Here is a short list of some of the "Greats of bodybuilding" that hail from my home state of Louisiana!
1. Lloyd "Red" Lerille. Red Lerille is a New Orleans native and the winner of numerous bodybuilding titles, including Mr. New Orleans in 1955, Mr. Armed Forces and Mr. Hawaii in 1958, Mr. Dixie in 1959, and AAU Mr. America which he won in 1960. He opened his fitness club Red's in my hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana on January 13, 1963. His gym is one of the largest in America, with between 16,000-20,000 members! I grew up at Red's Gym--going there with my father since the age of 6 or 7 years old; my dad used to workout regularly with Red Lerille. Red Lerille has a very nice family: his sons Mark and Stanley have been friends of mine. Red is in his upper 70's, but he still gets up very early every morning at 3AM to go to his gym to open it and train, and then he goes to Mass every morning by 7AM. He is a true inspiration & a wonderful person to know.
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| Mr. America 1960! Red Lerille. |
2. Casey Viator. Casey Viator (September 4, 1951 – September 4, 2013) was the youngest ever Mr. America winner - gaining the title at the age of 19 in 1971. This is a record that stands to this day!
Viator grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. In 1968, Viator placed third in the Mr. Louisiana contest. The following year, he came in sixth in the 1969 Teen Mr. America, but won in the categories best arms, best abs and most muscular. Casey Viator had extremely large forearms proportional to the rest of his body. Born in Louisiana, Casey began weight training in his early teens. His genetics were so good for bodybuilding that he developed big legs and arms just from participating in sports like baseball and track and field. He was known for being an advocate of brief, super-intense training that became popularized as High Intensity Training (H.I.T.), which was pioneered by Arthur Jones. Casey Viator was good friends with my father, also, since both would train together in Lafayette at Red's Gym in the 1970s and 1980s. Casey Viator, who died on his birthday at age 62, is remembered for being a very nice, soft spoken, humorous man.
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| Posing with the Mr. America trophy...and only 19 years old! |
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| Look at the arms on this 19 year old kid! Amazing!! |
3. Boyer Coe. Boyer Coe (born August 18, 1946 in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is an American former professional bodybuilder. Coe is the only contestant to achieve a perfect score in the World Cup Bodybuilding Championship. Boyer Coe had a pair of the best biceps in the sport of bodybuilding!
In the summer of 1962 Boyer Coe placed in the top five at the Teen Mr. All South in Birmingham, Alabama. On May 21, 1964, three days before he graduated from high school, Coe was declared Mr. New Orleans at age 17! Six months later, he won the regional title of Mr. Hercules of the Southwest. After graduation, Coe moved east to Lafayette and trained at a gym owned by 1960 Mr. America Lloyd “Red” Lerille (gentleman referenced above).
In a whirl wind three-year period, the young man from Louisiana won his first national title (1966 Teen Mr. America) and won on his birthday (1968 Junior Mr. USA, when he turned 22). With more than 50 contests in various organizations under his belt, he joined the IFBB in 1976 at age 30 and placed fifth in the lightweight class in his Mr. Olympia debut. The 5’9” Coe (he usually competed at 250 pounds) won four IFBB contest, all in 1981.
As with Red Lerille and Casey Viator, my father also knew and worked out with Boyer Coe. My father used to tell me how he remembers a young Boyer Coe that was able to Bench Press over 400 pounds while he was still in high school. Boyer was STRONG! And, so was Casey Viator. Boyer had AMAZING arm development, too.
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| On the cover of Iron Man magazine. Mr. Universe winner!!! |
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| a young Boyer Coe...shredded, lean, and massive! Another pair of great arms! |
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| Boyer Coe versus Arnold Schwarzenegger! The best arms in the world that day face off! Boyer has much better triceps than Arnold; and Arnold's bicep peak is much higher. Lousiana versus Austria! The best arms that day in 1980. |
4. Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie was born May 13, 1964 in Bastrop, Louisiana (near Monroe in North Louisiana), and he is a professional bodybuilder who holds eight straight wins as Mr. Olympia, a record career total that he shares with the great Lee Haney. Alongside his eight Mr. Olympia wins as a professional bodybuilder, Coleman holds the record for most wins as an IFBB professional with 26. He broke the previous record (held by Vince Taylor at 22 wins) on November 5, 2004. Ronnie Coleman graduated Cum Laude from Grambling State University (GSU) in 1986 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting. While attending university, Coleman played College football as a middle linebacker with the GSU Tigers. He won the coveted Mr. Olympia title 8 straight times from 1998 - 2005; his many rivals those years included Jay Culter, Nasser El Sonbaty, Ken "Flex" Wheeler, Chris Cormier and Keven Levrone.
I met Ronnie Coleman in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1997; he was at the Mr. Louisiana show, watching from the audience next to me. He is a quiet, friendly man, and the most muscular human I have ever seen. Period.
So, here we have a record holder for the most consecutive Mr. Olympia titles in history; and, what state is he from? Louisiana!
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| One of the greatest bodybuilders in history, Ronnie Coleman. |
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| Look at those traps! He marries Mass with great lines and full muscle bellies. Even his quadriceps are split perfectly. Ronnie is also one of the strongest bodybuilders in history. View his training videos and check for yourself. |
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| 8 time winner of the Mr. Olympia crown: Ronnie Coleman. from Bastrop, Louisiana. |
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