1956 Exceeds three world records and retains USA National AAU Weightlifting Championship.

  • Paul wins the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia. He is the last American to win Olympic Gold in the Super Heavyweight Division.

1957 “The greatest weight ever raised by a human being, 6,270 pounds in a back lift”. The Guinness Book of World Records and Famous First Facts.

  • Paul lifts in exhibitions around the country and appears on many television programs including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Groucho Marx Show.

1958 Plays the part of a blacksmith in, Once Upon A Horse, a Rowan & Martin Western comedy.

1959 Paul marries Glenda Garland, with whom he shares his vision of starting a home for troubled youth. Together, they begin to seek funding and a location.