At the young age of 14, I talked my parents into driving to Columbus, Ohio so I could witness the 1977 Mr. Olympia contest in person. This was the year that the movie "Pumping Iron" was released and I was one of the few bodybuilders who sought out the only theater in town playing this little-known art house film to learn about the fascinating sport of bodybuilding. I became a huge fan of bodybuilding that year, anxiously reading the magazines each month. I especially followed Joe Weider's Muscle Builder/Power magazine to catch up on the gossip regarding that year's Mr. Olympia event.
After six years of total domination by the self-anointed "King of Bodybuilding" Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Mr. Olympia was now up for grabs. Franco Columbu, the heir apparent to the title, after Arnold's retirement, won the Olympia in 1976 but he was not returning to defend his title. Arnold was now promoting the Mr. Olympia 
contest in Columbus, Ohio with his partner Jim Lorimer.
The pre-contest favorite for the 1977 Mr. Olympia was definitely Robby Robinson. Robby shot to the top of the bodybuilding scene in only the last few years, winning the IFBB Mr. America, Mr. World, Mr. Universe and Mr. International from 1975-1976. His total domination of amateur bodybuilding competition served notice to all the professionals that he was getting ready to win the top title in the world of bodybuilding.
Other top contenders included Lou Ferrigno, entering his first Mr. Olympia contest since the famous Pretoria, South Africa showdown with Schwarzenegger and the superb Serge Nubret two years earlier. Frank Zane was also a favorite to win the Under 200 Pound Class after taking second to Franco by one very thin point in 1976. Ed Corney, Ken Waller, Boyer Coe, Dennis Tinerino and Bill Grant would also be vying for the title.
My family arrived in Columbus, Ohio on the Friday night before the contest. The morning of the show, my parents drove our family van to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Broad Street in Columbus and dropped my younger brother and me off at the curb, promising to come back in a couple of hours to pick us up. My brother Don and I climbed the steps to the auditorium, braving the windy, cold, Midwestern weather on October 1st.
As we excitedly stepped into the theater, we were met with a completely sold out auditorium of rabid bodybuilding fans that were ready for the biggest event in bodybuilding. The Mr. International prejudging was already underway so the theater was dark but the boisterous cheering and encouragement from the attentive fans was loud and clear.
I knew we were in the right place as soon as I walked in the door of the theatre. Standing in the entranceway for a minute to take in the sights, I saw a massive bodybuilder literally drop into his aisle seat at the Veterans Memorial in the second row. The bodybuilder was so big and so heavy that he broke the seat from his prodigious weight. As what was left of the seat tilted at an angle, having been separated from its hinges by its massive occupant, the bodybuilder shared a boisterous laugh with his other hulking friends at his unique predicament.
When my brother and I finally found our seats, we were amazed by the incredible quality of international bodybuilders competing on the stage in front of us. I had seen a number of local bodybuilding contests in Chicago but I had never witnessed top physiques like this before.
The incredible Mohammed Makkawy from Egypt was the dominant bodybuilder in the lightweight class. His sharp abdominals looked like they were carved from marble
and his massive, defined physique resembled a life-size statue. Mohammed radiated confidence exemplified by his beaming smile. He created a big upset at last year's IFBB World Championships (Mr. Universe) in Montreal by beating the American favorite Danny Padilla and accumulating one of the highest point totals in the history of that contest.
The middleweight class did not have anyone to match the perfection of Makkawy. The eventual winner of this division was Walter Bubenicek from Canada. Walter was thick and big although a little wide in the waist. The runner-up in the middleweight class, however, showed great potential with a tiny waist and flaring lats. His name was Samir Bannout, a future Mr. Olympia winner. Although only in his early 20's, 
the obvious genetic gifts of the Lebanese Lion were already glaringly clear.
