Jon Cole

Jon Frederic Cole (April 1, 1943 – January 10, 2013) was a discus thrower, powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter and strongman from the United States He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile strength athletes of all time.

He competed in powerlifting just prior to the formation of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Having set world records in the squat, deadlift and Total during his career, he was multiple times AAU US National Powerlifting Champion as well as an outstanding Olympic weightlifter, discus thrower and shot-putter.

Being the "premier strongman" of the early 1970s for his overall excellence in powerlifting, Olympic lifting and strength-based track and field, Cole was at one time known as the "strongest man in the world" for holding the greatest combined powerlifting/weightlifting super total of all time He was not only officially the first man in history to total 2200 lbs, he also became the first man to squat over 900 lbs (raw with knee wraps) as well as the first to total 2300 lbs in competition on October 28, 1972 (shortly followed two weeks later by John Kuc with 905 and 2350 lbs on November 11) While past his prime as a lifter, he competed in the inaugural World's Strongest Man competition in 1977, where he finished in 6th place.