A Review of Past Nationals Champs & How They did as Pros
1982-2014: A Review of Past Nationals Champs
And How They Did As Pros
NATIONALS REVIEW
This coming weekend (November 20th and 21st) the James L. Knight Center in Miami will play host to the 34th rendition of the NPC Nationals. It’s the premier amateur bodybuilding event in the land with the prize for the victorious being an IFBB pro card. Across the classes there are over 60 cards to be won and the Nationals titles on the line will be for men’s and women’s bodybuilding; men’s and women’s physique; women’s figure; and women’s bikini. Having first staged the event in 1987 the entrepreneurial Steve Karel has promoted the Nationals every year since 1992, ably assisted by organizer extraordinaire Pam Betz. Here’s look back at the thirty-three history of the NPC Nationals through the prism of those who were crowned overall men’s champions and a review of how they did as pros.
NA * No Appearances
# Includes 5 Masters wins
*@ Has competed in four 202/212 Olympia contests
Please note: Overall champs did not win a pro card in the years 1982-’85. In those years American competitors had to win an amateur world championship to turn pro. The procedure was changed in 1986 so that all weight class champions at the Nationals won a pro card. Nowadays the top two in each class are awarded pro cards.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Notables who competed at the Nationals but never won the overall include the trio of Mr. Olympias, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson. Coleman finished third and fourth in the heavyweight division at the 1990 and 1991 renditions respectively and then earned his pro card by winning the 1991 World Amateur Championships. Cutler made his one and only Nationals appearance in 1996 to annex the heavyweight title and pro card but lost out on the overall to Willie Stallings. Dexter Jackson graced the event twice. First in 1995 when as reigning USA light heavyweight champ he failed to crack the top 15 at the Nationals (one of the most inexplicable decisions these peepers have ever seen). In 1996 he finished sixth in the same division and eventually went on to secure his pro card by winning the light heavy and overall at the 1998 North American Championships. To witness the crowning of the 2015 overall champ book your seat at Miami’s James L. Knight Center by clicking on www.nationalbodybuilding.com
For all the action from the 2015 NPC Nationals stay tuned to musculardevelopment.com. As from Thursday night (November 19th) our team will be in Miami to bring blanket coverage. That includes video previews and wrap-ups, video interviews, competitor galleries, play-by-play, prejudging and finals reports. For unrivalled coverage stay tuned to musculardevelopment.com
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