A true account of Mentzer.
"I met Mentzer around 1979-80 while I was in high school. He was really ascending the BB hierarchy and becoming a big deal. He had just won one of those early ‘Night of Champions’ contest.
He appeared at a local sporting goods store, not sure exactly what his reasons (read contractual obligations) were but he appeared in athletic shorts and a ‘Weider’ T-shirt. There was a relatively big group there and he took questions. Someone asked him to ‘flex’ and he did a front double bi with his t-shirt on.
They asked if he would take his t-shirt off and he said “they are not paying me enough to do that”. I asked him how big his legs were and he said “big” (I was expecting a measurement). At the conclusion as he walked out he muttered “I gotta get out of this town”. He acted like he did not want to be there, never smiled that I could recall.
I had heard from the mags that he was arrogant and my conclusion from having met him was that he was. He was not particularly warm to those who came to see him.
In contrast I met Franco Columbu about the same time also at a sporting goods store. It was right after he retireed and after his biography ‘Coming On Strong’ came out. It was also after he retired and after he trashed his knee in the World’s Strongest Man contest.
He was in Street clothes and people asked him to take his shirt off and pose. Franco was very reluctanct, not because he was not being paid, but because he was so out of shape but he obliged and was very gracious. They then asked him to do a feat of strength so they assembled one of those really crappy multi-benches and loaded 350 on the bar. Franco pumped out 20 reps on the bench without a warmup! People loved him."
Franco a true winner. Mentzer a sorry loser.