The First NPC Nationals
Thirty-one years ago, a new bodybuilding organization called the National Physique Committee (NPC) began promoting bodybuilding competitions in the United States. The NPC was created to work with the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) to provide an amateur organization of the United States to work in conjunction with the biggest bodybuilding organization in the world.
In 1982, the NPC began promoting national level bodybuilding competitions. These included the NPC Junior USA, the NPC Junior Nationals, the NPC USA and the NPC Nationals. In fact, in 1982 the NPC Nationals was actually called The American Bodybuilding Championships to distinguish itself from the long running AAU Mr. America contest, a contest that was established in 1939.
Bodybuilders competing in the NPC would have a chance to earn professional status and compete in the IFBB. The road to becoming a professional bodybuilder went through the NPC. In order to compete with the IFBB pros, a bodybuilder from America would have to win his class at the NPC Nationals and then go on to compete in the IFBB World Amateur Championships (Mr. Universe). If the bodybuilder was able to win his class at the Mr. Universe, they would earn the right to compete as a pro.
Of course, in 1982 there was only Bodybuilding in the newly formed NPC. Men and Women’s Bodybuilding were the only competitions on the agenda. Fitness was years away from making its debut and new divisions such as Figure, Bikini, Men’s Physique and Women’s Physique were not even conceived of yet.
Leading up to that year’s historic NPC Nationals, the NPC had already held three national level competitions. At the 1982 NPC Junior USA contest, heavyweight Philip Outlaw won the overall title, beating out light heavyweight winner Jerry Scalesse, middleweight Reza Ramaghi and lightweight winner Terry Hale.
At the first ever NPC Junior Nationals contest, a little known bodybuilder from South Carolina by the name of Lee Haney won the heavyweight and overall. Lee defeated 20-year-old Mike Quinn, the winner of the previous year’s Teenage Mr. America contest to win the heavyweight class. In the light heavyweight class, Michael Klinefelter beat out the “Beast from the East” Benny Podda. The middleweight class was won by future Fitness Guru Tony Little, an excellent bodybuilder from Florida at the time. Who could have imagined that a future 8-time Mr. Olympia winner would be posing down with a loud mouthed, ponytailed fitness guru that night at the Junior Nationals?
At the first ever NPC Mr. USA competition that summer, a remarkable 60 competitors showed up to contend for a very tough event. Heavyweight winner Jon Jordan, a top contender in the AAU, went on to beat some future champions by the names of Bob Paris (3rd) and Mike Christian (4th). Gold’s Gym nutrition guru Neal Spruce placed in the runner-up spot. Donald Gay defeated 17 other bodybuilders, including future Mr. America winner Glenn Kneer while winning the light heavyweight class.In the middleweight class, little known Dale Ruplinger traveled from Iowa to win not only his class but also the overall title. Dale was so massive for a middleweight (under 176 pounds) that he was quickly nicknamed “The Man with the Hollow Bones” because he had too much muscle on his frame to weigh that light unless, of course, he had hollow bones.
The stage was now set for the inaugural NPC Nationals competition. An amazing 80 competitors showed up to win the first ever historic contest. In only its first year in existence, the NPC had already established itself as the biggest amateur organization in the United States.
Held in New York City, the 1982 NPC Nationals attracted bodybuilders from around the country. Each of the four weight divisions included top level amateur bodybuilders from around the country, all of them hoping to win their class and gain a spot on the USA Team that would travel to the IFBB Mr. Universe contest in Belgium and contend with the best bodybuilders from around the world.
In the Lightweight Class, Louisiana bodybuilder and veteran competitor James Gaubert dominated his division over 23 other bodybuilders. James had been competing on the national level for the past ten years, taking third at both the AAU Mr. USA (1976) and the IFBB Mr. USA (1977). He had also competed at the IFBB Mr. Universe in Columbus, Ohio in 1979, taking an impressive sixth place against international competition. For the last few years, James had moved up to the middleweight class, placing second in the AAU Mr. USA in 1981 and sixth at the AAU Mr. America later that year in that same weight class. For the first ever NPC Nationals, James wisely brought his weight down to the lightweight class and won a deserving first place.
In second place was the massive mini-Hercules Dean Tornabene. Third place went to Joe Distini and fourth place was taken by Dr. Jesse Lujan. All of these competitors would go on to be top contenders on the national scene for years to come, with Tornabene winning his class at the NPC Nationals in 1986 and Lujan winning the title the very next year.
In the middleweight division, 18 bodybuilders showed up to contend for the title. Dale Ruplinger, the incredibly massive bodybuilder who won the overall at the NPC Mr. USA only months earlier, won this class easily. Veteran AAU competitor, Pat Neve from Arizona, placed second to Dale in this class. Pat was a winner on the national level for several years at the AAU Mr. USA and AAU Mr. America with his massive arms and incredible upper body.
The middleweight class was filled with talent with several future national and world champions who were working their way up the ladder. Jose Guzman (World Amateur Champion in 1991) was placed 4th. Other notable competitors included James Youngblood (6th), Linzie McKinney (8th) and Quincy Roberts (9th).
The light heavyweight class was very competitive at the first NPC Nationals. As the 17 contenders took the stage, the overall quality was immediately evident. Even class winners on the national level like Jerry Scalesse (1982 NPC Jr. USA) and Tony Little (1982 NPC Jr. Nationals) were placed out of the money, in 11th and 10, respectively.
