Val Vasilieff, 1964 AAU Mr America is shown here performing a weightlifting exhibition in front of 54,000 people during halftime of a 1964 Philadelphia Eagles-San Francisco 49ers football game. Vasilieff jerked 302 pounds for 10 repetitions and also was able to generate $8000 for the Olympic fund. When you consider that this was done on grass, probably without much of a warmup, and that weightlifting was not particularly well known to the general public, this was a world class accomplishment on both fronts.
Here’s something you sure won’t see again: a weightlifting contest sponsored by a tobacco company. As you can see noted, this particular contest took place on Saturday, January 25, 1964 in Liege. Belgium. … and unsurprisingly, Richmond Louis Doize are a Belgian brand of cigarettes.
A look at the July, 1964 issue of Joe Weider’s Muscle Builder magazine featuring a young but very massive Dave Draper. Other articles include: “How I Use The Top Muscle-Building Technique to Build My 19″ Arms,” by Freddy Ortiz, “Here’s The Top Muscle-Building Technique That Made Me a Champion” by Reg Park, “The Muscle-Building Wisdom of Bill Pearl,” and “Harold Poole’s Mr. Universe Powerhouse Diet Secrets Revealed.”
Val Vasilieff
