Muscular Development, Vol 12, No 5, Page 32, September 1975

MR. AMERICA CONTEST

By Bill Reynolds

THE ANNUAL AAU Mr. America contest is the thing that bodybuilding dreams are made of and it seemed appropriate that Culver City's Veterans Memorial Auditorium stands right across from MGM's movie studios. And Sunday, June 22nd the dream came true for an unheralded young bodybuilder from nearby Canoga Park, California named Dale Adrian. But let's start from the beginning. . .

On Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. the giants started arriving for the prejudging. As they trotted in, each was carefully measured for stature because 1975 would be the first year for height classes in the "Mr. A."

Mr. America Top-Five

  1. Dale Adrian
  2. Clinton Beyerle
  3. Pat Neve
  4. Mike Dayton
  5. Robert Robinson

Most Muscular Man Winners

  1. Robert Robinson
  2. Clinton Beyerle
  3. Pat Neve
  4. Mike Dayton
  5. Sammie Willis

Short Class Winners

  1. Pat Neve
  2. Sammie Willis
  3. Anibal Lopez

Medium Class Winners

  1. Dale Adrian
  2. Robert Robinson
  3. Scott Wilson

Tall Class Winners

  1. Clinton Beyerle
  2. Mike Dayton
  3. Willie Johnson

Subdivisions Winners

Best Abdominals - Charles Amato
Best Arms - Pat Neve
Best Back - Willie Johnson
Best Chest - Pat Neve
Best Legs - Dale Adrian

At about 9:30 Ralph Countryman, National Physique Chairman, briefed the assembled contestants stressing the impending thoroughness of the judging process. Arbiters included Clarence Bass of New Mexico, Don Dumo of Michigan, Oregon's Gerald Dunn, Howard Miller of Kentucky, Bob Packer from the host state, Ken Peterson of New Jersey and Mabel Rader from Nebraska--six men and one woman, all extremely experienced in judging national meets and a very good geographic sample.

Dressed in street clothing and with most in suits, the contestants filed individually and in alphabetical order before the judges for the interview section of their evaluation. The main interrogator was Len Bosland, the show's able Master of Ceremonies, but during each four to six-minute interview, individual judges had pet "tricky" questions designed to assess each man's ability to cope with the public. After all, Mr. America can't run around in posing trunks for an entire year and should be able to talk impressively and intelligently with the public. For the most part, the top men had fine interviews. From Dale Adrian to Ty Youngs this process took a bit over three hours. Immediately following interviews, the short class appeared before the judges ready to pose. Of the 40 contestants only David Brazil and Charles Loesch failed to show, and of the remaining 38, 10 were in the short class of men up to 5'6". Immediate standouts were Pat Neve, Sammy Willis, Anibal Lopez and Mike Kowach. Semi-relaxed comparisons were made front, side and back so the judges could begin sorting out the super from the merely stupendous. Flexed comparisons were then made and finally individual posing on a raised platform but under flat and ordinary room light. Via this exhaustive process the judges were able to arrive at place ratings in each height class. The medi um class was the largest of the contest with 18 competitors and it was this class in which the overall (more) winner, Dale Adrian, competed. Other standouts here were Most Muscular Man Robert Robinson, veteran Chuck Amato, Dave Johns, Scott Wilson and Ty Youngs. They were eventually sorted out and the tall class Came on, including giants like Clinton Beyerle, Mike Dayton, Paul Hill, Willie Johnson and Floyd adorn. They, too, were placed by each of the seven judges. Then the high and low scores were crossed off, the remaining places added up, and the man in each class with the lowest total was declared the winner, wit h the second-lowest second, etc.

During height class judging, each member of the panel had marked his/her body part favorites and these men were brought back for additional comparisons to choose each best bodypart winner. And finally, the top five men in each height class were assembled and ranked to decide Mr. America and his runner-up. It might be noted that from this procedure there may have been men in sixth or seventh in one height class better than fifth or fourth in another, and who would have been in the top 15 if all 38 had been judged as one unit.

As Len Bosland remarked to me, the overall quality of physiques among finalists was so great t hat judges at this level began to look for faults instead of strengths, the man with the fewest weak points being declared the winner. In smaller contests a man with one or two startling areas can win, but on the national level the top man always has fewer faults. Unfortunately many in the audience misunderstood this exha ustive process and vented their discourtesy by booing halfofthe final placings. Itseemed little reward for the nine hours of meticulous work put in by seven fine and experienced judges.

