AN OLYMPIC HEART OF GOLD
By Peter Vuono
The Olympics is upon us and many of us has his or her favorite Olympic hero or story. However, when strength athletes get together, the name of Paul Anderson always surfaces. Paul was born Oct. 17, 1932 in Toccoa Georgia. He was an underweight sickly child with a serious kidney disease(Bright's disease). However, his tenacity and love of sport helped him to compensate and adapt and Paul excelled in the shot put, discus and football in high school. He would receive a scholarship for football to Furman Universoity.
The 210 lb. Anderson was given a weight loss program by his coach which he detested. After one year, he came home and the family moved briefly to Elizabethtown Tennessee where Paul would meet and be mentored by super powerlifter, Bob Peoples.
Peoples advised Paul to dog the Olympic lifts and his proficiency was remarkable. Paul won the 1955 national Olympic lifting championships and went to the world championships the same year in Russia. to win the world's.. Paul continued on and handily won the 1956 Olympic trials sending him to Melbourne for the Olympics. However Paul was stricken only weeks before the event with tonsillitis which destroyed his equilibrium and appetite. Paul's weight plummeted from 370 to 303 and was actually outweighed by his Argentinian competitor, Umberto Selvetti. Paul, however, was not to be denied and won the Gold Medal. This however, was not a goal but an objective. Paul and his wife Glenda had a dream of building a residential school for young men who were homeless and/or had problems with the law or with family. Paul was a true amateur and had made no money through lifting. He would develop a strongman act at the Mapes Hotel in Reno, make hundreds of appearances around the country and enter pro wrestling all in an attempt to raise funds. Paul was a devout Christian and it was his main desire to only give back to the less fortunate. It should be mentioned here that in 1957 and 1958, Paul's size and strength reached proportions that made him a strength legend.
Paul was 5'9'' and weighed 380lbs. His thigh was 36", his chest 58", his waist 45" his arm and neck 24" and his calf 22'. At this body weight he could run the 100 yard dash at 11.6 seconds or better!!!. He could also press 400 for 7 reps, bench press 600, push press 500 for 3 reps and squat 1160 lbs. without a belt, wraps or shoes!! On June 12, 1957, Paul filled a safe with lead, placed it atop a table and filled the rest of the table with auto parts for an aggregate of 6,270lbs. He got under the table, placed his hands on a metal stool and back lifted the enormous weight; a feat, which to this very day, has NOT been duplicated.
After raising enough funds, Paul, in approximately 1961 constructed a 56 acre facility for young boys in need dubbed,"The Paul Anderson Youth Home". The home prospers to this day in serving youths who have no home or stability in their troubled lives. Paul had finally reached his main goal before Bright's disease struck again. His sister's kidney donation gave him 11 more years of life before he succumbed On August 15, 1994 at the age of 61. He is interred on the grounds of the youth home in Vidalia Georgia and the land is deemed a landmark.
One of history's strongest humans perished far too young and he will always be remembered by those of us who try to be like him. What is far more important, however, is that Paul's work continues and he will forever be rewarded for having an Olympic heart of gold.
"A man is not judged by the size of his strength but by the strength of his heart"-Zeus
