Travis Godden was an all-around athlete at Eisenhower High School. During his time at EHS, he won a total of nine varsity letters. Two letters were earned in Track and Field where he was a shot puter, discus & javelin thrower and he pole vaulted as well. Four letters were earned in wrestling as he started as a freshman with Coach Joe Letko. Three letters were earned in his strongest sport of football.
As a team captain, Travis was a middle linebacker on defense and was the center on offense. Under Conrad Danielson, Travis played in three D10 Championship Games. He earned a position on the AML All-star team both his junior and senior years. Travis played in the Big 30 game his Senior Year. Travis was especially proud of his four Iron Man Awards for not missing a practice or a game in a span of four years. Upon high school graduation with honors in 1996, Travis was named as the Most Valuable Male Athlete at Eisenhower High School. At age seventeen, and with the guidance of his father Maurice 'Buster' Godden, the pair began weight training in earnest.
Travis went on to play football at Mercyhurst College in Erie for two years. He continued to train in the weight room at Eisenhower while working as a Corrections Officer in Warren. He set up and organized weight lifting programs for the athletes at Eisenhower High School. He coached ninth grade football one year, and varsity football for two more years. Training with his father, the pair would travel to regional power-lifting events throughout the area. At age twenty-one, Travis set a World Record with a Bench Press of 475 pounds at Mon Valley, PA. This World Power-Lifting Association Juniors, 198 pound record still holds today. Travis went on to lift 500 pounds and was ranked sixty-first of the top 100 Power-lifters in the world. Following his passing, Travis' father Buster Godden organized the annual Travis Godden Memorial Junior Senior Power-lifting event.
With the help of their mentor and friends, Hal Knap and Hall of Famer Carl Seeker, the Travis Godden Memorial event is annually sponsored by the Key Club of Eisenhower. To date there have been two meets and the event has raised approximately $10,000.00 Proceeds of the event are used for scholarships for deserving Eisenhower graduates.
