16-Pound Baby Born in 1983 Now Stands at 6'9" and Weighs Nearly 300 Pounds
When my oldest son was born, my wife asked the doctor if his birth weight would influence his later development. The little guy had entered the world a bit on the small side, and she was worried he might be a pipsqueak.
The doc assured her that there wasn’t any connection between what he weighed at birth and what he would weigh as an adult. So far, he’s been right: The kid has grown like the proverbial weed.
But some cases would make you wonder about that particular physician’s assertion. Just consider Kevin Robert Clark.
According to the New York Post, Kevin Robert Clark caught the attention of the media almost as soon as he entered the world on April 8, 1983. Why? He tipped the scales at more than 16 pounds.
Saturday Night Live broadcasted a silly joke about the big baby eating perennially missing mob boss Jimmy Hoffa. The New York Times discussed how Clark couldn’t fit into his bassinet.
A grown-up Clark explained, “Everyone talked about it. It was covered by ‘Good Morning America.’ One of my favorites was when the National Enquirer did a story on it.”
Indeed, the notorious tabloid paid the family $2,500 to run a story filled with corny fabrications (“Before I nursed him the first time, the doctor asked if he wouldn’t rather have meat and potatoes!”).
Clark’s parents didn’t regret the decision. “The money allowed us to fly to California to see my grandparents and be there for their retirement,” he said.
The attention didn’t stop as Clark grew. In fact, his high school gym teacher half-jokingly bribed him to play basketball, saying that was the only way he’d pass his health class.
He did, but Clark preferred outdoorsmanship to athletics. He also grew tired of constantly sticking out in a crowd.
“There’s a natural tendency for people to think that because you’re tall, you’re in charge,” Clark explained. “I always say, ‘Everyone looks up to me.
“I was a [military] police officer for a while, and everyone instantly would ask me questions like I was in charge. I’d be in the same uniform as them, sometimes with less stripes.”
Inside Edition reported that the 35-year-old Clark reached 6 feet, 9 inches tall by adulthood. He met and married his wife Jenna, who stands 6 feet tall herself.
“Walking down the street, people are constantly stopping and asking how tall I am,” he said. Still, he takes it all with good humor.
Clark said, “I like to joke that I’m 5-foot-21. When people ask if I play basketball, I ask them if they play miniature golf.”
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