We train for performance, power, and strength in all sports!

Purvis “Butch” Tillery Jr. a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was raised and educated in the Hampton area, then earned his college degree at Grambling State University, where he played on the famed Tigers football and baseball teams. Butch became the first African-American firefighter with the Monroe, Louisiana, Fire Department in 1977, before returning to Virginia to join the Hampton Fire Department. During his firefighting career he was a master firefighter with the Virginia Beach Fire Department and a singularly devoted volunteer for a wide range of community organizations. He married the love of his life Barbara Tillery in June 1978. Butch was the co-founder and commissioner of the Y. H. Thomas Athletic  Association, served on the Hampton Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and served on the board of  directors of the Y. H. Thomas Community Center and the Coalition for Community Pride and Progress. Butch was a former member of the City of Hampton Charter Review Commission, the past president of the board of commissioners for Hampton Parks and Recreation, and a former assistant coach for the Phillip's Baseball League. Throughout his professional career, Butch Tillery demonstrated his devotion to protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Hampton Roads and his admirable dedication to making his community a better place in which to live. He leaves his legacy to be carried on by his two sons Purvis J. Tillery III and Byron Tillery. It is the legacy of Butch Tillery that has inspired the development of Butch Fitness. Through this gym it is the hope that the principles of keeping children active, educated, and in a healthy and safe environment will continue. The goal of Butch Fitness will be to train youth of all ages to be anything that they can envision in their future by teaching them dedication, perseverance, and the importance of giving back.