1979 - The Third "World's Strongest Man Competition"

So far, we’ve covered the first and second Worlds Strongest Man Competitions. Today we’ll look at the third competition, which occurred in 1979, again at Universal Studios in California. As was the case in 1978, there were ten competitors, but only two were non-Americans.

Defending champion Bruce Wilhelm retired, but there were four returning competitors. Bob Young competed in 1977 and returned after missing the 1978 event. John Kolb, Lars Hedlund, and Don Reinhoudt returned after doing well in 1978.

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The Competitors

Jerry Blackwell — The 30-year-old 5′ 11″ 420-pound “Crusher” Blackwell was a professional wrestler and an odd choice for this competition as he was not an avid weightlifter or powerlifter.

Cleve Dean — The 25-year-old Cleve Dean was a hog farmer and champion arm wrestler. The 6’7 460 pound Cleve was not a weightlifter and credited his strength to a lifetime of manual labor on the farm.

Dave Johns — The 34-year-old Johns was a bodybuilder who typically tipped the scales at around 215 lbs but added another 20 lbs for this competition. The 5’9 235 pounder decided to try the strongman competition after winning Mr. America in 1977 and Mr. Universe in 1978.

Joe Dube — Big Joe was an Olympic weightlifter who, when in his prime, was one of the strongest men in the world, and he has the credentials to prove it. In 1968 Joe won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, and one year later, he won the gold medal at the World Championships. Joe also broke four world records during his career. At age 35, the 6′ 1″ 315-pounder was making a comeback and saw the strongman competition as a good challenge.

Bill Kazmaier — Kaz won the AAU National Powerlifting Championships in 1978 and the World Championships in 1979 and 1983. He set numerous World Records and is regarded as one of the best powerlifters ever. The 25-year-old 6′ 2″, 320-pound Kazmaier also had a tryout with the Green Bay Packers and spent some time as a professional wrestler.

Bill Anderson — Anderson, who hailed from Scotland, won first place at the Scottish Highland Games 16 years in a row. After a one-year absence, he won the USA Highland Games 5 years in a row. For those unfamiliar with the Highland Games, it consists mainly of throwing events. The 6′ 1″ 280-pound Anderson was the oldest competitor at 42 yrs old.

Bob Young — This would be the second go-round for Young, who placed second in the first Worlds Strongest Man Contest. At an age when most football players have already retired, the 37-year-old Young had the best season of his career in 1979, making first-team All-Pro. The 6′ 1″, 285-pound offensive lineman spent a lot of time in the weight room and had a younger brother Doug who was a champion powerlifter.

Jon Kolb — Kolb, an offensive lineman for the Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, placed a respectable fourth in last year’s competition. The 6′ 3″ Kolb was the second-lightest man in the competition, weighing 254 pounds. The 32-year-old Kolb, like Young, also had an All-Pro season in 1979 and was regarded as one of the strongest men in the NFL.

Lars Hedlund —Sweden’s 6′ 3″ 30-year-old weighed 318 lbs. Hedlund finished third at the 1979 World Powerlifting Championships, second at the 1979 European Championships, and first at the 1980 European Championships. Lars set numerous bench press world records throughout his powerlifting career and placed 3rd in last year’s Worlds Strongest Man.

Don Reinhoudt — The 34-year-old Reinhoudt was the runner-up in last year’s competition. The 6’3″ 345 pound Reinhoudt was a four-time world champion in powerlifting from 1973–1976. Reinhoudt set forty powerlifting records during his career and was a great all-around athlete in school, excelling in basketball, football, and the shot put. At one point during his powerlifting career, Don held the world record in the squat, deadlift, bench press, and total simultaneously.

The Events

Day One

The Barrell Lift

Don Reinhoudt won this event, lifting a 300-pound barrel from the ground to overhead. Bill Kazmaier and Lars Hedlund tied for second place, both lifting 290. Joe Dube took third with a lift of 250 lbs.

The Steel Bar Bend

Pittsburgh Steeler Jon Kolb placed third in this event last year but surprised his larger competitors by taking first place this year. Arm wrestler Cleve Dean took second place, followed by Bill Kazmaier in third.

The Caber Toss

This was a new event, replacing the previously used tire toss. A caber is a long heavy pole weighing 50 kilos/110 lbs, and competitors had to flip it end over end into the landing area. Jon Kolb won first place again, making the big boys nervous with his outstanding performance. Kazmaier placed second, and Hedlund took third.

The Car Lift

The powerlifters were expected to do well in this event and didn’t disappoint. Kazmaier took first place, with Reinhoudt placing a close second. Bob Young, the big guard of the St. Louis Cardinals, placed third. Wrestler Jerry Blackwell withdrew from the competition due to injury.

Second Day

The Wheelbarrow Race

The objective is to push a 750-pound wheelbarrow uphill for 100 feet as fast as possible. Kazmaier won his second first-place finish with a fantastic time of 12.2 seconds. Reinhoutdt took second place, and Bob Young placed third.

The Girl Lift/Squat

In this event, six girls sit atop a platform while the competitors perform a squat, with more girls added as necessary. Bill Anderson became the second man to withdraw due to injury. This was another event where the powerlifters were expected to do well. Reinhoudt won his second first-place finish, while Bob Young unexpectedly beat Kazmaier to place second. Kaz did take the third spot.

The Hoist lift

This was another new event, replacing the wrist roll. The objective was to hoist a washing machine attached to a pulley ten feet into the air with weight added as needed. Many of the competitors had great difficulty gripping the rope that was attached to the pulley. Lars Hedlund and Jon Kolb tied for first place, with several others tying for second.

Day Three

The Tram Pull

After a day of rest, the men returned to work with the tram pull. The tram weighed 7,800 pounds, and as if that wasn’t enough, they added people to the tram. The competitors had to pull the tram 100 feet while racing against the clock. Reinhoudt hauled the tram the fastest and pulled out another victory. Hedlund took second place, while Bob Young won third place.

The Refridgerator Race

This event is always a fan favorite. There’s nothing quite like having a 420-pound refrigerator strapped to your back and having to race with it 100 feet. The big Swede, Lars Hedlund, won this event with a time of 13.7 seconds. In second place was Don Reinhoudt, and finishing in third was Cleve Dean.

The Tug of War

This was the final event of the competition. Those with a higher body weight would have an advantage in this event, but the winner was the 254-pound Jon Kolb, who defeated the 320-pound Kazmaier and the 318-pound Hedlund. Hedlund placed second, followed by Kazmaier in third place.

Final Results

1- Don Reinhoudt- 57.4 points
2- Lars Hedlund- 55.6 points
3- Bill Kazmaier- 51.9 points
4- Jon Kolb- 51.4 points
5- Bob Young- 22.3 points
6- Cleve Dean- 15 points
7- Joe Dube- 5 points
8- Dave Johns- 2 points
9- Bill Anderson- 1.33 points
10- Jerry Blackwell- 0 points

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Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)