Rick The Manager

Rick The Manager (born Richard Joseph "Rick" Russo in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is an American independent competitive eater currently residing in Royersford, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sherri. The self-proclaimed Competitive Eating Extraordinaire is best known for his unique appearance, toting his signature two-toned goatee and sunglasses, and the motto he lives by, "Eat Each Meal Like It's Your Last!" Personal life and career Rick The Manager is of Italian American descent, grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Perkiomen Valley School District. A mere 100 pounds ago, Rick was training hard as a Pennsylvania state ranked long distance runner. While attending Shippensburg University, Rick was teammates with future US Olympic Team marathon runner, Steve Spence. Presently, outside of competitive eating, Rick owns and operates a landscaping company, moves dead bodies for a local funeral home, is a certified Pennsylvania high school basketball referee, and is currently working to launch a musical venture. In 2011, Rick The Manager Russo was voted Mr. Patch 2011 for the Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch, an online news service for his notoriety and community involvement. Rick is also a retired high school basketball coach. Birth of a stage name In 2003, Rick Russo was labeled Rick The Driver for his role on the MTV reality show series Viva La Bam. Circa 2005, Rick started out in the world of competitive eating by managing numerous amateur competitive eaters. It was at this time he converted his name from his previous stint on MTV from Rick The Driver to Rick The Manager. Philadelphia radio personality Angelo Cataldi said that Rick The Manager was the best competitive eating manager that he had ever encountered. A few years later, Rick made the leap from manager to eater. “Back stage to front stage,” as announced by George Shea of Major League Eating. Rick has been quoted as saying, “People already knew Rick The Manager so why change my name.”