Born: April 22, 1926 in Oakland, California, USA
Died: December 28, 1992



Born in Oakland, California, Jack Delinger’s introduction to the iron game was at age 16 when he visited a local YMCA and pressed his own bodyweight. In 1947, Ed Yarick announced that Jack Delinger, recent winner of the 1946 Mr. Northern California, was the “newest muscular marvel”.

Yarick knew what he was talking about: he was mentor to Steve Reeves, who won the 1947 AAU Mr. America contest, and future Hall of Famer Clancy Ross was a Yarick gym member. In 1949, Delinger won the AAU Mr. America in Cleveland, Ohio, by a wider margin than anyone else since John Grimek won his second AAU Mr. America in 1941.

Standing 5’7”, Delinger was the shortest Mr. America until 5’6” Lloyd Lerille won in 1960. Four years after winning the Mr. America, Delinger started his own gym in Oakland. In 1956, he jaunted to London to become the fifth man to win the NABBA Pro Universe.

Delinger’s favorite exercise, the bench press, gained him an impressive chest, and he appeared to be as deep as he was wide, with strength enough to perform the gymnastics iron-cross movement while his 28-pound two-year old son hung from his dad’s feet! Delinger continued running his gym at 5255 College Avenue in Oakland but, later in life, restricted his training to a few basic exercises to retain a solid physique. He died suddenly three days after Christmas in 1992.



Titles
1948 AAU Mr. Western America
1949 AAU Mr. America
1956 NABBA Universe

Magazine Covers
1948 July Your Physique
1948 August IronMan
1948 September Strength & Health
1949 May Muscle Power
1949 June Strength & Health
1949 July Chicago Bodybuilder
1949 December Strength & Health
1953 August Muscle Builder
1953 October Muscle Power
1954 April Muscle Builder
1954 July Reg Park Journal
1954 November Muscle Power
1955 August Muscle Power
1956 May Health and Strength
1956 May Muscle Builder
1956 August Health and Strength
1956 August Reg Park Journal
1956 September Reg Park Journal
1957 February Muscle Power
1957 July Muscle Power
1958 January IronMan
1958 January Mr America
1960 July Muscle Sculpture
1960 September Health and Strength
1960 October Muscle Builder
1961 October Mr America
1963 April Health and Strength
1963 May Muscle Builder
1964 August Health and Strength
1966 April Mr America
1997 January Hardgainer

(courtesy of ifbb.com & musclememory.com)