Funk, great photos and references of Ron Teufel. Your archive must be awesome. Wow, Ron Teufel and Tom Platz really came to play at that 1978 AAU Mr. America. What a height class! I think Carlos Rodrieguez placed third and went on to win the lightweight class at 1978 IFBB Mr. Universe contest. So, Ron Teufel defeated two IFBB Mr. Universe class winners to win the Mr. America short class. That back posedown photo is fantastic. It's crazy to think that neither of them won the best back subdivision. My memory is not what it once was, but I think Larry Jackson (who won the tall class at the 1978 AAU Mr. California and was defeated by Teufel for the overall title) won the best back award. Tony Pearson must have been in tip-top shape and looked unbelievable in person to get the judges majority vote for the overall Mr. America title. That is no rip on Tony Pearson. He, too, was a big-time bodybuilder.
