PENDLETON — Once he was pointed in the right direction, Ed Nunn was able to become an elite bodybuilder.

Now, Nunn is hoping he’s helping lead youngsters down the right path.

The former Pendleton Police Department reserve officer also worked at Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility and was a student resource officer at Pendleton Heights Middle School.

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He also has worked for Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Currently, he is part of a team working for the state’s Children Mental Health Wraparound (CMHW) Program.

Nunn said when he transitioned to the sheriff’s department from the juvenile center, he would see some of the same children still in the legal system.

“I can work with six to 10 15-year-old kids and try to keep them out before it gets that far,” he said.

As a CMHW behavioral therapist, Nunn works with 6- to 17-year-olds — along with their families — who are dealing with problems from anxiety to struggles with school.

In his new position, though no longer working directly in Pendleton, Nunn still works with youth from southern Madison County as well as other surrounding counties.

The former Anderson Madison Heights and Iowa Central Community College football player is a perfect example of how being taught the correct way can lead to great things.

It all changed for Nunn in a weight room in Iowa in 1991.

“I was working out, but I didn’t know what I was doing,” Nunn said. “I had always thought about (body building), but I didn’t know anything about it.

“I met two guys, identical twins, with incredible physiques in the weight room in Iowa,” he recalled. “They said I didn’t look like a football player but more like a body builder.

“I didn’t know how to eat or train. I listened to those guys, and I went through the regimen. When I left school, I started learning more.”

He learned a lot from a lot of people, including Sanjiv Neal, who was Mr. Indiana in 2007.

Nunn followed in Neal’s footsteps by earning the Mr. Indiana title in 2008. He later became a national champion by winning the Super Heavyweight division at the 2008 NPC (National Physique Committee) National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, earning pro status.

After being an amateur from 1992-2008, Nunn was on the pro circuit from 2008 to 2016.

“I didn’t know you could make a financial gain from it,” he said. “I got a call from a supplement company out of Canada, and I thought it was a joke. I hung up on them. I thought it was one of my buddies playing a joke.”

It was no joke.

Nunn went on to travel around the world. The supplement companies were paying his salary and expenses. He said he only had to pay for his own flight a couple of times, one to Puerto Rico and another to Czech Republic. Both turned into five-figure paydays, more than enough to pay for the flights.

He said he made around $65,000 to $75,000 per year his first couple of years as a body builder.

“Not bad for lifting weights,” Nunn said.

Nunn, who turned 48 last month, said he loves bodybuilding but stopped competing in 2016. He said there are some politics involved, plus he wanted to get back to another love of his — law enforcement.

“I had done everything in body building, traveled the world. I wanted to do other things,” he said. “I knew that I couldn’t do body building for the rest of my life. I wanted to get back into law enforcement.”

Urged by his children, he plans on returning to competition one more time. He is training and looking to enter an event either at the end of this year or early in 2020. If he can win a tournament or accumulate enough points, he would qualify for the Super Bowl of body building, the Mr. Olympia competition, where he once placed 13th in the world.

While he is preparing for that one last run in body building, Nunn continues to help children, using some of the lessons he learned during his time in Pendleton.

“I learned a lot (while I was working in Pendleton). Things changed, and (my new job) is a better option for me and my family,” he said. “One of the great thing I liked about Pendleton was a lot of the officers knew the kids. I liked the fact the officers knew the kids and the kids could approach them.

“(Pendleton) is a small community and growing, and I truly enjoyed working at the police department. I enjoyed everyone I encountered there, and I think it’s a great place to live.”