Brian Babcock (July 11, 1960 – October 18, 1998) is a former American artistic gymnast and member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. He was the winner of the 1985 USA Gymnastics National Championships.
| Brian Babcock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country represented |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 11, 1960 Garden City, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | October 18, 1998 (aged 38) Webster, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Southern Illinois Salukis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education edit
Babcock was born in Garden City, Kansas. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, where he was a member of the Southern Illinois Salukis men's gymnastics team.[1]
Career edit
College gymnastics edit
In 1981, Babcock was the NCAA men's gymnastics championships silver medalist on the horizontal bar.[1][2]
In 1983, he tied for the NCAA silver medal on parallel bars and won the bronze on horizontal bar en route to a bronze medal finish in the all-around.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree in 1983 and a master's in 1989 and served as an assistant coach for the gymnastics team once his collegiate eligibility expired.[3]
National and global gymnastics edit
Babcock was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won a silver medal on the pommel horse and all-around at the 1983 Pan American Games. He overcame knee injuries and was champion of the 1985 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships.[4][5] In 1986, Babcock was a member of the United States delegation for gymnastics at the 1986 Goodwill Games, the first time the games were held, where he placed sixth on the pommel horse.
Coaching edit
In 1989, Babcock joined Dan Hayden and Dennis Hayden to coach at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center.[6] He coached at the organization for seven years before co-founding the Texas Sports Ranch in Houston.[7]
Death edit
On October 18, 1998, Babcock died of complications from a bone marrow transplant to fight myelodysplastic syndrome at his home in Webster, Texas.[1][7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Former National Champion Brian Babcock Loses Battle with Blood Disease". usagym.org. October 19, 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Brian Babcock". siusalukis.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ Bode, Gus (October 21, 1998). "Hall of Famer fights struggles to the end". The Daily Egyptian. Carbondale, Illinois. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ Kay, Linda (November 6, 1985). "Seoul Attracts These Opposites". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Gymnastics". Orlando Sentinel. June 10, 1985. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Brian Babcock is Selected as Parkettes' Boys Coach". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. March 8, 1989. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Bone Marrow Disease Claims Life of Ex-Parkettes' Coach". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. October 20, 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
