GABE ACCARDI (Athlete, Class of 2002)

A native of Bristol, Gabe Accardi won his first National Sit-Down Arm Wrestling Championship in 1984, while competing at one hundred and thirty-five pounds.  He has been a National Champion more than ten times in his career, having most recently captured the 2002 title in the one hundred and forty-three pound class.

After appearing in the 1986 Sly Stallone movie “Over the Top”, he was named the Arm Wrestling Association Arm Wrestler of the Year in 1987.  This award is the most prestigious arm wrestling honor in the United States.

Gabe captained the United States at the 1988 World Arm Wrestling Championships and captured the World title in the one hundred and thirty-five pound class.

As you would expect, he has won numerous other championships, including such events as the Canadian/American, North American, Northeast, and Atlantic Coast titles.

In 2003 Pinnacle Magazine ranked Gabe as the #1 in the USA in the 70kg Men’s category. They noted that he had won the International Armwrestling Federation “Budweiser Challenge” and placed  3rd in the Unified National Armwrestling  Championships. They editorialized that “he has reached legendary status in his sport and is recognized by all as one of the best of this era.”