In the top five, the famous “Beast from the East” Benny Podda flexed and grunted his way into fifth place. The incredible Bronston Austin (light heavyweight class winner at the 1981 AAU Mr. America and runner up at the 1981 Mr. Universe) could only manage fourth place in this tough line-up. Bronston showed his displeasure with his low placing but this contest showed how much bodybuilding was quickly growing in both quality and quantity. Future super trainer Charles Glass displayed rock hard definition and amazing development in his upper body to take the third place spot. Charles would win his class the next year at the NPC Nationals by dropping down to the middleweight division.
In the runner-up spot, the incredibly thick and massive Chuck Williams had the audience cheering for this freaky unknown bodybuilder. Williams would also taste victory the following year when he returned to the NPC Nationals. The winner in 1982, however, was the handsome and genetically gifted Moses Maldonado. With glowing skin and round, full muscle bellies, the New York Maldonado was the audience favorite and his victory was unanimous among his loud fans supporting his hometown win.
The Battle of the Big Boys was up next! The audience gasped as the 21 massive heavyweights lined up onstage for the prejudging. Just to make the top ten in this impressive line-up was an accomplishment. Future IFBB pro and overall 1986 NPC Mr. USA winner J.J. Marsh was placed way down in 13th place in this inaugural NPC Nationals. Jeff Everson, husband of future Ms. Olympia winner Cory Everson and a great bodybuilder in his own right, could only manage 12th place. Even 1982 NPC Mr. USA heavyweight winner Jon Jordan was placed out of the top ten in 11th place.
Another future IFBB Pro, massive Mike Quinn, was placed in the 7th position behind the thick and massive bodybuilder, veteran AAU top contender Robert Reis from Wisconsin. The top five of the Heavyweight Class was a future Bodybuilding Hall of Fame line-up!
In fifth place was a vascular and massive Mike Christian. Mike still had to fill out his long legs before he could move up the ladder and take first place. However, only two short years later, Christian would have his day as he would win the 1984 NPC Nationals and the IFBB Mr. Universe. In fourth place was another future legend, Bob Paris. Already accumulating a pile of trophies from competing in the Southern California area, Bob was gaining a reputation as a modern day Steve Reeves with his amazing physique and handsome good looks. Paris would also achieve success only one year later when he would win the overall title at the 1983 NPC Nationals and the heavyweight class at the IFBB Mr. Universe.
In third place was the 1981 AAU Mr. America overall winner, the freaky Tim Belknap. Only one year earlier, Tim was the talk of bodybuilding as the 5’4” monster dominated the AAU Mr. America contest by winning the light heavyweight class and overall title. Sure of victory and a pro card at that year’s Mr. Universe contest, Belknap was surprisingly defeated by the symmetrical Jacque Neuville from France in the light heavyweight division.
Bitterly disappointed at his runner-up finish in a contest that he felt he should have won handily, Belknap was torn between competing again at the NPC Nationals to have a chance to avenge his loss at the IFBB Mr. Universe or just move on to compete as a pro. After seeking advice from no less of an authority than Arnold Schwarzenegger at World Gym in California, Arnold told Tim that the best course of action would be to return to the NPC Nationals and convincingly win the contest before going on to take the Universe title. That path, Arnold advised, would show everyone that he earned his pro card as a winner and not as a loser.
Belknap showed up onstage ready for victory at the 1982 NPC Nationals. Standing only 5’4”, Belknap was shorter than most middleweights but he packed some serious heavyweight muscle onto his compact frame. With legs that rivaled the legendary Tom Platz and massive 20-inch arms, Tim was rock hard and ready for revenge.
Unfortunately, Belknap had no idea that he was going to run into two young and genetically superior physiques at the NPC Nationals. First of all, Matt Mendenhall came out of nowhere (Ohio, actually) to shock the bodybuilding world with his “He-Man” body. Sporting ultra wide shoulders, a small waist and thighs that epitomized the term “quad sweep”, Mendenhall pushed the judges hard when it came to deciding a deserving winner of this very competitive class. Matt certainly got Joe Weider’s attention with his striking blond hair and blue eyes to go along with his freaky physique. This guy had “Magazine Cover” written all over him!
However, the massive and symmetrical Lee Haney from Spartanburg, South Carolina was the inevitable choice of the judges at the 1982 NPC Nationals. Standing 5’11” and weighing close to 230 ripped pounds, Haney presented the new breed of physique that would define the bodybuilders from his generation. Like Mendenhall, Haney also possessed wide shoulders and an even smaller waist but he combined those superior proportions with rock hard density and vascularity. In the end, there was no doubt about the winning physique of Lee Haney.
In the overall posedown, the New York audience loudly supported the massive and aesthetic physique of Moses Maldonado while others in the crowd thought that the Man with the Hollow Bones, Dale Ruplinger, was going to win another overall victory after his surprising decision at that year’s NPC Mr. USA. However, it was the massive and ripped physique of Lee Haney that eventually took home the overall crown.
With such a fantastic debut, it should be no surprise that the NPC would eventually become the number one amateur bodybuilding organization in the world. After more than 30 years of high quality competition featuring the best bodybuilders in the country, the NPC continues to get bigger and better each year. And it all began way back in 1982...
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