Norb's lifting quest began when, at the age of 15 as a "tag-a-long" to his brother, Dennis, who was ten years older, he would go to the private gym Dennis would go to. They would swim and participate in a variety of activities.
The activities included lifting weights. After Dennis would left, Norb would "putter around." Both at that gym and at the YMCA in which they later trained. He trained for hours by himself after his brother had gone home.
He soon discovered that he had a knack -- that he was outlifting his brother. Alone, quietly, and in obscurity, Norb began.
During his high school days, the only evidence of his exceptional strength and ability came when he was a shot putter. He felt he was too small for football so he never participated. At 5'9" and weighing 170 pounds in 1940, he became All-City in the shot put. "Some of the other guys who were bigger wondered what I was doing there. I came in sixth and beat many of the bigger ones."
After high school, Norb continued to lift and putter around, still without much seriousness. In May of 1943, he entered the service, spent 27 months overseas, and was discharged in December of 1945. While there, he played football and established a reputation as a man of strength and solidarity. "I was nicknamed 'The Bronc' after Bronco Nagurski, at first. After a few fights and strength episodes, I was nicknamed "Herc." His lifting ability has already placed him as a strong man among most men.
Bronco Hercules Schemansky carried his nicknames and his strength, after his discharge back to Michigan where he began lifting again. He became Junior National champion in 1946. In 1947, he placed second at the Senior Nationals. Schemansky burst upon the international scene in 1948, finishing second at the London Olympics behind the great John Davis. "That was the year I really started serious lifting," Norb observed.
In 1949, he won the first of his nine national championships, via 275-290-320 for 885, though he had an injured wrist. Davis returned to win in 1950. "I could have beaten Davis," Norb said, "but I had no money to travel to Los Angeles and no chance to compete in the World Championships that year."
The World Weightlifting Federation created a new class in 1951, that of the heavyweight or 198-pound class. The new bracket fit Norb perfectly, though he said, "The weight reduction for the first time didn't help. But I won easily." He took the Nationals and the first World Championship of his career in Milan, Italy, with a total of 940.
A long series of firsts followed: he won the Nationals in 1952. He was the first heavyweight to clean & jerk double his bodyweight -- 396 at 191 pounds. He traveled to Helsinki, Finland, and had a head-to-head match with Gregory Novak.
"Most people in Europe didn't think I could beat him. Few men today could beat him at strict pressing." In spite of what people thought, Norb did take Novak as well as his first gold medal.
His firsts continued through the Nationals in 1953 and the World Championships in Stockholm, though Norb said that he had lifted with a bad back all that year. "I barely won the Nationals," he explained. Yet he broke the clean and jerk record while in Sweden, ramming 396 overhead.
Shortly after, and before the Michigan AAU meet, he sustained an injury and couldn't lift in Detroit, so he entered another event, flexed his muscles, became Mr. Michigan and won a blue ribbon for himself and a photographer.
In 1954, Norb moved his blue ribbon muscle to the Nationals as a 200-lb. heavyweight. Again a first, via 320-320-410 -- 1050, only 12 pounds behind Davis' world record total. On an extra attempt, Norb jerked 416.5 for another world record. Following that lifting experience, he headed for France and Austria. The world title became Norb's in Vienna, via 330-330-413 -- 1074. The snatch was still another world record.
The week before he had jerked 425 in Rebais, France; and though he failed that poundage in Vienna, mighty Norb put on a show anyway, continental jerked 440, and then almost made 451 before he left the stage.
On his way home Schemansky paused to set all France on its ear when he hoisted the Apollon bar with his first attempt. Rigoulot had trained; Davis took many attempts before succeeding. Norb got into the groove, grabbed the bar and clean & jerked the wheels the first time he touched them. He jerked them a couple more times for good measure (or exercise). Amused, Norb remembers, "The Frenchmen decided I did it too easily and put the Apollon bar away for good."
That year 1954 was a great year, filled with good memories; but for Norb it was tarnished by the typical American attitude toward his sport. He was voted the #1 man in sports in a worldwide poll; that is, if you don't include his native country. He finished 10th in the United States, behind, among others, Willy Mays. As a result of the American vote, he ended up 5th worldwide and was the highest ranking U.S. athlete.