After a two-hour break the show went on with the public presentation. All 37 men (Kevin Mirich got lost in the shuffle between prejudging and public show) were presented to the audience as a group and then each height class posed individually. And what an absolutely incredible lineu p it was, including two former Mr. USA winners and four Mr. Californias. I n order of presentation they stacked up as follows:

Short Man's Class

JOHN BURKHOLDER, the current Mr. Washington is single, a teacher, 25, 5'3" and 175 pounds. He sported 17½" arms and is credited with a 400 bench and a 525 squat. John was very massive and fairly cut up but could have had more skin tone.

ERROL COKE from Indianapolis is married with one child and is a postal employee, 5'3½", 155 pounds 17½" arms and 450 squat. Errol had a light physique with pleasing lines.

RON HUTCHINSON is from LaMesa, California. He's 31,5'5½" 165 pounds, has done a 450 squat and is a former Mr. Western America. Ron's married and is intent on furthering God's work. He had a nicely defined physique but should get more sIze.

HENRY JINKS is from Orange, New Jersey where he is the assistant physical director at the local YMCA. He is 34, 5'3", 140 pounds and has curled 195. His hobby is ornithology.

MICHAEL KOWACH is from Warren, Ohio. He's 30, 5'6", 185 pounds and is the current Mr. Ohio. Married and with two sons, Mike is a millwright. He curls 215, benches 395 and deadlifts 600. His fine and symmetrical physique has won him high national placings in the past, but he appeared to be a bi t overtrained here.

ANIBAL LOPEZ comes from Puerto Rico via Hollis, New York. He is 32, 5'5½" 160 pounds and works for the transit authority. He has won virtually every title in the East and has placed very high nationally. He has a nicely sym metrica I physique with a fine abdominal formation that probably came to him as a result of gymnastics, which is his hobby.

BOB MAY from Los Angeles is a former Mr. New Jersey, single, 29, 5'6" and 170 pounds. He works as a physical fitness director and has deadlifted 500. Bob has a light, very defined body and posed well.

PAT NEVE traveled from Phoenix, Arizona and was the overall third-place winner, as well as third in Most Muscular. He's 28, 5'6", 185 pounds of rock-hard muscle. Pat is married with one child and works as a physical therapist. He holds the 1974 Mr. USA title, is a former high school all-state wrestler, and has even held the world bench press record. An extremely dense upper body and improving legs make him one of America's best. I was particularly impressed with Pat's warm and open personality.

SAMMY WILLIS' powerful physique can only be described as incredible. He's from Indianapolis, only 21, 5'3" and 165 pounds. He is a single plumber and has squatted 515. His super dense physique has won him TeenAge Mr. America and second in the Junior Mr. America. Sammy's the quiet type, but his muscles do all the talking necessary.

Medium Class

DALE ADRIAN was the first man to come out in the medium class and is the new Mr. America. His story was in the July/August issue of M D so he should be no stranger to bodybuilding fans. He has a very symmetrical and shapely physique with enough size and cuts to suit anyone. Except for his legs, he had no body part especially overpowering, but presented instead a harmonious whole body that no other contestant could match. Dale is the current Mr. California and the first since Bill Pearl in 1953 to take both the California and America titles the same year, as well as the first since Pearl to win the Mr. America in his first national contest. As a group the judges were very impressed with Adrian and nobody on the panel ranked him lower than fifth place.

JIM ALLEN flew in from Middleton, Ohio. He is 27, 5'8", 203 pounds, single and works at a health club. He is a graduate of Miami University and is a former Mr. Ohio. He squats with 550 and his 19" arms can muscle up a 300 standing press.

CHUCK AMATO from Portland, Oregon was one of the more seasoned competitors and returned after a several-years' absence from Mr. America competition. Chuck's 33, 5'9", 180 pounds, married and works as a recreation director. He is a former Mr. Pacific Coast and presents a light, but proportionate and muscular physique. He's a very pleasant individual and a dramatic poser.

MIKE BESIKOF from Woodland Hills, California is 34, 5'9" and 195 pounds of hard muscle. He's a married attorney with three children and is a former Mr. California. He squats with 550 and his 50" chest tapers down to a 31" waist. Despite coming off a recent bout with the flu, Mike presented a fine physique with deep muscularity. His legs could use more cuts, however.

GENE CAMERON is a very symmetrical 27-year-old bodybuilder from Phoenix. He is single, 5'9", 185 pounds and is a former Mr. Arizona. He's squatted with 525 and with more work for size he could be very good.

WILLIAM CHAPOTON at 34 was one of the older contestants. He's 5'9", 195, married with two daughters and hails from Detroit where he works as a police officer. A former Mr. Mid-West, Bill has benched 480 and showed a fine muscular physique.