As the contest moved to the heavyweight class, I was again blown away by another bodybuilder who I had never heard of. The massive, thick, physique of Roy Callender from Canada was incredible. Roy had been competing for a long time and he was making somewhat of a comeback at this contest. The thickness of his pecs and lats looked like they belonged on a Mr. Olympia stage and not the Mr. International.
After the prejudging for the Mr. International was completed, the judges took a short break before bringing out the Mr. Olympia competitors. The IFBB Head of Judging, Oscar State, from England, came to the microphone and addressed the audience. To the disappointment of everyone listening, he announced that Lou Ferrigno would not be competing today because "he was making a monster movie". Of course, it would later be revealed that Lou scored the title role in the TV Movie "The Incredible Hulk", a career opportunity that would eventually change his life. The crowd moaned in disappointment.
The audience of bodybuilding fans roared as the competitors for the Under 200 pound class finally walked onstage. Frank Zane, wearing the number "1" on his posing trunks smiled brightly as he acknowledged his rabid fans. Sporting black posing trunks, Zane looked bigger than the year before when he was so close to Franco. The crowd was going absolutely crazy for Zane with many fans actually jumping up and down in the air like teenagers at a Beatles concert. He was definitely the fan favorite of the night.
Zane was followed by Bill Grant, 1974 Mr. World winner, looking better than ever. Albert Beckles from England was next in line and he looked rock hard and big. The popular Ed Corney followed Beckles onstage. Because of the movie "Pumping Iron", Corney was one of the most adored professional bodybuilders in the world that year. Boyer Coe was the last bodybuilder onstage. A former AAU Mr. America and Nabba Mr. Universe winner, Coe was competing in his second consecutive Mr. Olympia contest.
As the bodybuilders in the Under 200 Pound Class were compared, it was obvious that Frank Zane was in a class of his own. With remarkable symmetry and proportion, Zane was thicker than last year and his typical serious demeanor was replaced with a confident smile that projected victory to the audience and judges. Ed 
Corney was harder and more cut than the previous year with his sometimes bulky waistline noticeably tighter and smaller. Boyer Coe also looked very good with his freaky biceps and great calves.
The crowd was anticipating the Olympia debut of the great Robby Robinson as the Over 200 Pound Class eventually made its way onstage. Robby had been promoted in Muscle Builder Magazine all year long as the inevitable winner of the 1977 Mr. Olympia contest and it was hard to argue that point after viewing the incredible pictures gracing the magazine each month. Not since Sergio Oliva had the bodybuilding world seen such a genetic marvel of muscle. Robby's tiny waist contrasted with his huge, flaring, lats and amazingly peaked biceps to create one of the best physiques in history.
Robby was joined by bodybuilders Dennis Tinerino, Ken Waller and Roger Walker in this class. However, in contrast to the joyful reception Zane received in the previous class, Robby's entrance onstage was met with subdued appreciation. Sporting a big afro haircut, Robby's physique was as big and puffy as his hairstyle. Definitely the biggest man in the contest, Robby was lacking the sharp muscularity that defined a champion.
As big and overblown as his physique was Robby's attitude on stage was deflated. Normally a quiet and reserved man, Robby did not smile or try to win over the audience. After a year of unparalleled publicity and hype, perhaps Robby was feeling the pressure and was looking forward to getting this over with.
Poor Ken Waller was met with a torrent of boos every time he stepped onstage. After being portrayed as "the villain" in the movie "Pumping Iron", Ken could not escape the image of the bad guy who stole poor Mike Katz's t-shirt at the 1975 Mr. Universe contest. Waller simply smiled and shook his head to ward off the bad vibes from the audience. Physically, Ken Waller was in fantastic shape. One of the biggest men in the contest, he was also lean and ready. His arms were weak due to a persistent elbow injury that prevented him from properly training his triceps but his legs were still some of the best onstage.
After the prejudging ended, the crowd flowed into the lobby area of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Arnold was going to be signing copies of his new book, "Education of a Bodybuilder" and a mob soon converged at the table where he was to appear. Within minutes, the Austrian Oak began working his way through the crowd. Wearing a blue, long sleeved shirt, Arnold was smiling as he asked everyone, "Did you read the book? Did you read the book?".
