Hear Ken McCord talk about his glory days as a champion bodybuilder, and you might wonder if he’s talking about someone else. That’s because, today, the 80-year-old Long Beach resident is living his best life renewed in his Christian faith and continuing his legacy as a professional barber.
     “Everything God has ever given to me or taken away from me is because he loves me,” said Ken. “He’s always talking to every one of us and guiding us, we just have to know how to listen and how to walk on the path he lays out for us.”
     At the peak of his bodybuilding career, a 6-foot 20-something Ken weighed over 220 pounds and carried only 3 percent body fat. He was a handsome young man; a living powerhouse, training every day of the week up to four hours per day and lifting a maximum 550 pounds. 
     “I felt like I could walk through walls,” said Ken as he reminisced about a much younger version of himself boasting a strong and shredded physique. “No one can look like I did if they don’t work hard at it and maintain. It takes commitment.”  
     Ken entered the arena of professional bodybuilding as a newcomer in the 1960s. His name was unknown in popular circles of some of the world’s most sculpted men. But feast your eyes on an old photograph of him, and you’ll never forget how Ken wowed audiences as he took center stage. 

     In 1967, Ken earned the title of Second Runner-Up to Mr. America International Federation of Body Builders and was presented a diploma as one of the most perfectly built specimens in the competition.
     The Mr. America competition was one of many Ken had won in previous years leading up to the title, including Second Place in Junior Mr. America in 1967, Second Place winner as the Most Muscular in the United States in 1966, First Place winner of 1964’s Mr. California competition as the Most Muscular. He was also named the Most Muscular in the Mr. Western America contest in 1964, also receiving the title of Mr. Western America. Ken also was a winner in 1965’s Mr. Pacific Coast contest.

     Ken was featured inside a slew of bodybuilding and fitness magazines, many of which highlighted him on their covers, such as Iron Man, and Strength & Health magazines, as well as Mr. America.
     “He sure was pretty,” said his best friend and wife of nearly 20 years, Barbara, as she stared at a framed photograph of Ken flexing his muscles at a posing exhibition. “But his heart is much better than that picture.”

     Barbara met Ken in 2003, and the couple was married in 2006, while he managed a barber shop in Jackson, Miss. The shop was one of many Ken had planted, including several in and around the Hayward, Oakland, and Bay Areas in California where he grew up. Ken finished Barber College in Oakland, Calif., and owned his first salon at age 25. Ken ran McCord’s Professional Hair Cutting studio on Government Street in Ocean Springs, Miss., for a short time around 2014, and today caters to clients in a more private setting in Long Beach, Miss., based solely off word-of-mouth referrals.
     Ken recalls having clients fly in for a haircut from as far away as Washington, D.C., when he was doing business in Mississippi cities Brandon and Jackson.
     “He has magic hands,” said Barbara. “He truly has a gift; a penance for perfection when it comes to cutting hair.”

Ken is a professionally licensed barber, designer and clipper artist who specializes in corrective haircuts and color.
     Cutting hair was where Ken’s journey as a star-studded bodybuilder began. Ken was in his early 20’s in his hometown of San Leandro, Calif., when he met Ernie Phillips, a barber and professional bodybuilder who was named third finisher in the 1966 Mr. America contest, along with Ernie’s cohort, semi-pro boxer John Deleon, both of whom encouraged Ken to turn his weightlifting hobby into a more serious side hustle.

Ken had graduated high school and spent some time in the Air Force. He wanted to stay in shape and started visiting health clubs and fitness centers. The dynamic duo, Phillips and Deleon, owned a barber shop right next door to the gym where Ken worked out frequently. So, their meeting, for Ken, was fated.
     “They had a lot to do with my success as a bodybuilder and a barber,” said Ken. “Both of them really encouraged me to push myself to be the best I could be in both fields.”
     It didn’t take long before a young Ken started to discover the perks of the bodybuilding industry with opportunities present at every turn for a chance to help support his true passion as a hair stylist. 
     “The connections I made as a bodybuilder and all of the different people I had the chance to meet along the way was just unbelievable,” Ken said. “It really opened a lot of doors for me.” 

     As Ken became more familiar to his neighbors, surrounding communities and beyond; a poster boy and champion in the bodybuilding sector, his business as a barber began to really take off. 
     “I was cutting hair for famous people in the upper Westside of California and getting referrals from all over. It was a fascinating time in my life.”
     Ken turned down numerous offers for movie roles as he ran in circles with the likes of big-name Hollywood bodybuilding film stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lou Ferrigno, who was most well-known for his role in The Incredible Hulk TV series and who won his first major title of Mr. America in 1971, just four years after Ken had competed.
     Another one of Ken’s inspirations in the bodybuilding world was 1962’s Mr. Universe George Eiferman, whose Muscle Man performances with Mae West in Las Vegas paved the way for Ken to meet the famous American actress in person at her Hollywood residence. The experience was memorable for Ken and one of many encounters he had with popular Vegas entertainers.

     Ken cut hair for O’Rourke’s of Beverly Hills Hair Salon where many famous people frequented, like Columbo TV crime series actor Peter Falk. Ken recalls customers like American professional wrestler William F. Watts, a.k.a. “Cowboy” Bill Watts, and a Hawaii 5-0 stunt double.
“I’ve seen a lot of things, and met a lot of people,” Ken said. “God sure has taken me on a journey. He’s given me lots of stories to tell but taught me a lot more lessons along the way.”
     While his commitment to the bodybuilding business was a contribution to his success and something relished by others during that time, a much older Ken has undergone several major surgeries for injuries sustained from heavy lifting. 

     “Back then, we were the pioneers of bodybuilding,” Ken said. “No one ever told you it was bad for your health to lift a 200-pound barbell with one arm,” he said. 
     And while Ken says his days as a bodybuilder often feels like another life to him, his passion for hair has never wavered. 
Nowadays, with more than 50 years in the hair styling business, Ken finds great joy in spending quality time with the clients he cuts hair for.
     “It’s an art to me,” said Ken. “I like to take my time and really get to know my clients and what they expect from me in helping them achieve the best look for them.”
     Ken said the most important aspect of the business for him is getting the client’s hair back into good shape.
     “Too many people get their hair over-processed with harsh chemicals and it literally destroys it,” he said. “I use the best natural-based products to keep their hair healthy as well as looking good.”
     Ken said his work as a barber is fulfilling because it allows him opportunities for giving good hair advice, telling stories about past times, and, most importantly, the chance to share his life’s testimony. 
     “Many trials and tribulations brought me to recommit my life to Jesus,” Ken said. “I want people to know that it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside but how you feel on the inside. Knowing Jesus and having Him inside your heart is all that truly matters.” 

On the cover: Ken McCord, a professionally licensed hairstylist who resides in Long Beach, Miss., proudly holds up a framed picture of himself during his golden years in the bodybuilding industry.

Amanda Compton-Ortiz

Amanda Compton-Ortiz holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. She relocated from North Mississippi to Long Beach in October 2016. Amanda has worked for more than 20 years in journalism, leading and reporting for various community news publications throughout the state. She has received numerous awards for her editorial contributions from the Mississippi Press Association and placed among 224 universities competing across the United States and Canada for Reach, a personally created magazine for women.