CAMERON DOUTHITT is a college professor from Friendswood, Texas. He is 32, 5'9", 188, married with two children and is the current Mr. Texas. Cameron showed a fine set of legs and overall symmetrical development.

TOM JAMES is a young fellow of 24 from Portland. Tom is single, 5'8", 180 and has curled 205 with his fine 18½" arms. He's a former Mr. Pacific Northwest with plenty of future potential. Tom owns his own body shop (cars, not people), specializing in fiberglass repair and painting.

DAVE JOHNS is one of the bigger names in bodybuilding by virtue of several past high places in national meets. He's 28, 5'8½", 205 pounds, married and from North Hollywood. Dave works as a probation officer and was Jr. Mr. USA last year. He was finely drawn, but was overtrained. If he keeps training though, Johns will soon climb to the top.

GREG LONG flew in from Philadelphia. He is an iron worker (what else could a bodybuilder be?), is 27, 5'8", 190 pounds and single. Greg was a bit smooth, but should put it all together in a couple of years with a better contest diet.

PAUL LOVE is 35 and from San Jose. At 5'8½" and 193, Paul has won Mr. California and Mr. Pacific Coast. He's married with two children and sports 19¼" arms. He looked good and had an especially fine back. Paul's recently been powerlifting with an official 550 squat. Paul was a very pleasant man to talk with and is very knowledgeable about the weight game. (See his story on page 24 of this issue.) JOE MEANS traveled from Columbia, South Carolina and had many of the women in the audience in a flutter. Joe's a police officer, 24, 5'9", 195 and single. A former Mr. All South, he was fairly symmetrical and shows plenty of promise.

KEVIN MIRICH is a 21-year-old bodybuilder from Merriville, Indiana. He's a police officer and at 5'8", 188 pounds has just scratched the surface of his potential.

ROBERT ROBINSON of Tallahassee, Florida was absolutely astounding and a popular choice for the Most Muscular Man title. He's 24, 5'7½" and 195 pounds of rock-hard ebony muscle. Robert is married with three children and works as a commercial artist. A Mr. Florida, he has benched 400 and squatted with 600. He was rated high for Best Chest, Arms and Back, but lost a better overall placing due to lack of thigh cuts and calf size. He has nonetheless an astounding body that will take him far. I personally got the impression that he should have posed twice as long!

PATRICK RUELLE comes from Pontiac, Michigan and he wore his long blond hair in a neat bun at the back of his head. The hair was easily explained, though, as it helps give him respect in his job as a drug abuse counselor. Pat is 26, 5'8" and 185 pounds. He has won the Mr. Michigan title and looked very good.

C. F. SMITH was a new M.D. from Tennessee. He's married, 25, 5'8½", 185 and a former Mr. Eastern USA. "CF" presented a Zane-type build and was an Associated Press Little All-American football player in 1970.

SCOTT WILSON was very massive and impressive. He's 24, 5'8½", 205, married and a full-time student on the GI Bill (USMC for three years). Scott was last year's Mr. California and when he hits a most muscular pose people really sit up and take notice. Scott's definitely future Mr. America material.

TY YOUNGS from San Diego is also a former Mr. California and has copped the Mr. Pacific Coast title as we]l. Ty is single, a carpenter, 27, 5'8" and weighs 208. His torso was incredibly thick and no doubt built by exercises like Ty's 495 bench press.

Tall Class

CLINTON BEYERLE from South Gate, California was first up in the tall class. He was also second both in Most Muscular and overall. Clint has made fantastic progress in the last four or five months, possessing now a borderline superstar body with startling vascularity. Clinton is married and a student of chiropractics. He's 26, 5'10", 205 pounds with a 52" chest, a miniscule 29½" waist and strength enough to squat with 600 and standing press 300. For my money, Beyerle is the favorite for next year.

MIKE DAYTON of Concord, California surprised a few people by placing fourth in both Most Muscular and Mr. America. He's 26, 5'10" and 198 pounds of symmetrical muscularity. Mike's a UCLA grad and works as a moving company executive. Mike has won Teen-Age Mr. America and Mr. Pacific Coast. He's benched 470 and is a former high school state wrestling champion.

PAUL HILL of Houston, Texas was the favorite going into the contest but he showed up looking a bit smooth. He's 32, 5'10", 205 and was Mr. USA in 1973. Paul works as a repair foreman for South Western Bell.

WILLIE JOHNSON is the current Jr. Mr. America from Akron, Ohio where he works for a tire company. Willie won Best Back but he appeared a bit past his peak. He is 30, 5'10", 219 pounds and married with three children.

ROD KOONTZ is a computer operator from Torrance, California. He's married, 23, 5'11", 205 pounds and the current Jr. Mr. Southern California Rod likes karate and with more hardness to go with his fine proportions will soon be a big winner.

