Cleve Dean

[austinslater]

Does anyone have any info on how Cleve trained? Thanks in advance

Austin

[gazza]

Yes bylifting 500lb pot bellied pigs over a fence

[Florian Kellersmann]

Why training?

T-Shirt Cleve's Hand

[ryaneverk2]

Yes bylifting 500lb pot bellied pigs over a fence

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Yep, he was a hog farmer. Not to mention he's just a huge wild beast with 10" wrists and hands like a catcher's mitt.

[Matt Brouse]

Years ago , when they used to replay, the old WSM one of them had an interview with Dean and they talked about it. Muther truckers forearms were like 18 inches.

[maverick]

I have seen stats on Cleve's forearms ranging from 19" to 21". Sounds hard to beleive but absolutel not impossible. At 5'10 and 340lbs I have 17.5" forearms and it sounds absolutely possible for a man almost a foot taller nd 100 pounds heavier to have 19 or 20 inch forearms, especially considering the size of his wrist and hands.

Cleve is one of the nicest guys around. I rember as a very young puller, just getting into the sport I idolized big Cleve, in fact six years later I still do. Anyone hat can pull a big rig faster than geoff capes, the truck pull master has my repect. I sent big Cleve an email once when I was younger and he graciously responded with a vey long and in depth email about the sport and himself. He really didnt have to take that time for a know nothing 15 year old kid from Vermont. Nice Guy.

[Matt Brouse]

Just got to thinking...is he still around (as in alive)?

[ryaneverk2]

Just got to thinking...is he still around (as in alive)?

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Yep, he's still alive. I think I heard or read on some armwrestling rankings site about him coming back to armwreslte some more... can't remember where though.

Edit: here's an interesting page I found on google: http://www.armwrestling.com/Cleve.html

Edited May 5, 2005 by ryaneverk2

[mmainlands]

I've heard that although Cleve was in a small part in the movie Over The Top, that originally he was planned to be the main nemesis armwrestler to Stallone's character. It was deemed that he did not look the part, although he would have probably beaten the entire cast of actors, all of them at once armwrestling big Cleve.

[Killswitch213]

john brzenk was also suppose to be the main character... as opposed to stallone. that didn't happen either... various politics..

John won that tournament, and beat cleave dean...

a few guys I train with were actually at that tournament.... that would have been awesome..

too bad at that time I was like 3 years old :p hehe

[OldGuy]

Long article on Dean.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...293/ai_18419002

[jad]

This was a pretty good little article. Thanks Oldguy I didn't care for the writer's style but the information was pretty good. I'd love to meet Cleve some day.

On a side note findarticles.com is a Godsend for students who have to find academic journal articles and do abstracts on them. It will save you a TON of time.

[GatorGrip]

Does anyone know what those ham hocks he calls hands measure. The print on a tee shirt I saw looked massive. I have found some stuff and even a few pictures of ole Cleve but never any hand measurements just super body weight stats like he ballooned up to 700 pounds but I read later that he had came back down to a svelte 500.

This is one giant redneck that makes me glad that I am fluent in redneck and have a long southern heritage bloodline.

Thanks for any information someone is able to pass along, this is just a curiosity I am trying quell.

[Florian Kellersmann]

Cleave's hands are 11 Inches long. I have this information from TooTall, who has met Cleave at his house and asked him about his handsize. On a picture I have of Cleave and TooTall at the table TooTall"s hand looks small compared to Cleave's. TooTall has 9 Inch hands by the way.

At this meeting Cleve closed TooTall's #3 by the way.

[jad]

I like the part in the article where it said you could fit a banana in the thumbhole of his bowling ball

[Too Tall]

Cleave's hands are 11 Inches long. I have this information from TooTall, who has met Cleave at his house and asked him about his handsize. On a picture I have of Cleave and TooTall at the table TooTall"s hand looks small compared to Cleave's. TooTall has 9 Inch hands by the way.

At this meeting Cleve closed TooTall's #3 by the way.

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Cleave...is someone I think everyone should meet at on time in there life. My dad and Cleave are old armwrestling buddies...so my dad took me to see Cleave a while back in Pavo. My dad was trying to describe Cleave to me on the way down to Pavo, but I just could not imagine a man with hands that large. We met Cleave that day at a Shoney's...and man o man was I in awe of his presence from the get go. Cleave is much of a man...and his hand when a tried to shake it...that was a joke...as I could not even get my thumb on top of his hands...because they were so wide and massive. His fingers reached half way up my arm it seemed like when I attempted to shake his hand. We then left Shoney's and went to Cleave's office where he has an armwrestling table. He wanted to pull my dad again...as 20 plus years ago...my dad beat Cleave twice in an armwrestling tourney before Cleave developed the technique of the sport. My dad and Cleave locked up...and they were chuckling from the get go...and talking trash in a playful manner. My dad could not even budge Cleave...right or left handed. Cleave then called my name to the table...and man it was like trying to move a mountain his arm was crazy strong. I could barely wrap his thumb. We visited with Cleave the entire day...and I just sat there in enjoyment listening to the stories that my dad and Cleave were sharing with one another about the old days of armwrestling, and the good times that were shared. I still keep intouch with Cleave...and he is still doing okay for the most part. Cleave is one of the nicest men that I have ever met...it was truly an enjoyment that day.

I will try and post some pics from that day...I will have to get a scanner and try to post them that way.

Too Tall

[dadams]

i cant wait to see them sounds like a great guy

[GatorGrip]

Cleave's hands are 11 Inches long. I have this information from TooTall, who has met Cleave at his house and asked him about his handsize. On a picture I have of Cleave and TooTall at the table TooTall"s hand looks small compared to Cleave's. TooTall has 9 Inch hands by the way.

