Buster McShane

ERA: 50' and 60's

Biography

Pictured on the 1954 cover of health and Strength magazine, Buster was primarily a very good bodybuilder. He was the first N.I. athlete to realise the beneficial consequences of resistance training and weights for all performance athletes to assist athletic performance, making him the patron of weightlifting in the provence.

Together with fellow bodybuilder Ivan Dunbar, he opened up a gym in Belfast, the first high performance centre of it's kind in the country.

His charismatic nature seemed to bring fame in tow, becoming "Mr Hercules" when he lifted the 300lb barbell in the Ritz cinema, when they were showing the film - Hercules Unchained.

His success led him to become the coach and mentor of Olympic Gold Medal winner, Dame Mary Peters, driving her to her Gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a feat that somewhat overshadowed his own personal achievements for many years thereafter.

This success would however be tainted due to his tragic death just 6 months after the olympics, the result of a fatal car crash.

He will however always be remembered for his feats of strength such as "Mr Hercules", and bench pressing 500lb's on TV during the 1950's with a bodyweight of only 145lb or 65kg

His lifetime of accomplishment was cut short, but he still remains one of, if not the most remembered athlete from the sport, having brought many high profile bodybuilders to the country such as Bill Pearl.

The Commonwealth Gold Medal won by Dame Mary Peters in the 1974 games in Christchurch New Zealand was dedicated to his memory