EDWARD MAYO is single, a lab technician from Canton, Ohio and he's 28, 5'11" and 205 pounds. An army veteran, Ed shows promise and has won the Mr. Lake Erie title.

FLOYD ODOM came from Longview, Texas with a very massive and defined physique. He is 35, 6'0", 220 pounds and married. Floyd is a former Arkansas powerlifting champ and squats with 630. His posing was jerky and with improvement could really help him place higher.

STEVE O'NEILL was another Texan from Humble. He works as a health club salesman. Mr. Texas is single, 23, 5'10", 200 pounds and looked very good. With a little better muscularity, Steve will win a lot of titles.

DAN TOBOL from Houston was the final contestant and was last year's Teen-Age Mr America. He's still only 19, and weighs 230 pounds at 6'1". He's single and works as a gym instructor. As a high school basketball player, Dan was on two state championship teams. Tobol needs more shaping up but he appears to have unlimited potential.

After each height class posed, trophies were presented to that class' top three men. In Short, Neve took first, Willis second and Lopez third. Medium had Adrian in the top spot with Robinson and Wilson second and third. And Beyerle copped the Tall class followed by Dayton and Johnson.. Ralph Countryman presented trophies to Short class winners, Dennis Tinerino (Mr. America-Mr. Universe) took care of the Medium class and the great Bill Pearl passed out hardware to the Tall class. Pearl got a five-minute ovation from the appreciative SRO crowd of over 3500.

Bodypart winners were Neve for Chest and Arms, Adrian for Legs, Johnson for Back and Amato for Abdominals. The popular choice for Most Muscular was Robinson, followed in order by Beyerle, Neve, Dayton and Willis.

And finally the big moment had come. Robert Robinson was announced as fifth place for Mr. America. Mike Dayton was surprised to win fourth and Pat Neve was happy to take third. Clint Beyerle was a solid. second. And finally, after building up as much suspense as possible, MC Len Bosland (one of the contestants called him the Howard Cosell of bodybuilding) announced symmetrical Dale Adrian as the 1975 Mr. America. The winner's trophy was donated by Perry Rader.

Dale is going to make a fine Mr. America. He is a great person and has a great physique and will be making himself available for posing exhibitions anywhere. He plans to enter the Mr. Universe this fall in London and will be writing a very informative series of articles in M D and S&H. Look for them soon.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Dale Adrian - The Mr. America for 1975. Dale's training story was in the July/Aug. MD.

- Clinton Beyerle was second in the Mr. America contest. He's very muscular and very vascular - maybe too much so. Clint recently won the Collegiate Mr. America title, and evidence points to the fact that he may be the one to watch in the future.

- Pat Neve, third in the competition, has been around for some time, winning contests here and there but this time managed to do better than ever. Besides third place he won trophies for Best Arms and Chest.

- A view of some of the contestants as they were lined up on stage.

- Backstage during the prejudging of the Best Abdominals competition.

- Line-up of the men vying for the Most Muscular Man title.

- The panel of Mr. America judges who performed the difficult task of choosing the men they thought worthy of their awards. On the whole the judges did a mighty fine job.

- Mike Dayton placed 4th in the Mr. America, and 4th in the Most Muscular.

- Robert Robinson, winner of the Most Muscular Man title.

- Sammie Willis got 5th in the Most Muscular.

- Willie Johnson won Best Back

- Dave Johns was also a top contender.

- Paul Hill placed among the top-10

- Anibal Lopez was back in competition

- Paul Love was impressive

- Chuck Amato took Best Abdominals

- Mike Besikof, Woodland Hills, CA

- Joe Means, Columbia, SC

- Bill Chapoton, Detroit, MI

- John Burkholder, Seattle, WA

- Dominick DiBetta, Bakersfield, CA

- Winners and runners-up in the Mr. America contest, from left Clinton Beyerle; Mr. America Dale Adrian, and Pat Neve.

- Some of the other contestants who competed in the Mr. America contest, are from left: Tom James, C. F. Smith, and Ron Hutchinson...

- Also in the competition were, from left: Dan Tobol, Errol Coke, and Rod Koontz, all rather impressively developed men.

- Paul Hill, looking more massive than ever, placed among the top-10. This pose of him was taken by Bruce Klemens during his posing routine.

- Another man that photographer Dave Sauer couldn't get to pose backstage was Scott Wilson, but Bruce Klemens took this fine pose of him during his actual posing display.

- A fitting finale to the Mr. America contest, a fine muscular pose of the winner, Dale Adrian. Dale is in hard training and hopes to compete in London in the Mr. Universe contest.

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