Steve Stanko (September 5, 1917 – December 31, 1978) was an American heavyweight weightlifter and

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

. In weightlifting he won a silver medal at the 1938 World Championships and set three unofficial world records in 1941: in the snatch,

clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without rest ...

and in the total. In bodybuilding he was crowned Mr. America in 1944, Most Muscular Man in America in 1946, and Mr. Universe in 1947. Stanko grew up in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

and was spotted by Bob Hoffman, who convinced Stanko to move to

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

to work at

York Barbell York Barbell is an American-based international manufacturer of fitness equipment. Its roots date back to when Bob Hoffman (sports promoter), Bob Hoffman, who was named "Father of World Weightlifting" by the International Weightlifting Federation ...

and develop his physique.Staff
"Sport: Bar Bellmen"
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Time (magazine) ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published Weekly newspaper, weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first publishe ...

'', July 17, 1939. Accessed January 8, 2018. "Steve Stanko wanted to be an interior decorator but his father, a Hungarian immigrant, put him to work in an iron foundry close by their home in Perth Amboy, N. J."

References

1917 births 1978 deaths American male weightlifters American male bodybuilders People associated with physical culture Sportspeople from Perth Amboy, New Jersey World Weightlifting Championships medalists 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-bodybuilding-bio-stub