1951 Mr America Roy Hilligenn
Roy Hilligenn broke the national junior lightheavyweight clean and jerk record at this time with lifts of 335 on his third and 350 (double bw) on a fourth attempt. The record was held by no less a personage than John Davis. Photo shows a snatch with 245.
Roy Stanley Hilligen (November 15, 1922 – August 3, 2008) was Mr. South Africa four years and the 1951 AAU Mr. America. Famous for his incredible strength, vegetarianism, and dazzling smile, Hilligen mixed body building and weight training in his fitness program. [wikipedia]
Roy Hilligen is not a big man, but is compact and possesses unusual power for his size and weight, plus all-round athletic ability.
Before the 1951 Mr. America contest he left his job and went to stay and train with Ed Yarick where between them, they devised a fantastic training program: to train six days a week and EIGHT HOURS A DAY! Such training would kill the ordinary man..but who said Hilligenn was ordinary? (…)
His entire day consisted of sleeping, eating and training. (…) He trained five hours in the first session, rested and then trained three more hours. This went on six days a week for about two months.
Roy’s measurement: neck 17 1/2, arms 18, forearms 14 1/2, wrists 7 1/2, chest 48, waist 31, thighs 24, calves 16. Bodyweight ranges between 176 – 189. [S&H March 1953]
1952 Mr America Jim Park
Jim Park. 1952 AAU Mr. America, was raised in Brave, Pennsylvania, population 500. At age 13, his family moved to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, where he attended the local high school. He wrestled on the school team and showed promise of future athletic greatness.
At age 17, Park left school to join the United States Navy. Discharged in 1947, he moved to Chicago to attend the American Television Institute. (…)
He then began training exclusively at Johnson’s Gym and won the 1950 AAU Mr. Midwest, while placing ninth in the AAU Mr. America event.
The following year, Park placed fifth at the 1951 AAU Junior Mr. America and decided to have his last try at the 1952 AAU Mr. America contest. Approximately three months before the competition, he allowed Johnson to plan his diet and training protocol for the upcoming event. The system, included large amounts of a milk-and-egg based protein supplement, while Park engaged in a combination of heavy and light weight-training workouts.
(…)
Following his Mr. America victory, Jim worked for the York Barbell Company as a designer and fabricator for much of York’s home-style weight equipment. (…)
Jim Park died of natural causes on August, 28, 2007, at age 79. [source: Bill Pearl Facebook]
1953 Mr America Bill Pearl
Bill Pearl
Bill Pearl (Year 1952!)
The 1953 AAU Mr. America event, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, was quoted as, “one of the best ever.” Bill Pearl, a sailor in the United States Navy, stationed in San Diego, California, took the bodybuilding world by storm. Training at Leo Stern’s Gym, he had won the 1953 Mr. Southern California and the AAU Mr. California titles earlier that year, prior to Stern suggesting he compete in the AAU Mr. America contest for “the experience.”
(…)
Pearl was born on October 31, 1930 in Prineville Oregon, weighing 12 3/4 pounds at birth.
With $2,800 saved from his four-year military enlistment, he opened his first health club in 1954 in Sacramento, California. (…)
During the 1960’s, Pearl was in constant demand for guest appearances. On one occasion, he performed before a crowd of 25,000 in Bombay, India, posing, bursting hot water bottles, bending tent spikes, breaking chains, and tearing matching pairs of licence plates in half. [source: Bill Pearl Facebook]
1954 Mr America Dick DuBois
DuBois is at the left. Dom Juliano is in the center, and Harry Johnson (Eastern Jr. Mr America) is at the right. (Cecile Charles Photo)
Born March 4, 1933, in New York City in the Bronx, Richard DuBois, 21, was the youngest man to be crowned Mr. America.
He has always been athletic, having won the Long Island championship in the 100 meter swim, and he used to amuse himself by diving 125 feet off bridges. He also did quite a bit of boxing and was in the New York City Golden Gloves Tournament twice in the 147-lb class.
He began weight training at the age of 16. At first he did mostly lifting, then gradually changed to bodybuilding as he wanted to win contests in order to make his mother proud of him.
Shortly after beginning bodybuilding, Dick met Geroge Eiferman, one of the most popular of Mr. Americas, who immediately saw Dick’s latent possibilities and encouraged him in his bodybuilding. Prior to the contest he trained faithfully, following Coach Eiferman’s instruction were just what was needed is self-evident.
Dick does not have any particular favorite exercise, but does all exercises, sometimes heavy, sometimes light; high repetitions, low repetitions, but adhering to progression in weight always, gradually bringing the body to its peak in muscular development, definition, strength, coordination and endurance.
Dick’s measurement: 6′ 1 1/2″ tall and weighs 215lb. He has a 50″ chest, 32″ waist, 18″ biceps and 17 1/2″ neck. [source: S&H September 1954]
1955 Mr America Steve Klisanin
Steve Klisanin, born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania on May 17, 1929, was named1955 AAU Mr. America at the Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, beating out 46 contestants.
