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Mustachioed Mike Mentzer was as much a philosopher as a bodybuilder. He took on the dual roles of champion athlete and scholar of his sport, and he was well known for his tendency to quote Ayn Rand. He was born in rural Pennsylvania in the small town of Ephrata, about 60 miles from Philadelphia. Mentzer's first competition was in 1969, and although he had a slow start compared to some other greats, with his worst-ever placing in 1971's Mr America, he had a good exposure to the sport, which inspired him. Taking a couple years off to train, Mentzer became friends with fellow body builder Casey Viator, Mentzer honed his physique and gained a competitive edge during his down time. When he returned in 1975 to compete, he placed third at Mr America, a considerable improvement to his tenth place showing in 1971, and it presaged his victory the following year. In 1977, he won the North American championships, and placed second in the Mr Universe contest of the same year. 1978 saw him win the coveted Mr Universe title with a perfect score of 300, the highest score ever. He won the heavyweight class of Mr Olympia in 1979. Controversially, he lost the 1980 Mr Olympia to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mentzer held that the contest was rigged until the day he died. Mentzer was unique among bodybuilders for his heavily philosophical take on the sport. Holding that mind and body are the same, he argued that some philosophers, especially Ayn Rand, gave arguments not only for philosophy, but also bodybuilding. Whatever the merits of his beliefs, Mentzer certainly stood out as an intellectually stimulating bodybuilder in a field not normally known for mental muscles. After his 1980 Mr Olympia loss, Mentzer got involved with drugs and damaged his reputation, but made a come back as a fitness guru. He died in 2001 from heart failure.