Here's part of the interview I did with Rory for Iron Man's Legends of Bodybuilding series a few years ago:
27. While I was gathering info for our session today, I watched the ‘83 Nationals on YouTube. Bob Paris won, and you were second. That’s a shock, since you’d trained him.
RORY: Nine students of mine competed in the ’83 Nationals, including Bob. He may have been given the title, but no way did I come in second.
28. Sounds like politics.
RORY: Politics is a polite term. The ‘83 Nationals was held immediately after the AAU and NPC had battled it out for the Mr. America name, and the AAU prevailed in court. The powers-that-be saw me as an AAU man, and that didn’t work to my advantage.
29. They shut you out?
RORY: Read between the lines! Of course, they shut me out! No way would the NPC honor an AAU man.
30. Did Bob say anything to you afterward?
RORY: He couldn’t even look at me when I congratulated him. Watch the video. Carla Dunlap, who hosted the event, said, ‘I cannot announce this.’
31. Despite an incredible physique, flawless down to the smallest detail, you’ve triumphed only once.
RORY: That was the AAU Mr. California in 1980. My main competitors were John Brown and Gary Leonard. Victories are bittersweet. You win, and then what? In this business, if you don’t continue winning, you’re flung aside. The gauntlet had been thrown. Either accept what’s dished out or fail. I’ve refused to do either.
32. The ‘81 AAU Mr. America is a topic of contentious discussion, even today.
RORY: That was held at Caesar’s Palace. During pre-judging, you do mandatory poses. You have to display your whole body. Tim Belknap, who won the Overall, wouldn’t show his back because he had none. The place went nuts when I made second in the light-heavies. How could he win over me? The very next month, Belknap was in the mags as Mr. America. Normally, it takes three to six months for them to report contest results. Stuff like that peppered my career. After a while, I walked away and said to hell with it. As long as I had a great physique and kept my own standards, I didn’t need a shelf-full of trophies.
33. What about the ‘88 America?
RORY: Another fiasco. The contest officials heighted me at 5’ 10”, and I’m 6’ 2”. What the fuck, did I shrink four inches in two minutes? I was not going to play their game and complained, wearing the label of obstructionist proudly. Such a farce.
34. In there any one contest you remember as particularly special?
RORY: The ‘81 America, bullshit notwithstanding. On stage, my sweat mingled with the likes of Sinatra and Elvis, and the crowd gave me a standing ovation.
35. I’m sure you had people telling you that your future in competitive Bodybuilding was brighter than bright.
RORY: Promoters and magazine editors told me, ‘you’re gonna be the greatest of all time,’ but I couldn’t be passionate about comparing myself to others. The passion came from lifting, from doing, from creating.
36. What’s your Bodybuilding philosophy?
RORY: It’s deceptively simple. I love training, I love the camaraderie, and I love the results. To me, an impressive, powerful physique defines a man. It’s what masculinity is all about. Bodybuilding is pure; you’re competing against yourself, a daunting task!
