Joe Kotys

Joseph Kotys (October 31, 1925 – August 21, 2012) was an American artistic gymnast. He won a team gold medal and three individual medals at the 1955 Pan American Games. At the 1948 Summer Olympics, he placed seventh with the team and had his best individual result of 23rd place on pommel horse.[3]

Joe Kotys
Kotys in 1949
Personal information
BornOctober 31, 1925
Olyphant, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedAugust 21, 2012 (aged 86)
Florida, U.S.[1]
Sport
SportArtistic gymnastics
ClubKent State
Swiss Turners
Coached byFrank Haley
Ed Markowski[2]
Medal record
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
1955 Mexico CityTeam
1955 Mexico CityAll-around
1955 Mexico CityFloor
1955 Mexico CityHorizontal bar

Kotys fought in World War II as a gunner on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and completed 22 missions. He also competed as a diver and won the Ohio Conference three times. As a gymnast he won the NCAA titles all-around in 1949–50, on parallel bars in 1949–50, on the horizontal bar in 1950, and on the pommel horse in 1951. He also won three AAU titles, in the vault in 1948 and on parallel bars in 1948 and 1951. While competing on rings at the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials he crashed to the floor due to a failed support mount. He retired soon after that to become a gymnastics coach in Ohio.[3] In 1978 he was inducted into the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[2]

References
  1. Dwight Normile (August 24, 2012) Former U.S. Olympian Joe Kotys Passes Away. International Gymnast Magazine
  2. KOTYS, Joseph "Joe". U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame
  3. Joe Kotys. sports-reference.com
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