Arnold loves attention like a flower loves water and sunshine. He just soaks it up and basks in the glow. He joyfully signed everything that was thrust into his hand, including the ample breast of a young woman wearing a 1977 Mr. Olympia souvenir t-shirt. He wittily answered questions, shook hands and kissed his adoring female fans while signing dozens of copies of his new best-selling book that had recently made the New York Times Best Seller list. At 14 years old, I was one of the smallest fans in the crowd and I was able to sneak to the front to get my book signed by Arnold himself.
Still reeling from witnessing some of the Best Physiques in the World, my brother and I walked to the parking lot of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and waited for my parents to come pick us up in the family van. When my Mom and Dad asked us, "How was it?", I could barely contain my enthusiasm as I shared the experience of what we had just seen.
My Dad drove through downtown Columbus looking for a place we could all stop for lunch. Parking on the street, we began walking to a new restaurant called Wendy's. This new hamburger establishment sold their burgers as "singles", "doubles" and "triples" and the taste of these juicy hamburgers was like nothing I've ever had before. In addition to the hot burgers, I ordered a "frosty", a semi-milkshake without the milk.
On the walk back to the car, I spotted the famous Mike Mentzer standing on the streets of Columbus. I recognized him right away as one of the most popular bodybuilders featured in Joe Weider's magazine. He was standing on the corner waiting for the light to change. Accompanied by his girlfriend and some other friends, Mike was wearing a grey sweatshirt that was cut off at the elbows. His incredibly massive forearms were laced with thick veins. I tried not to look too starstruck as I saw one of my bodybuilding idols from the magazines right in front of me.
My Dad accompanied my brother and I to the evening show of the Mr. Olympia contest. Since we had purchased our tickets only in the last month before the show, we had second row seats in the balcony. Our poor vantage point didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the event we were about to see.
The Veterans Memorial Auditorium was completely sold out and the anxious bodybuilding fans could barely contain themselves at the anticipation of the contest that was soon to begin. Many talked among themselves about who they thought was going to win and who they hoped would win.
Suddenly, the lights went out and the theater was engulfed in darkness. The crowd roared its approval as everyone screamed with delight. The curtains onstage parted, revealing a set design that resembled pillars of the Roman Coliseum. The lighting onstage was dark, allowing only for the silhouette of the person standing onstage to be shown.
Frank Zane was the first to step between the two pillars onstage. Hitting one of his signature poses with both arms aesthetically raised overhead, the crowd recognized immediately who it was. "Zane!!", screamed the enthusiastic bodybuilding fans. Zane stepped forward into the light and acknowledged his fans with a wave of his hand and a smile.
One by one, each bodybuilder repeated the process. Ed Corney slowly raised his arms up to a double biceps, cocking his upper body slightly to the left to create an artistic slant to this standard pose. The crowd screamed "Corney!!!" in unison. Boyer Coe hit his patented twisting double biceps pose, the high peaked biceps giving away his identity. This artistic opening to the greatest bodybuilding contest in the world was extremely well executed by the team of Lorimer-Schwarzenegger.
The contest began with the IFBB Mr. International contest. As predicted from the prejudging, Mohammed Makkawy easily won the lightweight class with his jewel-like abdominals and rock hard physique. The audience gave a rousing ovation to former 1951 Mr. America Roy Hilligenn who was competing onstage tonight at 54 years old. With his sparkling smile and crisp abs, Roy was a testament to the benefits of the bodybuilding lifestyle.
Walter Bubenick from Canada was the middleweight class winner and the massive Roy Callendar from Canada easily won the heavyweight division. The overall title went to Makkawy who had too much quality for the hulking Callendar. Roy was having a good year in his comeback, and he would continue his winning ways at that year's Mr. Universe contest in France.
