Met Corney, Zane, Padilla, Katz, Robby and few others. Here's some impressions.
Robby looked really small in his track suit. When I saw him on stage that night I couldn't believe how good he looked. I bet in contest condition he was only about 205-210 at around 5'8".
Zane appeared to love the attention of the fans.
Padilla was all full of smiles and laughter. Seemed like a great guy.
Katz was at his biggest when I met him. In street clothes he was intimidating. I remember few fans talked to him. I know he comes off as a softy in Pumping Iron but back in the day he was one scary looking guy. He did play for the Jets the year before they won the Super Bowl.
Corney was asked by my friend if he used steroids. This was back when it was just about a secret to many. He looked really pissed off at the question and of course denied it.
Dennis Tenerino was competing in one of the Nights of Champions in NYC. His relative who I think was an uncle appeared drunk and kept yelling stuff like Dennis should win. Dennis seemed really pissed off leaving the contest walking down the street.
I also met Rich Gaspari in his prime. He trained on occasion with a guy I worked with. I left work and my friend says come over to my car I want you to meet someone. Gaspari was ripped and huge wearing shorts. His thighs looked like skinned dinosaur legs. I lost contact with the guy I worked with. They fired him for some unknown reason. The last thing I heard was that he was found dead in an alley in a crime ridden town. The paper gave no reason and never followed up.
