ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The oddsmakers' favorite Miss Mississippi, Susan Akin, who began winning beauty pageants at age 6, won the coveted 1986 Miss America crown Saturday night.
The blonde, blue-eyed Akin, 21, a beauty pageant contestant since her pre-teen years, was overwhelmed with emotion as she accepted the traditional rhinestone-studded tiara from her predecessor, Sharlene Wells of Utah.
She took a winner's stroll along the Convention Hall runway to the strains of the Miss America theme song, 'There She Is,' now back in the pageant's repertoire after a three-year dispute over the composer's royalty demands.
The new Miss America takes home a $30,000 scholarship and a chance at $150,000 in personal appearance and endorsement fees during a whirlwind year.
Akin, displaying a 35-22-35 figure, topped a field of talented, attractive, young single beauty queens from the 50 states and the District of Columbia and edged out nine semifinalists with talent presentations ranging from clog dancing to fiddle-playing to karate.
The other semifinalists, announced near the beginning of a pageant telecast that reached a national audience estimated at 70 million, were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and the state of Washington.
Akin, who said she considered it a disadvantage to be picked a 7-1 pre-pageant favorite and a 4-1 Saturday morning line choice, had won the first preliminary round of swimsuit competition Wednesday wearing a white 'supersuit.'
The 5-foot-9 beauty is a communications senior at the University of Mississippi and plans to obtain a master's degree before entering public relations work.
Although her mother operates a tanning salon, Akin said she earned her bronze glow in the sun. She also said she exercised three to four hours a day since July to prepare for the pageant.
The daughter of a Meridian, Miss., high school career coordinator, Akin has studied singing for 10 years, taken piano for eight years and practiced dance since she was 6 years old.
She reached the national competition after serving as second alternate to Miss Mississippi last year. Her talent entry was a rendition of the song, 'Wind Beneath My Wings.'
Akin, who lists her most scandalous behavior as keeping a messy room, won the title of Meridian's Miss La Petite at the age of 6 and went on to be named Little Miss America in 1970.
This year's pageant was relatively free of the jarring controversies that have tarnished its image in the 1980s, including the firing of host Bert Parks and the revocation of 1984 winner Vanessa Williams' crown.
The biggest furor this year hit close to home when Miss New Jersey, Toni Georgiana, had her state title challenged in court because she never lived, worked or attended class in the Garden State before entering its pageant.