Before the Mr. Olympia finals began, Arnold Schwarzenegger came out and addressed the audience. Although not yet a famous movie star, Arnold was adored as the all-time King of Bodybuilding. With the release of the movie "Pumping Iron" that year and his frequent talk show appearances promoting the film, Schwarzenegger became the official spokesman for bodybuilding. The sold-out bodybuilding audience rose to their feet when their hero came to the microphone.
Arnold told the Columbus, Ohio audience how much he loved bodybuilding and how he would always do his best to continue to promote the sport and make it bigger than ever. He then brought Reg Park to the stage to act as the emcee for the evening. The four time Mr. Universe was Arnold's main inspiration when he began bodybuilding back in Austria and the respect and awe he still felt for Park was evident on his face as he shook hands with his boyhood idol.
Before the competitors came out onstage to perform their posing routines, massive floodlights on each side of the stage bathed the audience in bright light. The audience roared it's disapproval, shouting "Turn the lights off!". The lights were necessary so ABC's Wide World of Sports could film the contest for a future viewing.
Arnold approached the podium in an attempt to calm the raucous audience down. "I know the lights are bright", he began, "but they are necessary for the TV cameras." The crowd again began booing in total disagreement with their leader. Arnold continued. "Whenever the lights come on, the cameras are going to be on you. Let's show the world what you think of these bodybuilders. The more you scream and the crazier you get, the better it's going to look when this is shown on TV. Let's show everyone that bodybuilding is the greatest sport in the world!"
That was it! Arnold's inspirational speech was all that was needed to completely turn this crowd into a mob of crazy, screaming lunatics. This was their chance to show the world how great bodybuilding really was. Now, whenever the flood lights came on, the audience jumped to their feet and began screaming, yelling and throwing their arms in the air.
Frank Zane was the first to pose onstage. A veteran of the sport, Zane had been training for over 20 years and had won the Mr. Universe contest several times at this point in his career. His posing routine was perfected to highlight his unique physique. When he did his rear double biceps pose, for example, he tilted his right arm up at an angle instead of performing the pose straight on as everyone else did. His back was a framework of muscular striations and delineations, completely developed from the back of his neck to his waist. This was Frank Zane in the best shape of his life and he and the audience knew it.
When Ed Corney approached the stage, the audience was on the edge of their seats. Dubbed "The Master Poser" after his appearance in the film "Pumping Iron", everyone was eagerly anticipating seeing his routine live in person. Corney was the most dramatic poser in the sport of bodybuilding. Combining slow, deliberate transitions with quick, powerful moves, Ed Corney had the crowd on their feet by the end of his posing routine. Watching from my position in the balcony, I was mesmerized by the sea of flashbulbs lighting up the auditorium below me during this dramatic display of muscle.
Albert Beckles from England was in great condition but he was overshadowed by the performances of Zane and Corney. However, his incredible back double biceps pose elicited cheers from this audience for the density and thickness he showed. Bill Grant was in fantastic shape and he had trained hard at Gold's Gym in Venice for a whole year for this contest. Unfortunately, Bill's weak calves let him down again onstage. Boyer Coe was a unique bodybuilder. Standing relaxed, Boyer's lack of abdominal development revealed a wide waist and a lack of aesthetics. However, when Boyer posed, his physique exploded into muscular separation and size. His freaky bicep split, highlighted in his posing routine, was an audience pleaser. There was a reason Boyer had won so many world championship titles over the last ten years.
Robby Robinson was the best bodybuilder in the Over 200 Pound class. His incredible arm development and massive back had the audience going nuts. Although Zane
was the crowd favorite, Robby was the most massive bodybuilder onstage that night even though the detail in his physique was noticeably absent on the biggest night of his life.
Ken Waller was met with a cascade of boos and catcalls when he was introduced to the audience. Although he did his best to ignore the audience when going through his posing routine, Waller had to know that tonight was not going to go the way he planned.
