Mr. Olympia 1976: An Absent Arnold Provides Opportunity
Key Takeaways
- 1976 was a historic year for the Mr. Olympia competition.
- Arnold officially retired from competing and instead was co-hosting the event with Jim Lorimer. Lou Ferrigno took this year to try his hand at professional football, while Serge Nubret was forced out by Ben Weider.
- The Over 200 pound class had just two competitors: Ken Waller and big Mike Katz.
- The Under 200 pound class however, had quite the line up, including Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, and Ed Corney.
- It was up to the judges to decide the winner of the 1976 Mr. Olympia, and it came down to just one point in determining the winner.
For the first time in six years, the Mr. Olympia would have a new champion in 1976.
Catch up on the previous years of the Mr. Olympia leading up to 1976 right here.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had won the Mr. Olympia from 1970 to 1975, was now officially retired from bodybuilding competitions. This year, he was promoting the contest with his partner Jim Lorimer in Columbus, Ohio.
The contest was wide open, but Franco Columbu was the odds-on favorite to win the Mr. Olympia in 1976. Franco had placed second to Arnold for the last three years from 1973 to 1975.
Although standing only 5’5”, Franco was considered one of the best bodybuilders in the world with his tremendous thickness and density.
He had steadily improved his physique each year leading up to 1976. Many experts felt like he would be the new Mr. Olympia after the dust settled in Columbus, Ohio.
Others Were Absent Too
Lou Ferrigno, 2x Mr. Universe winner, was not expected to compete in the Mr. Olympia in 1976. Lou had taken second to Arnold in his first Mr. Olympia in 1974 but had placed a disappointing third behind Serge Nubret the previous year.
Now that Arnold was retired, Lou decided to take his chances at a career in professional football. He tried out for the New York Giants and the Toronto Argonauts.
With his tremendous size (6’5” and 275 pounds), many felt that Lou would make an excellent lineman in professional football.
Nubret Forced Out by Weider, Moves to NABBA
Serge Nubret was also not expected to be on stage at the 1976 Mr. Olympia contest. Following his second-place finish to Arnold in 1975, Ben Weider had suspended Nubret for starring in sexually explicit movies in France.
Nubret, besides being one of the top bodybuilders in the world, was also an actor. He had starred in some softcore pornographic movies in his home country. Weider, feeling Nubret was not a proper representative for the sport of bodybuilding, suspended him from the IFBB.
To add insult to injury, they also removed him from his position as the vice president of the organization. Nubret, in response to the false allegations directed at him by Weider, walked away from the IFBB. He vowed never to compete in the organization again.
Instead, he competed in the 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe contest in London. He was in the best shape of his life, winning the Professional title that year.
Arnold Gets to Work to Make Magic Happen
Despite the absence of both Nubret and Ferrigno, Arnold and Lorimer were determined to make their first promotion of the Mr. Olympia a raging success. Arnold personally called up all the top professional bodybuilders in the world, inviting them to compete in his competition.
Boyer Coe, one of the best bodybuilders in the 1970s, was invited to compete in his first IFBB Mr. Olympia. Coe was already a 3x Mr. Universe winner in the NABBA organization.
Boyer had also won the 1969 AAU Mr. America contest and the WBBG Mr. World five times!
As in the previous two years, the Mr. Olympia contest was being held in two divisions, the Under 200 Pound Class and the Over 200 Pound Class. Just like the previous year, the majority of the competition was taking place in the Under 200 Pound Class.
In addition to Franco and Boyer Coe, the contest also featured Ed Corney, Bill Grant, and Frank Zane.
The Wildcard
Zane was the wildcard entry in the 1976 Mr. Olympia. Displaying a very symmetrical and aesthetic physique, Frank Zane had previously won the IFBB titles:
- Mr. America
- Mr. Universe
- Mr. World
- Mr. International
Frank also won the NABBA Mr. Universe title twice in 1970 and 1972. He had competed in the Mr. Olympia three times (’72, ’74 and ’75). Unfortunately for Zane, he could not defeat the mass monsters he went up against like Schwarzenegger, Oliva, and Nubret.
The previous year had been an embarrassing one for Frank Zane. Zane had competed in one of his worst conditions ever for the 1975 Mr. Olympia. This was thanks to job distractions and the interruption to his training by the filming “Pumping Iron” at Gold’s Gym.
In February 1976, Zane had taken part in a posing exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City to help promote the film. Other Golden Era legends Arnold and Ed Corney were also participants.
Inspired by the exhibition, Zane vowed to get into the best shape of his life. He focused on the 1976 Mr. Olympia as his comeback contest.
A Lackluster Lineup for the Heavy Class
The Over 200 Pound Class was somewhat of a disappointment without the presence of Schwarzenegger, Ferrigno, and Nubret.
Ken Waller, who had won the overall IFBB Mr. Universe the previous year, was planning on competing in his first Mr. Olympia. Unfortunately, his only competition would be his rival, Mike Katz.
In a rematch of their showdown in “Pumping Iron”, Waller and Katz would go head to head in their first Olympia contest.
The Under 200 Class Takes the Stage
The contestants began to line up on stage at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus. The audience cheered the best bodybuilders in the world in the Under 200 Pound Class.
It soon became apparent that the real contest was between Franco Columbu and Frank Zane.
Columbu was even thicker than the year before, but he displayed excellent definition and muscularity. Zane, in stark contrast to Franco, was lean and symmetrical but extremely muscular and ripped.
Here were two of the best bodybuilders in the world, each in their lifetime best condition.
Boyer Coe was also in great shape and he showed off some of the best arms in the world.
Ed Corney was not in the top condition he displayed the year before. His training partner Arnold had retired, and it showed onstage as he made his way out.
Bill Grant, however, was in excellent shape with great arms and ripped abs.
In the hotly contested Under 200 Pound Class, Franco Columbu narrowly defeated Frank Zane by only one point!
Both Columbu and Zane were at their best, so it was up to the judges to decide which body type was the better bodybuilder.
Franco had the momentum going for him after placing second to Arnold the last three years, but Zane was really in amazing shape. It was a tight battle!
The Over 200 Class is Decided without Fanfare, While Under 200 Dominates
In the Over 200 Pound Class, Big Ken Waller took an easy win over his rival Mike Katz. With only two competitors, the audience was disappointed in the lack of excitement for the heavyweights.
In the overall decision, Franco beat Ken Waller to become the first Mr. Olympia winner under 200 pounds.
Franco had performed a miracle by beating all the monsters to win the biggest title in bodybuilding.
He was already a previous Mr. Universe and Mr. World winner. Now, he had ascended to the top of the bodybuilding world by winning the 1976 Mr. Olympia.
Ready for more? Stay tuned for the 1977 Mr. Olympia. With so much action, we had to break it into two parts!