Three times he had been nominated for the Sullivan award. Each time the top amateur of the year had been someone from a more popular sport.
After triumphing at the 1955 Pan American Games when he also broke the snatch record, Norb said, "Somehow the AAU never approved it, and it was 1958 or '59 when somebody finally did more."
Norb went through the first of two back operations, neither of which could be attributed to lifting, and neither of which kept Norb away from the gym and future world class performances. Told not to lift by doctors, Norb ignored them as well as the predictions that he was through. He went to the gym and tried the weights and discovered that they did not hurt his back.
He did miss the 1956 Olympics, which Norb figures cost him a second gold medal. Paul Anderson won on a tie that year with an 1100 total, being the lighter man. He figures he would have done at least 1100. He recuperated quickly enough, in fact, to lift 985 at the next Nationals. Again that back problem, again not necessarily because of lifting, and again an operation.
Jim Bradford
Schemansky startled and astounded doctors, lifters and the world, because he recovered in time to train and get ready for the Rome Olympics. He won a bronze medal and amazed everyone except maybe himself. Norb's amazement rested instead upon Jim Bradford. "The biggest surprise was Bradford's snatching 330. I didn't think he had it in him, but it was a good lift. The contest in Rome was too long. I was very tired. The lifting started at 4 p.m. and ended around 2 a.m.
Bradford, Vlasov, Schemansky.
He had a bad shoulder in 1961; the next year he competed against one of the men he had inspired, Yuri Vlasov, in Budapest, Hungary for the heavyweight championship. Norb finished second, but two unusual things happened before the contest was over. "I had him by 22 pounds going into the last lift. He was draggin' his ass all night. When he came out for his last attempt, he had a patch on his leg and popped the lift up like nothing. Without some "outside" help, he was a beaten man. They also passed a double jerk of his. The AAU claimed they dispute the double jerk, but they never did that I know of. I should have been World champ than at 38." That year, 1962, was also the year of Norb's 362.5 pound world record snatch in Detroit, called by some the greatest lift they had ever seen.
At the 1962 World Championships victory ceremony Schemanksy somehow manages to smile after being defeated by the two referees who white-lighted Vlasov's double-dip jerk with 457.25 pounds.
Norb faced Vlasov again at the Prize of Moscow tournament in 1963. This time a legitimate second. "I was in very bad shape. Hoffman thought I just went along for the ride, but I made some pretty good lifts. I snatched 340 and cleaned 440, but I couldn't get up with it. At home my best clean was 380 in training. Moscow and Russian people are very impressive. When the Russians were here in Detroit, they couldn't believe the small size of the crowd. The paper reported 2000, but there weren't more than 400. The trouble here is that they don't promote. Look at the size of the crowd for the '72 Nationals. No one even knew Sakata was going to be there."
The Olympics in Tokyo, 1964, were next for Norb. He weighed 268 pounds, and in the spring of that year had become the first American to total 1200 pounds, via 400-355-445. His lifting in Japan, 1184, was somewhat of a disappointment for him, although he won a bronze medal. "There were poor conditions for complete rest. I should have made at least 418-370-457 -- 1245. I was strong enough, but tired."
"Tired" may have begun to take on new meaning for the lifting wonder. That was the last Olympics for Norb. He won the Nationals in 1965, but in 1966 and '67, "I never got in good shape. I broke a toe in '67 and tried out for the World Championships, but couldn't lift too well with a couple of toes taped together. It kind of hurts when you get 400 pounds on it."
He competed for the last time in Milwaukee in 1968, still planning on the Olympics in Mexico City that year. "I lifted a very easy 400-350-400, but I hurt my knee on a 435 clean." He still trained, still considered a try at Mexico, but retired instead, perhaps a little weary and tired.
Up until last year (1972), however, he would return to the Astro Gym and work out "just to keep in shape." When work was slow in March, he concentrated on the Olympic lifts, just to see how he compared to the competition. That month, he "pressed 380, snatched 310, and clean & jerked 410. I was pretty sure I could win the Nationals at 242, but there would be no chance at the Olympics, do I didn't enter the trials. Why go along and be tenth? I would have been embarrassed after my record because I never finished lower than third in international competition."
Norb is not that kind of man. He is not one to go along for the ride; he does not play that game.
Schemansky is his own man.
Continued in Part Three . . .
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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