Klisanin had previously won the 1949 AAU Mr. Pittsburg, and the AAU 1953 Junior Mr. America titles and competed as a lifter at the 1954 Junior Nationals and won the middle heavyweight division with an 850-pound total.
Klisanin started weight-training at age 17, at the local YMCA, at a bodyweight of 135 poinds. His efforts rewarded him with muscles that were put to good use on the gridiron.
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In 1950, he entered the AAU Junior Mr.America, and placed third to John Farbotnic and Roy Hilligenn. He entered the AAU Mr. America weeks later and tied with Jim Park for tenth place.
(…)
In 1954, Klisanin, on active duty with the United States Marine Corps, was sent overseas with little opportunity to weight-train due to lack of equipment and time. He resumed his heavy training when given the opportunity, and still stationed in the Far East, he traveled over 8,000 miles to Cleveland, Ohio , to win the Mr. America contest.
(…)
Steve Klisanin died May 9, 2005, at age 75. [source Bill Pearl’s fanpage]
Mr America 1956 Ray Schaefer
In the center you see Ray Schaeffer. He won the award of Jr. Mr. America. At right he is posed with the trophy in London, England for winning Mr Universe in amateur class
He won the Mr. A 56 and IFBB historian Joe Roark had a telephon conversation with him (2-8-1987)..further he made some short notes!
In 1963, his third day on the job, a pile of steel fell on him
crushing a leg. was off work for 5 years.
In 1970, a drunk, driving 115 mph in the wrong lame crashed into Ray and injured his other leg. was off work for four years.
He has no memoribilia from the old days..no trophies, no mags, nothing. Doesn’t care for the modern female bodybuilders. Wrestled for a while as the Mighty Samson; one year he wrestled in England.
Signed one year contract with Weider around 1957. Ray contacted Weider recently and was told that Weider would send some old mags etc. which featured Ray. None was sent.
1957 Mr America Ron Lacy
“As a little boy I played all the games that interest children in their early years. At the age of 11 I began to play golf while working as a caddy at the Winchester Country Club. I developed and have maintained a keen interest in this sport, and although I don’t play as often as I would like to, I still regard golf as my second favorite sport.
Competitive weightlifting is my favorite, of course. In junior high school I became interested in football and basketball and played both of them through all four years of high school.
In addition I made the track team fo two years. In each of these sports I was fortunate enough to win district, regional, and state honors. [..]
I accepted the offer of a four year grant-in-aid scholarship at the University of Kentucky. It was only at this time that I was introduced to barbell training. [….]
I became more and more familiar with bodybuilding and weightlifting and knew the names of the top lifting and physique stars. [source: S&H 1958 May]
The winner, 28-year old Ron Lacy, scored 97.5 points, which was far ahead of the runner-up Gene Behaty and third place winner Harry Johnson.
Known for his leg strength, Lacy was able to do 50 consecutive 300-pound squats. In 1980, at age 51, he completed 15 half-squats with 535 pounds. In 1997, he was still capable of squatting 405 pounds for 12 reps. [source Bill Pearl’s fan page]
1958 Mr America Tom Sansone
We see Tom as he won the Mr. Universe, and is posed with Oscar Heidenstamm, the promoter of the Mr. Universe event.
Tom Sansone, born October 20, 1935, in New York City, was an outstanding baseball player in high school, with major league potential. He captured the 1958 AAU Mr. America contest in Los Angeles, California, after weight training for only four years. In spite of local sentiment favoring Lynn Lyman, Sanson was the popular winner, finishing with 95 points
As a physical education major at the City College of New York, Sansone had won the 1958 AAU Junior Mr. America event and during an interview commented, “I’m no brain. All I want is a degree and the know-how to someday operate my own gym.”
Tom Sansone died of cancer on October 16, 1974, at age 38. [source: Bill Pearl’s fanpage]
1959 Mr America Harry Johnson
Harry Johnson, the 1959 AAU Mr. America winner, won the event over 27 contestants held at the Interstate Fairgrounds in York, Pennsylvania. He was 35-years-old and had entered the contest each year since 1952. [source: Bill Pearl’s Fb page]
“Well – I’m married, the father of five healthy, happy children. I hold down two jobs, and yet I still find time to train five times a week, three hours each workout. What I’ve gained from barbell exercise can be counted not only in physical, but in spiritual values” – Harry Johnson [Source: Muscle Builde Jan 1957]
1960 Mr America Lloyd Lerille
loyd “Red” Lerille, Jr, born June 9, 1936, in Harvey, Louisiana, became the winner of the 1960 AAU Mr. America contest held in Cleveland, Ohio.
A high school wrestling champion and a graduate from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lerille took the Mr. Armed Services title in 1960, and was discharged from the United States Navy just months before capturing the Mr. America title with mass, muscularity, and broad shoulders.
Red entered the 1960 NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe contest and won his height class. At a height of five-feet, six-inches and weighing 185 pounds, his arms measured 17 1/4 inches; chest, 49 inches; waist, 31 inches; thighs, 24 inches; and calves, 16 1/4 inches. [source Bill Pearl Fb]