RIP Ed Corney, IFBB Hall of Famer

-->

“Now that’s what I call posing!”

Most people have heard Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic line from the 1977 film Pumping Iron when a thick and mustachioed Ed Corney is posing while the Oak looks on, whispering to the camera. Corney’s pro bodybuilding career wouldn’t reach the heights of either Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferigno, the film’s primaries, but his role in the film would put his classic image in the public consciousness and his physique and posing would place him in the upper echelon of bodybuilding elite.

Corney passed away on New Year’s Day 2019 and with him we lost one of the rarest of all relics in the annals of competitive bodybuilding, a man whose career spanned three decades. He first competed in 1968 in the Mr. California and last took the stage in 1998 at the Arnold Classic in the Master’s Division. Though not a frequent winner or even a perennial favorite, Corney was revered for being one of, if not the, best poser of all time, on any level. The on-stage cameo in Pumping Iron is a fitting representation of his career, as Corney rarely saw the winner’s circle but always left the audience in awe of his presentation.

Off the stage he was a gracious legend, by all accounts eager to engage with fans and athletes alike, staying in shape despite many health setbacks later in life. “Walking the walk,” as they say, Corney was an elder statesman of bodybuilding and even before he was formally inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004, there was no denying he was one of the elite, one of the most respected names in the sport.

What’s in fashion in bodybuilding changes over the years, with the mass monsters like Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates being en vogue and eventually give way to the classical physiques of a Shawn Ray or Flex Wheeler, but Corney’s package was fit for all seasons. Never too big, but not exactly small either, he brought a level of conditioning and symmetry to a modest frame that has rarely been equaled. Few packages were as complete, and virtually none could match the presentation of the shining, vascular with a million dollar smile and the trademark handlebar mustache.

For myself and legions of fans out there, Ed Corny is synonymous with class and professionalism off the stage, and presentation on the stage. With the rise of the Men’s Physique class in recent years, the interest in smaller bodybuilders like Corney, Francis Benfatto and Mohamed Makkawy has risen and I, for one, hope that this movement can give us some more competitors in their image. Ed Corney can never be replaced, never be duplicated and hopefully, never be forgotten.

Rest in power, king!

You might not think a rough and tumble, bearded, 375 pound strongman like myself would have such a strong attachment to a bodybuilder like Corney, but he was one of my heroes. When I think of bodybuilding at it's most quintessential, I think of Ed Corney. He was one of the all time greats and one of my true heroes and I will greatly miss having him in the world. Many times during a diet or hard cardio session, I could (and can still) be found watching videos of his posing or looking through old magazines featuring him-the man was timeless. Maybe we will bump into each other at the Gold's Gym in the sky one day! Much love and respect to his family.