He was a champion body-builder and won the Mr. Chicago and Mr. Illinois titles in 1953. When Vic Tanny, an early pioneer of New York health club franchises over-extended his expansion, Zurkowski and two partners bought the company.
Roy moved to Detroit in the 1960’s and kept the Vic Tanny brand and renamed the Illinois facilities as the Chicago Health Clubs. This became the nation’s largest health and fitness operation with more than 380 locations. Roy later formed a holding company called the Health and Tennis Corporation of America. He and partner Don Wildman also took over the Jack LaLanne clubs and the New York celebrity destination, the Vertical Club.
His marketing model was to use Hollywood spokespersons that were just on the edge of super-stardom. Some of the celebrities that he convinced to promote Vic Tanny’s on national television included Cher, Lynda Carter, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch, Victoria Principal and Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I would sign them before they went galactic, I couldn’t afford them later.”
Zurkowski always tan and fit was adamant about his own workouts. “The atmosphere of a club should make you want to exercise,” he was fond of saying. He stressed the environment of a workout facility. “It is 90% atmosphere and 10% equipment.”
In 1983 the partnership sold to the Bally Entertainment Corporation for mega-millions. Both Wildman and Zurkowski stayed on as executives. By 1984, all the clubs became Bally’s Total Fitness. Zurkowski built a mansion in Bloomfield Hills and after retirement in 1990, split his time with a luxury condo in Florida.
Roy served on several charitable boards including Best Buddies in Washington, D.C., the National Special Olympics, the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Beaumont Foundation, and the Michigan Cancer Foundation.
He valued education along with fitness and donated exercise equipment to various educational institutions throughout the country.
Zurkowski was a donor at the former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s College and had special friendships with Walter Ziemba and celebrity TV-Chef, ‘Duglass-Duglass’ Grech.
Longtime secretary, Janice Broniak said, “Roy was blessed to have great friends and caregivers and Rick Murphy was such a devoted friend.”
Zurkowski, also an army veteran is survived by former wife Lucia, a sister, Patricia, and a brother, Dan.