At this meeting Cleve closed TooTall's #3 by the way.

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Cleave...is someone I think everyone should meet at on time in there life. My dad and Cleave are old armwrestling buddies...so my dad took me to see Cleave a while back in Pavo. My dad was trying to describe Cleave to me on the way down to Pavo, but I just could not imagine a man with hands that large. We met Cleave that day at a Shoney's...and man o man was I in awe of his presence from the get go. Cleave is much of a man...and his hand when a tried to shake it...that was a joke...as I could not even get my thumb on top of his hands...because they were so wide and massive. His fingers reached half way up my arm it seemed like when I attempted to shake his hand. We then left Shoney's and went to Cleave's office where he has an armwrestling table. He wanted to pull my dad again...as 20 plus years ago...my dad beat Cleave twice in an armwrestling tourney before Cleave developed the technique of the sport. My dad and Cleave locked up...and they were chuckling from the get go...and talking trash in a playful manner. My dad could not even budge Cleave...right or left handed. Cleave then called my name to the table...and man it was like trying to move a mountain his arm was crazy strong. I could barely wrap his thumb. We visited with Cleave the entire day...and I just sat there in enjoyment listening to the stories that my dad and Cleave were sharing with one another about the old days of armwrestling, and the good times that were shared. I still keep intouch with Cleave...and he is still doing okay for the most part. Cleave is one of the nicest men that I have ever met...it was truly an enjoyment that day.

I will try and post some pics from that day...I will have to get a scanner and try to post them that way.

Too Tall

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Too Tall, Thanks for sharing you experience of that day. Cleve sounds like a true southern gentleman that could tear you in half if he felt the need. Like if you messed with his family, livestock or bad mouthed the good ole USA or God forbid Georgia. :

I am from a small country town on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and the Osceola National Forest so I know how deep God, Family and Country runs in the Deep South as it should be everywhere. Cleve sounds like he upholds those southern traditions and pride high. I hope to meet him before he passes away. I am sure they would not have any problem getting pallbearers as he is a legend in his sport of choice, but they may need quite a few to hoist that big man towards heaven. A man of his stature could have been a total nightmare to his society but it sounds like all in all he chose the high road and just became a nightmare on the Arm wrestling table instead. The only thing he might of destroy was a lot of pride and a few opposing arms but they all knew what they were going to face was a mountain of a man with the tenacity of a Georgia Bulldog at the table.

Again thinks for the story and man I have got to find out where Pavo is located and how I can contact this gentleman to set up an appointment to see him as I guess he has quite a few visitors that seek his company for a while.

GatorGrip

Okay so now you know one of the several reasons I chose Gator as my screen name, spending half my youth either swimming in Black Water rivers or knee deep in lily pads catching moccasins, turtles and anything that would bite a hook- well basically anything that swims, slithers or crawls I caught it, even a couple injured herons one damn near poked my eye out with that beak and I was trying to help him – ungrateful bird! mmm did he taste good – Just kidding they taste to much like Ivory Bill Woodpecker and Bald Eagle for my liking. I was a Gator Hunter when Steve Erwin the Croc Hunter was still catching lizards and scooping poop at the zoo.

[jad]

Thanks for the great story TooTall

check out this pic of him

http://www.armwrestling.com/Cleve.html

notice how freakin wide his hand is

Check out the hat, it's on the last notch and looks like it barely fits

[Too Tall]

i cant wait to see them sounds like a great guy

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Edited May 17, 2005 by Too Tall

[jdav]

Edited May 18, 2005 by jdav

[jdav]

pic didn't work, but at least it posted as a link.... his hands are huge

[golgotha]

I wonder how he would do on the RT , 300+ shouldn't be a problem for him!

[GatorGrip]

I am with you on this golgotha as many say that the biggest challenge for the Inch Bell and basically any really thick bar devices is the challenge of getting it not to roll or pull out of the hands, most especially for guys like me with only 7" hands.

I feel that many more than adequate strength to pull that weight but the grip fails way before they can get the chance to hoist it up.

As for Cleve hands size and raw strength I would bet any amount money on Clever to win over the weight anytime rain or shine.

The man is truly blessed from God in stature and strength! A natural wonder of human anatomy and just sheer bone structure and density.

I think someone said he closed the #3 first try like nothing. It is funny how some of the strongest men in the world have no clue or even care about these feats of strength and especially the act of certifying. I guess if it comes that easy to you they don't really see it as that big of a deal that is worth their time to be bothered with the certifying process.

I believe even at his age that if he wanted to and especially with some technique practice he could close the #4 without much struggle and every other gripper out there except may the WT gripper which is really a big paperweight disguised as a gripper. If I had to pick someone that I believed could honestly do it in the future my money would go on the country boy, especially if he got behind the grip stuff halfway as much as he did or does Arm wrestling we would see some unbelievable feats of hand and lower arm strength.

I don't worship this man at all as I only worship one and he is at the right hand of the Father, but I do respect his capabilities and potential in this realm, plus the fact that he is a southern gentleman of the first order and seems to be extremely down to earth, rather than being a uppity athlete of the camp “I am bigger, stronger and better than you so I don’t have time for you unless there is some money involved” which makes me want to puke and then knock the taste out of some of those types mouth.

Ole Cleve would probably agree and say something to like “ I would stomp a mud hole in his ass and then walk it dry!” or another rendition like “I would mop the floor with his ass and then beat again for not getting in the corners” !

This is just speculation he seems to be a gentle giant that wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt someone unless it absolutely had to be done, but I don’t think he would back down from someone stupid enough to get in his bubble either.

[supermagnamon]

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those hands r humongous.