Topic: Joe Mills & the CFWLC

[Gary Valentine]

hey i remeber those pics mike, thanks for posting. what was joes best bent press? i beleive he said 205 pounds-g

[michael murphy]

Hi Gary:

It's been ages-probably since Joe's funeral & that was 16 years ago in February.

I'm posting the only other photo of Joe that I have of him bent pressing. It's not very clear but nonetheless one can get an idea how Joe held the bar horizontal (parallel to the floor) before he attempted to stand erect.

Honestly, I am not sure of the best poundage Joe made in a bent press competition. I know he did beat Hy Schaffer at Klein's Second Bent Press Contest. He also beat Hy for his Senior National Championship win in 1942.  I am quite sure that Schaffer later coached or discovered Ike Berger.

By Joe's own admission, he confessed he wouldn't have beaten John Terry in 1942. Terry was already in the service.

I am relying strictly upon  memory but I think Joe's best Bent Press was 185 in competition. I think he had 205 overhead but couldn't come erect with it.

Joe told me that after the Klein contest he decided not to spend as much time on the Bent Press. He felt that it hurt his performance in the 1940 Seniors. He missed all his attempts in the clean and jerk.

I have two other photos scanned that I will post now.

[michael murphy]

Joe Mills snatching on an exercise bar at Camp Westwood in Coventry, R.I. (1935). Photo taken by Joe's early training partner, Stanley Ossowski.

[michael murphy]

Joe Mills in double bicep pose taken in "the Pit" of the Notre Dame AC. One can see that the floor was dug down about a foot or so that the overhead lifts could be performed.

Also notice Joe's lifting shoes, these were a pair of his sister Ann's ice skates minus the blade (1938).

[Gary Valentine]

thanks mike! i never saw the one of him snatching out doors. and Terry was a great lifter, i beleive he deadlifted 600 pounds too.
i'm running the Conn Open now, first sunday in august at velocity sports in trumbull - take a ride down! -g

[michael murphy]

Gary:

I didn't think you had seen the one of Joe outdoors because Stan Ossowski gave me this negative and three others of Joe. I'll look and see if I had the others developed.

You are correct about John Terry and his deadlift. I posted two photos of John Terry. One belonged to Joe and the other was given to me by Alton Eliason.

I'll scan some more of Joe soon.

[michael murphy]

left to right in photo are the following:

Maurice Kaufman, Vincent Fee and Joe Mills

My guess is that this photo was taken before or at the 1937 Junior Nationals in Cincinnati in April of 1937. Vinny Fee won the Jr's at 118 and Joe Mills won at 126 pounds.

These three left Amesbury, MA on Wednesday to arrive on Sunday to lift. Millsey rode both ways in the rumble seat and then hitchhiked back home to Central Falls from Amesbury upon their return.

Joe would have been the favorite at the Seniors in 1937 (Art Levan had moved up in bodyweight) but getting there was a problem. The Seniors were in Wyandotte, Michigan. Mike Mungioli won the 126 pound class with 585 pound total. This was 15 pounds less than Joe's National record 600 pound total set at the New England Championships. Mike Mungioli had the American Record in the snatch at the time Mills held the American National Record in the press & clean and jerk.

[michael murphy]

Early photo of Joe snatching. I am not certain where this was taken. It doesn't appear to be the Notre Dame AC. It might be the Pawtucket YMCA. This would make it 1936-37 time frame.

Here Joe is looking up at the bar and note the low position in the split.

These young photos of Joe lifting are quite scarce. Too bad the clarity isn't better.