Written by Peter McGough
14 April 2016

16edcorney

TBT 1994: Ed Corney Rolls Back the Years

At the Masters Olympia

 

 

Back in 1994 the first ever Masters Olympia took place in conjunction with the main Mr. Olympia soiree in Atlanta. It was seen as a showcase for legends of the past to compete and be celebrated. In reality it was a bittersweet affair, proving in many cases that bodybuilding in terms of aging is the cruelest of sports. In sports like tennis, soccer and golf, superstars from other eras can still put in some pretty decent performances against each other. But in Masters bodybuilding where 40 year old and above competitors are reduced to standing there in their skivvies then time is often not their friend. There were exceptions like eventual winner Robby Robinson (48), runner-up Lou Ferrigno (43), third placed Boyer Coe (48), but for others it was a case of thanking them for the memories instead of their current development (For full list of competitors see end of article.)

UNFORGETTABLE ED

So in some ways it was inspiring and disappointing but the ultimate shining moment of the contest -- and for me the whole weekend -- came in the shape of 62-year-old Ed Corney, 1972 Mr. America and Mr. Universe. The native-born Hawaiian had long been renowned as the sport’s premier poser. Indeed there’s an iconic scene in Pumping Iron (filmed around the 1975 Olympia) when Ed is posing and when he is finished, Arnold gasps, “Now, that’s what I call posing.”

 But that was as yesterday as bell-bottom jeans and my Mungo Jerry World Tour tee shirt. So when Ed Corney walked onstage to perform his posing routine at the first ever Masters Olympia, the applause was warm, more in deference, one felt, to Ed’s years and past accomplishments than what we should now expect. Although In his ‘60s and ‘70s heyday Ed was known as the sports master poser, a cynical gene warned that what was great in a bodybuilding two or three decades ago was now passé.

But as Ed progressed through his three minutes of posing to Percy Sledge’s “When a man loves a woman,” the realization grew that one was witnessing something special, something magical and inspiring.

 Corney’s choreography was brilliantly synchronized, and each pose and transition was executed with verve and panache. The emotion engendered was unprecedented, in this reporter’s experience, and as the audience decibel rating climbed, so did the potential for tear-duct extraction. At the routine’s conclusion, Ed was accorded a thunderous standing ovation, the 5000 witnesses united in the belief that they had been party to a unique bodybuilding moment.

 As Ed left the stage and the hubbub subsided, a shrill voice – like it had been planned in a Hollywood script - shouted from the audience, "Now, that’s what I call posing!” It truly was, and Ed Corney, on behalf of all his peers on that unforgettable September 1994 evening proved conclusively that there is plenty of life in the old muscle gods yet.

1994 MASTERS OLYMPIA: FULL RESULTS

1 - Robby Robinson

2 - Lou Ferrigno

3- Boyer Coe

4- Chris Dickerson

5- Olev Annus

6- Bernard Sealy

7- Danny Padilla

8- Bill Grant

9- Hubert Metz

10- Ed Corney

11- Scott Wilson

12- Herman Hoffend

Greg DeFerro also entered but was late for the prejudging and then was allowed to pose in the evening.

 

DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE ON THE MD FORUM

READ MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS IN THE MCGOUGH REPORT