM Sports-East for the competition, which began Nov. 1.
"Many people come back over and over again trying to keep their name on top of the lists," said Lance Ward, vice president of marketing for BodyBlocks.
The current Guinness record for pushups in one minute is 138, set in 2004 by Roy Berger of Canada.
Lloyd Ward said the competition is to encourage people to get physically fit.
"We're encouraging people to get up and be active," he said.
Lance Ward said the idea for the competition came from Lloyd Ward as a way to promote the N Motion line of products and combat obesity.
"Obesity's one of the biggest problems in U.S.," Lance Ward said. "He wants to do all he can to fight that."
Lloyd Ward graduated from MSU in 1970. While at MSU, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and was captain of the basketball team from 1969 to 1970.
After college, he worked for Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo Inc. In 1999, he became the first black person to head a Fortune 500 company when he was named chairman and CEO of Maytag Corp..
Now, Lloyd Ward is returning to MSU to launch BodyBlocks' new product line, N Motion, in Michigan. The N Motion drinks and snacks are supposed to give extra energy and taste good, the company says.
Lloyd Ward said he hopes the products give him a surge of energy tonight, and energy is as crucial out in the world as is having dreams, vision and being a hard worker.
"Energy is important in accomplishing anything in life," he said. "We're here to help provide solutions for people. That's what I want to bring to the American public."
Staff writer Lauren Phillips contributed to this report.
