Joe Abbenda Explained

Joe Abbenda
Birth Date:4 July 1939
Birth Place:Long Island, New York, U.S.
Gender:male
Bestwin:Professional Mr. Universe
Bestwinyear:1963
Active:1959-1963
Successor:Earl Maynard
Predecessor:Len Sell
Weight:226 lb
Height:6 ft

Joe Abbenda (born July 4, 1939) is an American former professional bodybuilder during the early to mid-1960s.[1] He competed in the tall man competitions, and as an amateur won the Teen Mr. America in 1959, AAU Mr. America and the amateur NABBA Mr. Universe competition in 1962, and was the professional winner a year later, in the 1963 Mr. Universe.[1] [2]

Abbenda is of Italian descent, and at the time of competing in championships, was one of only two Italian-Americans to have done so.[3] He attended Adelphi University in 1957.[4]

List of competitions

Joseph Abbenda in Bodybuilding Competitions!Year!Competition!Result and notes
1959Mr New York City3rd in Tall
1959Teen Mr America1st
1960Mr America5th
1960Mr New York City2nd Overall, 2nd in Tall
1961Mr America2nd
1962Mr America1st Overall, 3rd in Most Muscular
1962Junior Mr AmericaEast Overall Winner
1962Mr Universe1st Overall, 1st in Tall
1963Mr Universe Pro1st Overall, 1st in Tall

Media appearances

Joe Abbenda has been featured in magazines such as Health and Strength, IronMan, Strength and Health, and Muscular Development. He appeared as himself on the April 1, 1963 episode of To Tell the Truth, not receiving any of the four possible votes.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joe Abbenda. Muscle Memory. October 10, 2011. November 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111116230800/http://musclememory.com/show.php?a=Abbenda,+Joe. live.
  2. Web site: NABBA International Hall of Fame. World Fitness Federation. October 10, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120403111247/http://www.worldfitnessfederation.de/nabba/frame1/na_int1_1.html. April 3, 2012.
  3. Book: Tinerino, Dennis. Supersize Your Faith: Tapping Into God's Miracle Power. 22 June 2017. Destiny Image Publishers. 9780768424089. Google Books. 29 September 2020. 11 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210311191717/https://books.google.com/books?id=2FozJxi-U2kC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=Joe+Abbenda+italian#q=Joe+Abbenda+italian. live.
  4. Web site: 2020-02-25. Joe Abbenda's Mr. America Story. 2021-01-17. NECKBERG. en-GB. 2020-10-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028090827/https://neckberg.com/joe-abbendas-mr-america-story/. live.
  5. Web site: 1 April 1963. To Tell The Truth. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124174226/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjke4N7bPM. 24 January 2021. YouTube.