AAU Mr. America
AAU Mr. America was a bodybuilding competition started by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). It was first held on 4 July 1939 and the winner was named "America's Best Built Man". In 1940 this was changed to what is now known as the Mr. America contest.
In the mid-1940s, Joe and Ben Weider started the IFBB as an alternative to the AAU. They held their opposing contest the IFBB Mr. America in 1949 and then from 1959 onwards. The AAU voted to discontinue holding bodybuilding competitions in 1999.
In 2004 the World Bodybuilding & Fitness Association (WBFA) announced they had acquired the rights to the Mr. America name and would resume running contests under that banner.
In 2016 the rights of Mr. America were acquired by Bruce Ebel and is currently active.
Winners
| Year | Overall Winner |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Bert Goodrich |
| 1939 | Roland Essmaker |
| 1940 | John Grimek |
| 1941 | John Grimek |
| 1942 | Frank Leight |
| 1943 | Jules Bacon |
| 1944 | Steve Stanko |
| 1945 | Clarence Ross |
| 1946 | Alan Stephan |
| 1947 | Steve Reeves |
| 1948 | George Eiferman |
| 1949 | Jack Delinger |
| 1950 | John Farbotnik |
| 1951 | Roy Hilligenn |
| 1952 | Jim Parks |
| 1953 | Bill Pearl |
| 1954 | Dick DuBois |
| 1955 | Steve Klisanin |
| 1956 | Ray Schaefer |
| 1957 | Ron Lacy |
| 1958 | Tom Sansone |
| 1959 | Harry Johnson |
| 1960 | Lloyd Lerille |
| 1961 | Raymond Routledge |
| 1962 | Joe Abbenda |
| 1963 | Vern Weaver |
| 1964 | Val Vasilieff (also spelled Vasilef or Vasilief) |
| 1965 | Jerry Daniels |
| 1966 | Bob Gajda |
| 1967 | Dennis Tinerino |
| 1968 | Jim Haislop |
| 1969 | Boyer Coe |
| 1970 | Chris Dickerson |
| 1971 | Casey Viator |
| 1972 | Steve Michalik |
| 1973 | Jim Morris |
| 1974 | Ron Thompson |
| 1975 | Dale Adrian |
| 1976 | Kalman Szkalak |
| 1977 | Dave Johns |
| 1978 | Tony Pearson |
| 1979 | Ray Mentzer |
| 1980 | Gary Leonard |
| 1981 | Tim Belknap |
| 1982 | Rufus Howard |
| 1983 | Jeff King |
| 1984 | Joe Meeko |
| 1985 | Michael Antorino |
| 1986 | Glenn Knerr |
| 1987 | Richard Barretta |
| 1988 | William Norberg |
| 1989 | Lou Laluz |
| 1990 | Peter Miller |
| 1991 | Joe DeAngelis |
| 1992 | Mike Scarcella |
| 1993 | Billy Nothaft |
| 1994 | Andrew Sivert |
| 1995 | Terence Hairston |
| 1996 | Doug Rieser |
| 1997 | Bill Davey |
| 1998 | Anthony Kremar |
| 1999 | Tracey Dorsey |
1988 Mr America-AAU Winner List
| Overall Winner |
|---|
| William Norberg |
Tall
| Place | Tall |
|---|---|
| 1st | Rory Leidelmeyer |
| 2nd | Robert Gosch |
| 3RD | Jim Badra |
| 4th | Alex Sicignano |
| 5th | Bob Good |
Medium-Tall 1 William Norberg 2 Peter LaReau 3 Peter Moen 4 Greg Ladd 5 Braulio Medina
Medium 1 Casey Kucharyk 2 Abe Cuesta 3 Doug Brown 4 Greg Long 5 Brian Silk Sr
Short 1 Bryan McCluskey 2 David Brown (3) 3 Don Lemieux 4 Brian Homka 5 Rod Ketchens
See also
Further reading
- Fair, John D. Mr. America: The Tragic History of a Bodybuilding Icon (2015) Excerpt
External links
- The Mr. America Contest: A Brief Background
- The History of the Mr./Ms. America Contest
- The Mr. America Contest: 1988 Competition
- Official Mr. America Page