Good catch on that "most muscular" shot.
Dan came to the Santa Monica meeting when we all got together to officially vote to "side with" Ben and Joe Weider many years ago.
I say "side with" because I can't recall if we set up the NPC at that precise time or if we merely "broke away" from the AAU. I think we merely broke away and then formed up the NPC at a later date. Anyone got those FACTS? I was involved but I honestly forget the who, what, and when regarding the formation of the NPC.
But I do know the "WHY". The "WHY" is the easy part.
That meeting was important enough to get the attention and appearance and adverse participation of some pretty important old timers such as the Hoffman contingent (a large group of Hoffmanites headed by John Terpak if I'm not mistaken), Dan Lurie who had "Muscle Training Illustrated" at that time, Mabel and Perry, and some real old timers who worked for Joe and Ben many years earlier when they were just in the process of setting up the IFBB, and the disgrunted AAU bodybuilding officials who actually ran things at that time, and some of the athletes who participated in the previous evening's AAU Mr. America contest, and various State Bodybuilding AAU reps.
The meeting started with some pretty verbose remarks from the floor, particularly from the Hoffman group and also from Dan. When it came time for Ben Weider to step up and take the microphone, he did it like a perfect gentleman in his blue blazer and great demeanor. And he simply made an offer that could not be refuses even though there were many in the audience who were adverse and claimed that the IFBB was not what he was then claiming it to be, but simply a bunch of PO Boxes in various countries where the mail was seldom picked up unless some local kid on a bicycle stopped by to pick it it and take it to his adobe or hacienda or tent.
But the Weider's seemed to be the only guys who came prepared and offering a solution to the problems that existed at that time. And they won and most everyone else got mad as hell even though they hadn't offered a solution of another kind.
Dan appeared extremely pissed and hasn't hit a most muscular since that date.
That is how I recall it happening. Maybe Dan or someone else who was actually present at that early morning Santa Monica meeting will offer a different version or correct me if and where I'm wrong.
