Jack Delinger (June 22, 1926 – December 28, 1992) was an American professional

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 ...

. He won the 1949

AAU Mr. America The Mr. America contest is a bodybuilding competition started by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). It was first held on July 4, 1939, and the winner was named "America's Best Built Man". In 1940 this was changed to what is now known as the Mr. ...

and the 1956 Mr. Universe.

Early life and career

At 16 Delinger began training at the local YMCA. He looked to

John Grimek John Carroll Grimek (June 17, 1910 – November 20, 1998) was an American bodybuilder and weightlifter active in the 1930s and 1940s. Grimek was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, and Mr. Universe in 1948. In 1949, he won his last contest, t ...

for inspiration throughout his training. At

Oakland Technical High School Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech or simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District. It is one of six compre ...

, Delinger was a member of the gymnastics team. Soon after, he joined Ed Yarick's gym. Yarick was a man whom Delinger looked up to and who was a role model for aspiring bodybuilders. In 1946 Delinger won his first contest, Mr. Northern California. Delinger had great upper body strength but it was noted that his legs were somewhat underdeveloped. With much hard work he corrected this problem. In 1949 he went on to win the AAU Mr. America. In 1956, at 30 years of age, Delinger won the NABBA Pro Mr. Universe. Delinger and his wife Loretta went on to open their own gym in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and later at Broadway at College Avenue in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

Personal life and death

Delinger was married to Loretta Soper. 15 months after their marriage, the couple had their only child, John. John died from a cerebral hemorrhage on November 23, 1992, at the age of 41. Jack Delinger died from a heart attack in

, on December 28, 1992, at the age of 66. At the time of his death he had become a heavy drinker, and the recent death of his son had caused his depression to worsen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delinger, Jack 1926 births 1992 deaths American male bodybuilders People associated with physical culture American professional bodybuilders Sportspeople from Oakland, California Oakland Technical High School alumni 20th-century American sportsmen