1980 - The Fourth "World's Strongest Man Competition"

1980 would mark the fourth annual Worlds Strongest Man Competition. But this year’s event would not occur in California like the past three years. This year’s competition occurred in Vernon Valley/Great Gorge, New Jersey.

Ten men would compete, with four men hailing from outside the U.S. Four of the ten men were returning from last year’s competition.

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The Competitors

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 26-year-old 6′ 2″, 325-pound Kazmaier also had a tryout with the Green Bay Packers and spent some time as a professional wrestler. Kaz placed third in last year’s competition.

Lars Hedlund — Sweden’s 6′ 3″ 31-year-old weighed 308 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 2nd in last year’s Worlds Strongest Man and 3rd in the 1978 event.

Geoff Capes — The 31-year-old from England was a six-time Highland Games World Champion and a two-time gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games. The 6′ 6 315 pound Capes competed in the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic Games as a shot-putter.

Bishop Dolegiewicz— The 6’6 305 pounds Canadian shot putter won a silver medal at the 1975 and 1978 Pan American Games and competed in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. He won the gold medal at the Canadian Nationals in 1976 and 1977, breaking the Canadian record in 1978 with a throw of 20.83 meters.

Jerry Hannan — The 335-pound Hannan was a 1980 Olympic Weightlifting team member. Former President Jimmy Carter boycotted those Olympics, but Hannan returned in 1981 to win the gold medal at the Senior National Championship. On a personal note, I witnessed Jerry handling massive weights at a local gym. He was one of the most powerful men I’ve ever seen, but unfortunately, Jerry was prone to injury and never reached his full potential because of it.

Larry Kidney — The 6’0, 41-year-old powerlifter weighed in at 283 lbs. Kidney set over 30 powerlifting records during his career. Larry’s best lift was the squat, and he is credited with 870 lbs in competition.

Superstar Billy Graham — The 6’4 37-year-old Graham (real name Wayne Coleman) was best known as a professional wrestler. Still, he was also a shot put champion in high school, played football for a short time in the Canadian Football League, and won several bodybuilding competitions. Graham typically wrestled at 275 lbs, but he got his weight up to 315 lbs for the strongman competition.

Gerald DuPrie — The 5’11 258 pounds DuPrie won the 1979 Strongest Man of the Netherlands and the World Masters Powerlifting Championships in 1983 & 1986 in the 40–49-year-old age group. The 43-year-old from Holland was the lightest and oldest competitor.

Cleve Dean — Cleve competed last year and placed sixth. The 26-year-old was a hog farmer and champion arm wrestler. The 6’7 440 pound Cleve was not a weightlifter and credited his strength to a lifetime of manual labor on the farm.

Don Reinhoudt — The 35-year-old Reinhoudt was the runner-up in the 1978 competition and the defending champion from 1979. The 6’3″ 320-pounder (down 25 pounds from last year) 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. At one point during his powerlifting career, Don held the world record in the squat, deadlift, bench press, and total simultaneously.

The Events

The Log Lift

The log lift replaced the formerly contested barrel lift. Kazmaier and Hedlund tied for first in this event, lifting a 356-pound log overhead. Reinhoudt and Hannan managed 326 pounds, but both men injured a hamstring while lifting the weight to their shoulders.

56-Pound Weight Toss

The weight toss replaced last year’s caber toss. The weight toss is a popular event in the Highland Scottish Games. The object is to stand with your back to a crossbar, much like what you see used in the pole vault. The weight has a ring attached to it that you grip with your hand and then throw the weight backward over the crossbar. The height of the bar was increased after each attempt. Those who had competed in the Highland games had an obvious advantage. Dolegiewwicz came out on top, with Kazmaier finishing second and Capes third. Reinhoudt, the defending champion already nursing a tender hamstring, injured his bicep.

Truck Pull

The truck pull replaced the formerly used tram pull. The big arm wrestler Cleve Dean emerged victorious in this event, followed by Reinhoudt, who gamely pushed himself to the limit despite his injuries. Capes took the third spot.

Uphill Race

This year instead of pushing a loaded wheelbarrow uphill, the competitors had to push a 740-pound engine mounted on wheels. Kazmaier took first place, pushing the engine 40 yards uphill in less than 15 seconds. Capes was a very close second. Hedlund placed third. Reinhoudt finished fifth despite his injuries but had to withdraw from the competition.

Refrigerator Race

Hannan started the race but could not finish due to his hamstring injury. Hedlund carried the 420-pound fridge 100 feet in just 11.6 seconds, and believe it or not, that was only good enough for third place. Kazmaier placed second with a time of 11.3, and Capes took first with an incredible time of 10.7 seconds.

Steel Bar Bend

Always a fan favorite, this was the fourth year in a row the bar bend was contested. The competitors gave it their all, and Kazmaier came out the victor. Capes came in second place, and Hedlund took third.

Girl Lift/Half Squat

The powerlifters were expected to do well in this event since it’s one of the three lifts they compete in at powerlifting competitions, and they did not disappoint. Kazmaier took first and was beginning to pull away from the others for the overall lead. Hedlund placed second, followed by Larry Kidney in the third spot. Jerry Hannan, the Olympic lifter, tied for fourth in this event and might have challenged for the third spot if not for his injury. Jerry was advised by those assisting him that he should withdraw from the event so that his injury would heal in time for an upcoming weightlifting competition in China, but the big guy wouldn’t give in.

Silver Dollar Deadlift

The silver dollar lift replaced the formerly used car lift. 18-inch high containers were attached on each side to a bar and filled with silver dollars. For most of the competitors, that put the bar at just below the knees rather than mid-shin height. This allowed for lifting heavier poundage than a regular deadlift. As with the half-squat, the powerlifters had an advantage. Kazmaier took first with a lift of 956 pounds, his third first-place finish in a row. Kidney took second, while Hannan and Hedlund tied for the third spot.

Battery Death

The battery lift was another new event, replacing last year’s hoist lift. Most competitors were glad to see the hoist lift eliminated, as many had tremendous problems gripping the apparatus. The objective was to hold a 60-pound battery at arm’s length for as long as possible. Hannan held it the longest, enduring the pain for 48.7 seconds. Pro wrestler Superstar Billy Graham held the battery for 45.5 seconds, and Kazmaier took third place with a time of 43.2 seconds.

Tug of War

Only the top four men would compete in the tug of war. Kazmaier defeated Hedlund, and Capes took down Bishop Dolegiewicz. The two runner-ups, Hedlund and Dolegiewicz, were to face each other to decide third place, but Dolegiewicz sustained an injury in his last match and had to withdraw. Hedlund was awarded third place by default. The final match was Capes vs. Kazmaier, and Kaz won again.

Final Results

Bill Kazmaier 102.5 points
Lars Hedlund 74 points
Geoff Capes 69.5 points
Bishop Dolegiewicz 56 points
Jerry Hannan 45.5 points
Larry Kidney 44.5 points
Billy Graham 37 points
Gerald DuPrie 35.5 points
Cleve Dean 33 points
Don Reinhoudt 27.5 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)