Dennis Tinerino was competing in his first Mr. Olympia contest. Ten years earlier, Dennis was giving Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for his money when they both competed in the 1967 Nabba Mr. Universe in London. Now, he was making his first attempt to win the title that catapulted Arnold to the top of the bodybuilding world. Dennis displayed massive deltoids and ripped abs onstage but his back development was what kept him from advancing to the top spot.
The overall posedown consisted of the three best bodybuilders from both classes. In the Under 200 Pound Class, Zane, Corney and Coe advanced to the finals. In the Over 200 Pound Class, Robby, Tinerino and Waller qualified for the posedown. With the ABC-TV cameras taking in all the action and the bright spotlights simultaneously aggravating and energizing the wild crowd, the top six bodybuilders in the world began the posedown.
Robby and Waller quickly left their place in the line-up to posedown next to Frank Zane. The mostly pro-Zane audience was loudly cheering for their favorite. Corney was furiously hitting most muscular poses and driving the audience into a frenzy. Many in the 
audience were out of their seats cheering and even jumping up and down.
As the posedown concluded, the top six bodybuilders were directed to leave the stage before the final placings were announced. With the crazy crowd screaming for more, the Mr. Olympia finalists refused to leave the stage. Even with Oscar State brought onstage to clear the stage, Frank Zane and the others stood their ground without exiting. Arnold finally directed the stage crew to bring the curtain down before the final act.
After several moments of anticipation as the judges tallied the posedown scores, the top six bodybuilders were brought onstage. Emcee Reg Park decided to forego normal protocol and announce the winner first. "The 1977 Mr. Olympia winner is.....
FRANK ZANE!!!" Frank punched a fist into the air and took off running across the stage. He was met mid-stage by the other competitors who all vigorously shook his hand. Zane looked at Robby Robinson with respect, knowing that he was the most dangerous competitor onstage.
After the bodybuilders had returned to the line-up, Reg Park announced Ed Corney in second place, to the surprise of the audience and the dismay of Robby Robinson. First he was defeated by Zane and now Corney? What's next?? Park quickly corrected himself and announced Robby in second place, with his apologies. Corney took the mistaken placing with a grain of salt and walked over to Robby, handing him the second place check while wrapping his arm around Robby's massive shoulders.
Ed Corney took home the third place award, concluding one of the best nights of his life. He had received a record number THREE standing ovations that night and one of the loudest ovations for a posing routine in the history of bodybuilding. Boyer Coe was in fourth place. Ken Waller took a disappointing fifth place and Dennis Tinerino was in sixth place in his Mr. Olympia debut.
After the contest, a smiling Frank Zane was interviewed by ABC's Wide World of Sports Bob Beattie and Arnold Schwarzenegger for the TV cameras. Frank's lovely wife Christine would soon join Frank for photos, holding the newly created Sandow statue between them. The picture of health and success, Frank Zane had finally won the Mr. Olympia title.
Zane knew it was his time. With Arnold now retired and placing second to Franco in 1976 by one point, he had projected himself as the winner all year long. While Joe Weider plastered photos of an incredible off season Robby Robinson in Muscle Builder magazine each month, Zane went to work on making his vision a reality. He even advertised his mail-order courses under the headline, "The Year of Zane".
Months later, Zane revealed to Muscle Builder Magazine that he was 100% confident that he was going to win before he even stepped onstage. A big proponent of Carl Jung, Frank followed the analytical psychologists dream analysis program. He firmly believed that his dreams would tell him if he was going to be successful or not in this year's Mr. Olympia contest.
So, did he have a dream that forecast his victory, the Muscle Builder interviewer wanted to know? Yes, Zane replied. "I was in the street throwing a football back and forth with Robby", Zane explained. "Robby threw this great pass to me, very high and long. I caught the football and threw it back to him but my pass was even greater than his. It flew way over his head and hit a parked car on the street. The car exploded when the football hit it. It was obvious. I was going to explode Robby's dream at the Mr. Olympia!"
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